I/ITSEC 2022: Virtual Flag exercise enhances Five Eyes training capabilities

Australia, Canada, the UK and the US have completed Virtual Flag, a distributed mission training and interoperability exercise, the USAF announced on 18 November.

Exercise Virtual Flag is a Commander Air Combat Command-sponsored programme that provides operational and tactical warfighters with a virtual, theatre-level, joint combat environment to train in.

It is one of the US DoD’s largest exercises combining all US forces with international partners that include the RAF, RN, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the Australian Army, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Army.

The 705^th Combat Training Squadron’s Distributed Mission Operated Center (DMOC) at Kirtland AFB is responsible for planning and executing the exercises.

The programme follows a nine-day cycle, with the first few days including familiarisation, academics, system operational checks, and mission planning events.

The employment phase is spread over four days during which each execution period builds upon the planning, execution and debriefing of the previous days. Units can participate from either the DMOC itself or distributed from their home stations, saving travel time and resources.

This year, approximately 400 coalition and joint personnel completed 6,400 joint training events with 43 units using seven networks and 23 different systems connected at 20 distributed sites worldwide.

Scenarios during the exercises were live, virtual and constructive. (Photo: US DoD)

These sites around the globe, from simulators to allied air operations centre facilities, are connected to the DMOC through information system networks. Scenarios during the exercises were live, virtual and constructive (LVC).

‘Distributed training allows us to integrate almost unlimited players and participants. Participants that normally couldn't train together are now able to train together with the DMOC's network support structure,’ said USAF 705th Combat Training Squadron Virtual Flag exercise director Maj Christopher Hawzen in an 18 November statement.

‘We can connect multiple platforms across the coalition and put them in a scenario that is more representative of wartime conditions in a much larger AOR [area of responsibility] with no constraints on fuel, time or airspace, and no risk to life or aircraft, which are limitations with live-fly exercises,’ he continued.

'Exercise Virtual Flag: Coalition is a highly valuable training event that allows units from UK defence to practice tactical employment of our capabilities.'— RAF Squadron Leader Graham Orme, Virtual Flag 23-1 UK detachment commander.

For the first time, a part of the exercise’s white force cell was distributed from an Australian base, the Australian Air Warfare Centre (AAWC) at RAAF Edinburgh.

These new capabilities also enhance the AAWC’s ability to provide better training for the RAAF while using the DMOC to provide an adequate training environment.

UK units have been participating in Virtual Flag for many years. During this iteration, the USAF said, the British team focused on the delivery of qualified space instructor assessments, remotely piloted aircraft system operations, and air-land Integration at army division and sub-brigade levels.

The latter also included US Marine Corps brigade combat teams and Canadian Army brigades as well as introducing integrated cyber operations.

‘Exercise Virtual Flag: Coalition is a highly valuable training event that allows units from UK defence to practice tactical employment of our capabilities within a large coalition environment,’ said RAF Sqn Ldr Graham Orme, Virtual Flag 23-1's UK detachment commander.

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