Twitter
Facebook
Beyond the flightline along a winding road by the south perimeter of the base, smoke rose over the brim of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe training area. The sound of sledgehammers on tent posts and raised voices filled the air: “Come on guys, let’s do this!”
On Nov. 20, Airmen from around the world came together for a training event known as Silver Flag. Silver Flag is a weeklong course where Airmen from several different career specialties work together to learn how to build and sustain a base in a contingency environment. The exercise consists of academic training, followed by a day of practical application.
“The environment the students encounter simulates a medium threat location that allows their leadership to guide every move from convoys to redeployment,” said Master Sgt. Lamont Hall, 435th Construction and Training Squadron Heavy Repair Contingency Training Section chief.
Airmen consisting of civil engineers, communications, force support and finance personnel demonstrate their comprehension of the information they have been taught in the classroom by participating in various scenarios requiring the application of these skills.
“Some of the scenarios involved bed down initiatives, force protection, airfield repair, services operations and fire control,” Sergeant Hall said.
Silver Flag is not only about training Airmen, getting their hands dirty with tent construction, water purification and damage repair, but is also trains those who will manage and lead these operations.
“We have anywhere from airman basic all the way up to lieutenant colonel,” said Staff Sgt. Birgir Hrafnsson, 435th CTS water and fuels systems maintenance specialist. “We teach (the students) academically how to operate each piece of
equipment specific to their Air Force Specialty Code, and then on exercise day we also test their leadership on how well they can organize and lead the crafts on the overall mission.”
This year, officers from the Romanian air force were invited to observe, making the event more unique.
“It is good for our allies to see our capabilities first hand, mainly from a management perspective,” Sergeant Hall said. “They see what we do from scratch so they get a real idea of everything that goes into this.”
The Romanian air force officers took an observation roll throughout the training, with the U.S. Airmen learning firsthand what it takes to conduct an operation like this.
“This is not the first time we have worked together (with the U.S.), but after seeing this, we are having a chance to see the possibilities,” said Romanian air force 2nd Lt. Octavian Rosu, logistics, 71st Air Base, Romania. “The training is pretty realistic and everything they are doing is exactly according to plan. They are very professional.”
The Romanians have actively participated in Iraq and Afghanistan and remain a strong partner in these operations. Training together illustrates the desire of each country to maintain strong bonds and continue building upon their current foundation.
“It is easy to work together because we have some experience and we combine our capabilities with U.S. forces,” said Lt. Col. Vasila Apostu, chief of logistics, 95th Air Base, Romania. “It is very useful for us to be here for this training because we learn about the planning, and of course we are seeing the execution of that planning unfold right here.”
As the dust settled at the close of another day, the sentiment throughout the training area was the same. The last Silver Flag of the year was a success.
“We are helping them help us in the long term. It is no longer the small picture of just us or just the U.S. Air Force. It is the big picture of us and our allies worldwide,” Sergeant Hrafnsson said.
