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505th Combat Training Squadron supports Seventh Air Force in Ulchi Freedom Guardian

  • Published
  • By Robert Teasdale
  • 505th Combat Training Squadron
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  The 505th Combat Training Squadron based at Hurlburt Field, Fla., supports dozens of exercises throughout the year, but none more important to a commander than U.S. Forces Korea's annual Exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian.

Late every summer the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and the Combined Forces Command practice for that moment no one wishes for...armed confrontation between the north and the south.

UFG is an annual combined and joint command post exercise executed under various scenarios with the purpose of honing the skills necessary to defend the Republic of Korea. The exercise is designed to increase Alliance readiness, protect the region, and maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula by improving ROK-U.S. forces' operational capabilities and simulating the deployment of reinforcements.

The air war portion of UFG historically has two parts: the first is the gradual buildup of Allied power with ever-increasing Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, aerial refueling capability and planning and Part Two, a simulated air war lasting only a few days. This simulated war is run on a vast computer network with participants from all over the world "flying" the aircraft, including a small team from the 505th who came to the Korea Air Simulation Center on Osan Air Base.

The 505th CTS is a small squadron with fewer than 150 members, more than half of whom are retired Airmen who flew, controlled or maintained the aircraft they now "fly" on computer screens. Close air support missions, strikes, counter-air, personnel recovery, and more were flown by 505th members from the KASC during two weeks of 24-hour per day exercise play, all coordinated through a humongous collaboration of programs which allows 607th Air and Space Operations Center to actually watch their decisions unfold on the screen. The 20 controllers working this exercise "flew" over 13,000 missions during 10 days of exercise.

"Without your experience and expertise, this exercise could not be run," retired Brig. Gen. Barry Barksdale, UFG 2013 Exercise Director told them.

The exercise ran Aug. 16-29.