Exercise Northern Lightning 2024 Review

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Northern Lightning, the two weeklong exercise hosted by the Wisconsin Air National Guard and held from August 5th to the 16th (no flying on weekends) at the Volk Air National Guard Base CRTC (Combat Readiness Training Center) which is located roughly 10 miles from the city of New Lisbon, Wisconsin. This annual joint training exercise brought more than One Thousand Two Hundred military personnel from 15 states and 20 different units. This year’s exercise would turn out to be quite different from past year’s that I have covered for many different reasons, we will take a closer look at those changes in this article.

This year’s iteration of Northern Lightning was focused on ACE (Agile Combat Employment) schemes that replicate operational assumptions in the Pacific Theater. The United States Air Force definition of ACE is a proactive and reactive operational scheme of maneuver executed within threat timelines to increase survivability while generating combat power. The five core elements of ACE are posture, C2 (Command and Control), movement and maneuver, protection and sustainment. When the concept is employed correctly it complicates the enemies targeting process, creates political and operational dilemmas, and creates flexibility for friendly forces. This scheme of maneuver makes moves difficult for enemies to predict and complicates the targeting cycle. Being able to scatter, regroup, update, and keep executing the commander’s intent is a critical skill. This concept was developed as a result of the reduction of permanent overseas airbases, technological advances in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and the advancement of weapons systems.

ACE is an operational concept that supports JADO (Joint All Domain Operations). JADO is a strategic approach used by the DOD (Department of Defense) to integrate all defense domains into the planning and execution of missions. JADO combines the resources and capabilities of the air, space, land, sea, and cyberspace domains to overwhelm enemies and ensure mission success. JADO involves coordination, retasking operations, system integrations, fusing of data, and sharing real time information. The successful employment of ACE and JADO positions the force to observe, orient, decide, and act across all domains. In future conflicts the United States may face adversaries capable of wielding a disruptive and dangerous operational reach with mass, precision, and speed in all domains. To address this threat ACE shifts operations to a network of smaller dispersed locations that can complicate adversary planning and provide more options for Joint Force Commanders.

Elements of the ACE concept were quite evident in this year’s exercise with these noticeable changes, there were only three units based out of Volk Field this year. The Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing (known as the Stingers) based out of Toledo Ohio was present once again flying the 4th generation Block 42 variant of the Lockheed Martin F-16 C/D Fighting Falcon. The Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing, normally based out of Madison, Wisconsin flying the 5TH Generation Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II. The final unit belonging to the United States Marine Corps is the Miramar California based VMFA-311 (known as the Tomcats) flying the 5th Generation Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II. It is worth noting that VMFA-311 was just reactivated in April of 2023, this also marks the first time the F-35C has participated in a Northern Lightning exercise. ACE is evident here by limiting the amount of assets in one location which will complicate enemy targeting.

The Posture element of Ace was evident in the Volk Field basing of the 115th Fighter Wing, which normally calls Madison, Wisconsin home, a short 87 miles away. This gave the unit’s support and maintenance personnel vital experience in packing up all of the equipment needed to operate and be able to turn the jets around in an unfamiliar location. The unit gained valuable knowledge and insight on how to operate with the same mission tempo as they do from their home base.

Several other units also participated in this year’s exercise but did so from their home base. These included the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 179TH Fighter Wing (known as the Bulldogs) based at Duluth, Minnesota flying the 4th Generation Block 50 variant of the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcon. Also flying the 4th Generation Block 25/32 variant of the Lockheed Martin F-16 C/D Fighting Falcon flown by the AATC (Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test enter) based at Tucson, Arizona. This unit is part of the 162nd Wing and was based out of Madison, Wisconsin this year.
** Please note these are file images and were not taken at this year’s exercise. **

Additional 5th Generation Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II units were home based for this year’s exercise. These included the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing (known as The Green Mountain Boys) based at Burlington, Vermont. The Alabama Air National Guard’s 187th Fighter Wing (known as the Redtails) flew from their home base at Montogomery, Alabama. By keeping these units at their home base, it simulated the longer-range missions where fighting units would face a two-to-three-hour flight with multiple aerial refuelings before they find themselves in the “fight”. These units would then have a multi-hour flight home with additional aerial refuelings. This is exactly the scenario that our forces would potentially find themselves in if there was a conflict where to erupt somewhere in the Pacific Theater.
** Please note these are file images and were not taken at this year’s exercise. **

