Sky-high teamwork in Alaska

A Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster III took part in a joint air-drop mission over Alaska, which involved about 800 soldiers from the US Army’s 11th Airborne Division parachuting from 12 aircraft into a designated area.

CAPTION: Flight Lieutenant Tom Breadon, of RAAF’s 36 Squadron, briefs mission details before a joint air-drop mission over Alaska. Story by Flight Lieutenant Nicole Thomson-Pride. Photos by Senior Airman Mark Sulaica (US Air Force).

The mission was part of an exercise, held from October 5 to 18, at the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) in Hawaii.

The facility is the US Army’s newest combat training centre. Its purpose is to generate military readiness in environments and conditions where US forces are most likely to operate.

More than 1000 participants from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and the UK took part. Brunei, Canada, East Timor, Fiji, France, the Republic of Korea and Tonga attended as observing nations.

Among the participants were RAAF aviators from 36 Squadron, as well as an intelligence officer from 87 Squadron who contributed to mission planning, flying and maintaining aircraft.

Flight Lieutenant Alexander Kalfas, of 36 Squadron, said RAAF aviators worked in ‘mixed crews’ alongside counterparts from the US Air Force (USAF) and the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) on the ground and in the air.

“During the joint air-drop mission over Alaska, our C-17A Globemaster was crewed by members from RAAF, the USAF and RAF,” he said.

“Then on the ground, aviators from 36 Squadron worked in teams with the USAF to maintain their jets, while members of the US Air Force worked within our teams to maintain our jet.”

Flight Lieutenant Kalfas said RAAF’s involvement in this year’s exercise at the JPMRC demonstrated the strength of Australia’s relationship with US forces.

“The exercise was yet another example of the depth of our relationship with our mates in the US and its air force,” he said.

“The fact that we could deploy with minimal preparation and seamlessly operate and maintain each other’s aircraft in mixed aircrews and teams, through weeks of complex training scenarios, is a testament to our ability to work together quickly to achieve mission success.”

CAPTION: Inside a RAAF C-17A Globemaster III, US Army soldiers prepare parachutes before an air drop in Hawaii.

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