USAF EC COURSE FACT SHEET: AIR FORCE EXERCISE EAGLE FLAG
Posted 12/29/2011
Printable Fact Sheet
EXPEDITIONARY OPERATIONS SCHOOL: Air Force Exercise Eagle Flag
Air Force Exercise Eagle Flag is a USAF Chief of Staff directed exercise, supported by Air Mobility Command. The training is directed by the USAF Expeditionary Center (USAF EC) and executed by the USAF EC Expeditionary Operations School commander located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
Eagle Flag is designed for developing, testing and rehearsing the expeditionary combat support library of capabilities. Traditionally an air base opening exercise, it has evolved into a proof of concept and mission rehearsal for joint task force-port opening, close the operating location, aero-medical evacuation operations, defense support to civil authorities, contingency response element integration, irregular warfare, humanitarian operations and other contingencies faced by our nation and its allies.
U.S. forces must be able to provide a rapid, tailored response to a variety of universal situations. The exercise and associated training brings together those expeditionary support skills a combatant commander needs to execute the assigned mission in a realistic contingency environment. Eagle Flag provides that safe, yet extremely realistic training environment to ensure expeditionary combat support forces are ready to perform their mission. Additionally, participants are provided a field-condition platform to validate and improve upon contingency plans and concepts of operations.
Mission
The goal of Eagle Flag is to provide U.S. forces with an environment to exercise the knowledge and skills required for any type of forward operation, in any environment, regardless of mission or aircraft type.
This exercise provides a dynamic location with scenarios tailored to challenge combatant commanders and operations in a deployed environment. This is a participant driven exercise and personnel are faced with real life events stemming from lessons learned during overseas contingencies such as Operation Enduring Freedom.
Eagle Flag uses role players to provide realistic interaction and involvement throughout the scenario. Players act as host nation civilians, government and military officials, and other critical roles. Additionally, a majority of the role players are Arabic speaking natives from the Middle East, lending further realism.
Participants are tasked through the Air Expeditionary Forces Center. They are introduced into the exercise as dictated by sequenced arrival of forces, also known as the time phased force deployment document. Participants preplan many aspects of their training deployment using tools and information provided on the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center's Eagle Flag web site.
History
Gen. John Jumper, then the Air Force Chief of Staff, designated Air Mobility Command as the lead command to execute a flag-level program to prepare all Air Force expeditionary combat support Airmen in September 2002. The first Eagle Flag exercise began on Oct. 13, 2003, with Airmen tasked from across the Air Force.
Prior to March 2007, the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center was called the Air Mobility Warfare Center. Eagle Flag grew out of Air Mobility Command's Phoenix Readiness contingency preparation program. Phoenix Readiness, activated in November 1999, ran for 12 training days and consisted of four phases of education, training, exercise and evaluation for AMC personnel, with limited participation from other major commands.
Today's expeditionary environment demands our military and civilian responders be prepared to meet the challenges of deployment. Eagle Flag ensures preparedness to meet those challenges. It highlights expeditionary combat support functions as a major part of the Air Force war-fighting structure, enhancing airpower "from the ground up."
For more on these and other fact sheets, see the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center's public Web site at: http://www.expeditionarycenter.af.mil.
(Current as of December 2011)
Point of Contact:
Air Mobility Command, Public Affairs Office; 402 Scott Drive, Unit 1-M-8, Scott AFB, IL 62225, DSN 779-7821 or 618-229-7821.
email: amc-pao@us.af.mil.
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