Northern Edge 2008: Testing real vs. virtual training limits

  • Published
  • By lst Lt. Travis Lee and Phil Harvey
  • 705th Combat Training Squadron
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Approximately 5000 U.S. active duty, National Guard and Reserve Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen participants were asking "is it real or is it virtual" Monday at Alaska's largest military training event for joint forces called Northern Edge 2008. 

The overall goal for Northern Edge is to conduct joint integrated live-virtual-constructive activities using technology to enhance the realism of live combat training, and improve the fidelity of virtual training. The U.S. Air Force Distributed Mission Operations Center at Kirtland AFB first introduced an integrated live-virtual-constructive environment to the Alaskan Command in June 2006 in Northern Edge 06. 

This is the second time the DMOC along with the 705th Combat Training Squadron have participated in Northern Edge. The 705th CTS is a subordinate unit to the 505th Distributed Warfare Group under the 505th Command and Control Wing, Hurlburt Field, Fla. 

Northern Edge 2008 is a joint air-centric exercise sponsored by Pacific Command and executed by Alaska Command. This exercise is the fourth largest Joint Chiefs of Staff funded exercise and will involve more than 120 Air Force, Army, Air National Guard, Navy and Marine aircraft, as well as the personnel recovery services of the U.S. Coast Guard. 

Air Forces from all around the United States will participate in both Live and Virtual scenarios and share the same common operating picture. Warfighters will conduct Northern Edge primarily from Elmendorf and Eielson AFBs, flying both live and virtual aircraft, facing simulated surface-to-air missile threats on the Pacific Alaska Range Complex and in the Gulf of Alaska Military Operating Areas. 

Major participating units include U.S. Pacific Command, Alaskan Command, the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pacific Air Forces, Marine Forces Pacific, U.S. Army Pacific, Special Operations Command Pacific, Air Combat Command, the Air National Guard, the Air Force Reserve and the U.S. Naval Reserve. 

Northern Edge is predominantly a tactical-level exercise, but the 613th Air Operations Center at Hickam AFB, Hawaii is also participating, adding an operational-level layer to the exercise. This exercise prepares forces to respond to crises in the Pacific region by practicing operations, techniques and procedures, improving command, control, and communication relationships, and developing interoperable plans and programs. 

Participants will practice defensive counter air, close air support, air interdiction of maritime targets, and personnel recovery missions getting the opportunity to integrate new weapon systems in a joint environment to train for real-world missions. The virtual players are not obvious to a casual observer, but are extensive and play a vital and important role in the overall training event. 

Virtual players will include an F-18 Hornet simulator in Missouri. Along with E-8C Joint Stars simulators in New Mexico and Georgia along with a B-1 simulator in Texas and South Dakota, and an E-2 Hawkeye simulator in California, performing critical command and control functions. 

The DMOC and the U.S. Navy Tactical Training Group Atlantic are supplementing these virtual numbers with an instructor driven or white force constructive fighter force to round out the virtual training, while providing more realistic numbers of aircraft in the virtual battle-space. A Navy virtual submarine will participate from Pearl Harbor. 

Aircraft participating "live" in the exercise this week include; the F-22 Raptor, F-15 Eagle, E-3 Sentry, F-16 Fighting Falcon, KC-135 Stratotanker, HC-130 Combat Talon, B-52 Stratofortress, F/A-18 Hornet and the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter. 

There will be actual combat crews participating in Northern Edge 2008 who will be training in the virtual environment, operating the E-3 AWACS and the F-15 Eagle simulators at Elmendorf and Kadena Air Base, Japan. 

Northern Edge is quickly becoming a benchmark for joint exercises in the area of live-virtual-constructive architecture and exercise enhancement. This exercise expands training capabilities and injects combat realism into a highly demanding and complex joint training environments where live assets may not be available or are too expensive to employ. This is futuristic training challenging us to train beyond physical limitations only limited by technology and what we can imagine.