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Atlantic Strike IV brings services together in air, on ground

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Trevor Tiernan
  • Atlantic Strike Public Affairs
AVON PARK, Fla. --  AVON PARK, Fla. - Airmen from units across the country joined Soldiers and Marines, and descended upon the quiet town here, to train in close-air support operations. 

Air Force and Marine Corps joint terminal attack controllers and Army joint fire observers on the ground worked with Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps aircraft in the skies Oct. 22 to today during Atlantic Strike IV. 

"Atlantic Strike is a U.S. Central Command Air Forces initiative and the only joint tactical level urban CAS training event dedicated to supporting the global war on terror," said Maj. Raymond Brennan, Atlantic Strike director. 

"The exercise is intended to prepare joint air and ground forces for maximum battlefield effectiveness through realistic urban CAS and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance training," he said. 

In addition to the Airmen and Soldiers on the ground, the skies above the Avon Park Air Force Range in Florida were inhabited by Air Force F-16 Falcons from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., and Homestead AFB, Fla; F-22 Raptors from Langley AFB, Va.; A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from Pope AFB, N.C.; F-15 Eagles from Mountain Home AFB, Idaho; B-52 Stratoftresses from Barksdale AFB, La.; JSTARS from Robins AFB, Ga.; KC-135 Stratotankers from McDill AFB, Fla.; Navy P-3 Orions from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.; and Marine Corps AH-1W Cobras and UH-1N Hueys from Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C.; and AV-8B Harriers from MCAS Cherry Point, N.C. 

For most of the exercise participants, the appeal lies in the extensive training opportunities available. 

"I cannot simulate an urban CAS scenario with the realistic training offered by Avon Park," said Lt. Col. Scott Manning, 79th Fighter Squadron commander at Shaw. "Having simulated 'hostile' and 'friendly' personnel on the ground, smokey SAM capability, explosive flares and smoke to simulate ground fire cannot be replicated in our local airspace or training grounds. 

"We were looking forward to the joint operations, refining the close air support skills and also looking forward to being able to actually employ a laser guided bomb," he added. "Local Shaw (AFB) Ranges do not support the employment of laser-guided munitions so this was an ideal exercise to provide my pilots with an opportunity to release these weapons." 

Marine Capt. Kevin "Skeet" Beckwith, a Cobra pilot with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 264 was also excited about the training his unit could not only provide to the troops on the ground, but also for his fellow aircrews. "One of the big draws for us to come here is that there's a lot of land and a less restrictive range environment than what we have in North Carolina," he said. "We're going to get some good training for some of younger lieutenants down here." 

Over the course of the week, aircrews and ground troops engaged in numerous scenarios developed from actual situation encountered by JTACs operating in Southwest Asia. They ran through scenarios which involved countering improvised explosive devices, ambushes and snipers well as conducting cordon and search operations. 

The JTACs participating in the exercise came to Avon Park from Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Stewart, Ga.; Fort Campbell, Ky.; and Fort Bragg, N.C.