EDWARDS AIR FORCE Base, Calif. — The 412th Test Wing answered the call of duty in support of Bamboo Eagle, a live-fly exercise that teams over 3,000 servicemembers across four branches to fly, maintain and support more than 150 aircraft at Edwards and other operating locations.
Combat warfighters are placed in a multi-domain, disaggregated high-end conflict during this large-scale exercise organized by the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center located at Nellis AFB, Nevada.
A key element of the exercise requires units to operate in a location other than their home base to simulate a forward-deployed environment.
“Our main operating bases in the current environment cannot be assumed to be protected against peer adversaries, so you have to distribute operations across as many locations as possible to provide survivability for your forces and not depend on one secure site,” said Lt. Col. Robert Newton, 412th Operations Support Squadron commander.
Edwards was chosen because of the 412th Test Wing’s ability to support F-35 Lighting II operations.
“Edwards is particularly ideal for an exercise like Bamboo Eagle that addresses how we are going to operate in a hostile environment. The real estate and airspace here provide us the needed maneuverability to work with all of these partners in the same place,” said Lt. Col. David Schmitt, 412th Operations Group commander.
On top of carrying on activities related to Edwards’ day-to-day operations, including flight test, the 412th OSS received F-35As from Hill AFB, Utah, F-35Bs from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, and C-17 Globemaster IIIs and C-130s from Air Mobility Command, exemplifying agile combat employment.
Newton said the ACE concept is vital to how the Air Force will fight future conflicts. Training exercises such as Bamboo Eagle affords multiple units across different branches the opportunity to “train how we fight.”
“The Operation Support Squadron provides all the roles that naturally fall into the Operations Group but don’t naturally fit into a flight squadron. Whether that’s airfield support, air traffic control, aircrew fight equipment, maintenance of the radars or other activity that support airfield operations day-in and day-out,” said Newton.
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