Photo: U.S. Air Force communications Airmen assigned to the 23rd Air Expeditionary Wing set up radio equipment during contingency location operations at the Rafael Hernández International Airport, Puerto Rico, Feb. 25, 2023. These forces were supporting Operation Forward Tiger, an Air Forces Southern exercise designed to increase combat readiness alongside humanitarian assistance and disaster response capabilities with U.S. partners and allies throughout the Caribbean. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Courtney Sebastianelli)
MOODY AFB – Operation Forward Tiger has come to an end for Moody Airmen after three weeks of training and multination integration.
Release:
After three weeks of training and multinational integration, exercise Operation Forward Tiger came to an end March 4, 2023.
The focus was on enhancing interoperability in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief designed to strengthen the longstanding partnership between the Dominican Republic Air Force (FARD), Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) and United States Air Force (USAF).
The multinational exercise deployed over 350 U.S. Airmen from the 23rd Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) along with A-10C Thunderbolt II, C-130J Super Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
The exercise served as an opportunity to build on Lead Wing concepts and experience realistic interoperability training as allied countries while implementing agile combat employment – a concept of rapidly inserting into a theater, establishing logistics, communication capabilities, command and control, while receiving follow-on forces and generating airpower, enabling several levels of training and integration.
“From a strategic perspective, we integrated and trained alongside partner nations, provided U.S. airpower for an international airshow and brought fighter forces to the Southern Command area of responsibility – something that is rarely done,” said Col. Sean Baerman, 23rd AEW vice commander. “Operationally, we integrated with the 612th Air Operations Center, honed our Lead Wing operations, set up a Main Operating Base (MOB) in San Juan, a Forward Operating Station (FOS) in San Isidro, Contingency Locations (CL) in Ceiba and Aguadilla, and all the Command and Control operations and logistics that accompany that. Tactically, we worked with over-the-horizon intel taskings, Strike Coordination and Reconnaissance, Air Operations in Maritime Surface Warfare, Close Air Support, Dissimilar Air Combat, air drops and airfield seizures.”
Key to succeeding in these objectives is air mobility – a concept with both primary and secondary roles during Operation Forward Tiger.
Airland operations provided a logistics supply chain from the MOB to the FOS and CLs while airdrop operations conducted airfield seizure operations and training opportunities, explained Capt. Joshua Osgard, 39th Airlift Squadron pilot and Agile Airlift Cell chief for OFT. Escort and intercept training as well as aircraft loading and familiarization training for coalition partners further demonstrated the crucial role of air mobility.
“My team coordinated requirements from the various users and locations and translated them into airlift operations,” he said. “Air mobility is absolutely critical to logistics for building, sustaining, and closing locations within the hub and spoke cluster in the Agile Combat Employment construct.”
Forward Tiger provided valuable training that personnel are unable to receive at home station due to the complex nature of executing an out-of-country deployment. Operating throughout the Caribbean provided a strategic advantage – having small and dynamic targets makes it more difficult for an enemy to strike.
“Our ability to open, operate and close operating locations quickly, as well as operate from several locations simultaneously means the enemy can’t target our forces as easily,” Baerman said. “Moody Airmen truly are on the leading edge of future combat operations against peer-threats.”
While the exercise had an abundance of successes, there’s still obstacles in the ability to rapidly deploy and employ forces around the globe at a moment’s notice.
“The biggest challenge for the Air Force will be a cultural shift to agile combat,” Baerman explained. “We saw this every day, where there are existing AFIs, DoDIs or operational practices that work well at home station; but when you are now forward, in another country with a small team, you have to recognize and accept risk at a low level. That’s a steep learning curve, but one we are excelling at as a Lead Wing.”
Despite challenges, Team Moody accomplished everything they set out to do.
“Everywhere I looked, each team was performing at the varsity level; from heroic moments from our Fire Dawgs and Med personnel, our Military Planning Cell building an impressive exercise scenario, Intel practicing concepts for the future fight, and pilots honing their TTPs for the same … Our Language Enabled Airmen stepped way outside their traditional AFSCs and made miracles happen,” Baerman said. “This is Moody’s third iteration of a Lead Wing exercise, and we just keep making the Air Force better.”
