News

Reserve pilots, loadmasters join forces with RAAF

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Minnette Mason
  • 446th Airlift Wing Public Afafirs
MCCHORD FIELD, Wash. --  Reserve pilots and loadmasters from the 446th Operations Group combined forces with the Royal Australian Air Force, as well as active-duty Airmen, Soldiers, Seamen and Marines, to execute Talisman Sabre 2015, a biennial military exercise that spans the Pacific Ocean, beginning July 5 though July 12. 

This was the first opportunity for the aircrews to participate in the exercise, which now has six iterations.

Talisman Sabre 2015 is jointly sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Command and Australian Defence Force Headquarters Joint Operations Command. According to the Australian Government Department of Defence Web site, Talisman Sabre is a "major undertaking that reflects the closeness of [U.S.-Australian] alliance."

For Col. Scott Snyder, 446th OG commander and Air Force mission commander for the exercise, preparing to take on these missions was a unique challenge. He is a fully-qualified command pilot with nearly 25 years of experience, and he has flown six different aircraft. He is responsible for all three of the 446th Airlift Wing flying squadrons and an aeromedical evacuation squadron. Yet, this mission was a new accomplishment to add to the colonel's stats. 

"The challenge to this whole thing is coordinating with all the staff agencies," Snyder said prior to the exercise. "We will test our capabilities, and we'll have a chance to do a lot of training. And, the bottom is: we will get the mission done."

However, completing the mission is an understatement. Approximately 30,000 military and other government agency personnel integrate to accomplish in-flight refueling, high-altitude air drops, airfield seizures, and other militarized tactics. Merely planning for these operations requires tremendous coordination.

"All the exercises I've planned [in the past] have gone a lot easier," said Maj. Patrick Hancock, chief of 446th Airlift Wing weapons and tactics and lead planner during the exercise. 

In addition to developing the tactical plans during the exercise, the major also coordinated for air space, safety concerns, customs, and even locations for scheduled briefings. Nevertheless, the international partnership with the Australian force was seamless, Hancock said.

"The [Australians] are easy to work with," he elaborated. "I already flew with [one of the Australians] to Deep Freeze so I already had a relationship with him. Talking to him is like talking to an active duty pilot or anybody else. You can expect the same things."