Article Display

Atlantic Strike III trains Airmen for deployments

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Tiffany Payette
  • U.S. Central Command Air Forces Public Affairs
AVON PARK, Fla. --  Slowly walking through a quiet, deserted city, hearing nothing but your thoughts, you take a long, deep breath. Then, chaos suddenly breaks loose. An explosion throws you to the ground. The smell of smoke rushes through your nose and dust and sand cut through your skin. You immediately look for your troops. The look of shock is displayed on their faces.

Quickly gathering your thoughts, you get up and get into position to identify and find the enemy before calling in close-air support.

This may sound like a scenario occurring in Iraq — in fact it may be — but from March 27 to 31 this was Atlantic Strike III in Avon Park, a 106,000-acre bomb range in south central Florida.

Hundreds of servicemembers from all military branches gathered, including more than 75 people and 24 F-16s from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., to train and prepare joint air and ground troops for future deployments. About 24 people from Central Command Air Forces and more than 25 people from the 682nd Air Support Operations Squadron from Shaw, as well as 24 pilots and as many F-16s from the 55th, 77th and 79th Fighter squadrons at Shaw participated.

“Mission reports from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom allow us to create training scenarios, which simulate urban combat operations found in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Maj. Jeff Schollmeyer, Atlantic Strike III director. “Most of the use of precision engagement occurs in cities and towns in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, stressing the importance of training in urban (close-air support)."

Atlantic Strike III allows servicemembers to engage in realistic urban close-air support training for aircrews and joint terminal attack controllers to develop tactics, techniques and procedures for maximum effectiveness on future missions in OIF and OEF.

Although this deployment preparation focuses on troops soon deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan, many joint terminal attack controllers have a significant amount of operational experience in those countries. Their personal experience has helped shape the scenarios they’ve encountered during OIF and OEF.

“The scenarios replicated here will enable the aircrews and ground forces to work together more effectively in the (area of responsibility) in the future,” Major Schollmeyer said.

“Training (joint terminal attack controllers) in this realistic environment provides experience, which is critical to arming them with the experience needed to be successful in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Tech. Sgt. Travis Crosby, a JTAC with the 15th Air Support Operations Squadron.

“Today’s battles can not be won with just air or ground forces. Because of this, sister-service participation in this deployment preparation is crucial. Otherwise the realism would not be possible,” Maj. Schollmeyer said.

Multiple units participating in Atlantic Strike III include a 42-man Army Scout Team, a team of Marine JTACs, aircrew from the Navy’s P-3 Orion and several Air Force aircrews from around the country.

“With the safety of our troops always in our minds, the participation, dedication and efforts put forth at Avon Park by all branches of the armed forces make (Atlantic Strike III) the largest and most joint deployment training operation to date,” Maj. Schollmeyer said.