Another major change in this year’s exercise was the lack of dedicated “Red” Air or Adversarial Air assets. In past years “Red” Air was flown by such contracted companies as Draken, ATAC, or Top Aces, they flew a mix of subsonic and supersonic fighter aircraft. These contractors flew the Aero L-159E Honey Badger, the Dassault Mirage F-1C, and the Lockheed Martin F-16A Fighting Falcon. In past years the 71st Fighter Training Squadron based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis Virginia would bring their Gloss Black painted Northrop T-38C Talons to the exercise. This year would see the F-16 and F-35 units playing the role of both “Red” and “Blue” Air, with some units flying 60 to 70 percent as the Adversary.
** Please note these are file images and were not taken at this year’s exercise. **

To get a more in-depth look at this year’s exercise and what changed we had the privilege and opportunity to sit down with Lieutenant Alex King, an F-35 pilot with the 115th Fighter Wing. Lt. King, who is new to flying the F-35 with 90 hours and was previously a Firefighter, described a typical Northern Lightning 2024 day. “We fly 2 sorties a day with the morning flight focused on Offensive Counter Air which would involve thirty to forty aircraft. We would fly into an area and establish air superiority by taking out air-to-air threats with a higher emphasis on taking out enemy SAM (Surface to Air Missile) sites. Offensive Counter Air could also include dynamic targeting, where Command finds it necessary to take out a command post or a vehicle. The afternoon flight was as Defensive Counter Air meaning you are flying point defense or area defense. If we are defending a point, it could be a boat, if we are flying area defense it could be defending the homeland or a certain point, we had to prevent the enemy from reaching or crossing that line. Offensive Counter Air would take most of the focus though.” Lt. King would continue “With the lack of dedicated adversary assets, we would fly 30 to 40 percent as “Blue” Air and the balance as “Red” Air. Naturally there is a tremendous amount of mission planning that needs to occur. Mission planning was accomplished with remote units was secure teleconferencing for the mass briefing. Additional mission planning was conducted face to face for the Volk Field based units. The mission debrief was a bit more complicated as the locally based units were starting their debrief and passing of data before other units had even landed.”

As already mentioned, aerial refueling is a key component to every Northern Lightning exercise with several units participating this year. One of those units is the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s Milwaukee, Wisconsin based 128th Air Refueling Wing flying the venerable Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker. It is worth noting that the United States Marine Corps F-35C’s did not require aerial refueling support based on its fuel carrying capacity.
** Please note these are file images and were not taken at this year’s exercise. **

CRTC (Combat readiness Training Center) Volk Field is one of four such centers in the United States. Its 40,000 cubic miles of airspace allows its participants to train and prepare for near peer threats as well as integration between 4th and 5th generation fighters. The battlespace in and around Volk Field allows pilots and crews the opportunity to operate in a realistic combat environment that includes adversary aircraft, electronic jamming, air to air threats, and simulated SAM threats. It is this type of world class training facility that allows all branches of the United States Military to learn from each from other, get better, and most importantly integrate through joint training scenarios to keep our military ready for the next fight.

I would like to extend a very big thank you to Volk Air National Guard Base Public Affairs Specialist Kristen “Rambo” Keenan and to 115TH Fighter Wing F-35A Pilot Lieutenant Alex King for their time and for making this article possible. Until next time, “Blue Skies to All!”

Scott Jankowski

Scott Jankowski - Franklin, Wisconsin Like so many others my love of aviation started when I was young, very young. I was only three years old when my Parents took me to my first air show here in Milwaukee, the rest you could say is “history”. I would read aviation magazines instead of Comic Books. I would prefer my Dad take me to the airport to watch airplanes instead of throwing a Football around. I grew up watching Convair 580’s, DC9’s and 727’s from the terminal here in Milwaukee, no Stage Three noise compliance back then! I started to seriously take pictures in the Mid 1980’s , for my birthday that year I finally had my first decent camera. I would head down to the airport with my pockets full of Kodak Film and take pictures of anything and everything. It did not matter if it was a Air Wisconsin Dash-7 or a 128TH ARW KC-135E if it had an engine I took a picture of it. I would drop those rolls off to be developed and three days later tear into the envelopes to see the results, which to be honest were not that good but there were a few keepers every once and a while. Fast forwarding to today with much better equipment and skills I spend as much time as I can at both General Mitchell International and Chicago O’Hare which are my Hometown Airports. While times and aircraft have changed the excitement is still as great as it was back all of those years ago. It makes no difference if it is 737, P-51, F-16, or Lear 35 I will not pass on any photo opportunity as you may not get that chance again. Even though my primary focus is on Commercial Aviation I still frequent as many Air shows as I can in the short Summer Season. I am fortunate enough to have EAA Air Venture in my backyard only being only an Hour and Half from my home. I routinely attend Air shows here in Milwaukee, Rockford, Chicago, Ypsilanti and the Quad Cities. I am very fortunate to be part of the Photorecon.Net and PHX Spotters Team and am looking forward to bringing everyone some Air show and Airliner action from the Midwest Region!

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