US Air Force,
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE: A Dover C-17 Globemaster III teamed up with Air Combat Command and Navy fighters in a joint Air Force-Navy training operation June 29 at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla.
The large transport, which 436th Airlift Wing officials received June 21, teamed up with F-15 Eagles from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; F-5s from NAS Key West's VFC-111 Aggressor Squadron; and F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets from NAS Lemoore, Calif.
Less than two weeks after its initial arrival here, Dover's second C-17 and its crew of Airmen from the 3rd Airlift Squadron are hard at work supporting the Airmen and Sailors in their dissimilar air combat training exercise.
“Our plane is down there making shuttle runs between Eglin and Key West,” said Capt. Billy Coyle, 3rd AS. “One load of cargo on our C-17 is the equivalent of them bringing 4 semi-truck shipments. We ran several loads of cargo in support of their exercise.”
To move F-15 parts in the exercise, the joint team looked toward the Air Mobility Command for support. Leaders from the 436th stepped up and sent one of their two new Globemaster IIIs down to get the airlift job done.
In turn, the Sailors and Airmen there were able to concentrate on their objectives of the getting valuable experience on each other's systems and operations.
Meshing the services' training objectives highlighted one goal of the DACT exercise, said Capt. Joe Chennault, the deployment project officer.
The exercise objectives proved successful for ACC.
“It's not an every day occurrence for us to work so closely with the Navy,” Captain Chennault said. “Whether I'm talking real-time in a combat-theater mission or a training sortie, I now know what I need to say to make them understand and vice versa.”
The objectives also proved successful for the Navy.
“It's good for all of us to see how the other service operates,” said Navy Lt. Brad Garms, VFA-122 fleet replacement squadron instructor. “Over the last few years, the Navy and Air Force have begun to standardize the operating tactical environment.”
Additionally, the exercise proved successful to the Dover team.
“We got a chance to operationally support the joint DACT exercise, and at the same time get valuable training for our loadmasters,” said Captain Coyle.
Dover's newest C-17 got the first notch on her belt with the exercise, and two new loadmasters were certified during the trip, and that, said Captain Coyle, is a successful first mission.
