Wolf Pack soars into RED FLAG-Alaska 22-3 Published Aug. 2, 2022 By Senior Airman Shannon Braaten 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- RED FLAG-Alaska 22-3 kicked off as U.S. and Royal Australian Air Force service members took to the skies at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, July 28, 2022. RF-A simulates a contested environment, where battlefield strategy requires innovative answers, and provides the opportunity for participants to integrate with various units as joint and multilateral forces. “RED FLAG is a phenomenal exercise for our Wolf Pack to participate in,” said U.S. Air Force Col. John “Wolf II” Caldwell, 8th Fighter Wing vice commander. “The opportunity for enhanced cooperation that the large force exercise offers not only improves our ability to train and operate with our allies and partners across the region, it hones all participants’ skills and allows us to more efficiently respond to a wide range of future challenges.” The exercise tests service members on their combat readiness, emphasizing the integration of other squadrons' aircraft into current mission plans, testing their ability to effectively function as a joint-force team. “We’re doing things here that we’ve never done before,” said U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Conner Schneider Mundt, 80th Fighter Squadron pilot. “In the long term, the lessons we learn here will prime us for things we might not see in the future.” Extended programs of engagement between the simulated fighting forces of the U.S. military and its joint-force partners continue to place priority on the safety and security of the Indo-Pacific region and will increase interoperability to allow for more productive regional partnerships.