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Air Control Flight: Eyes in the skies at Red Flag

By Airman 1st Class Sadie Colbert, 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs / Published June 23, 2017

U.S. Air Force Capt. Jaclyn Dzieciolowski, the 610 Air Control Flight operations training officer and senior director, directs aircraft during a RED FLAG-Alaska 17-2 mission, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, June 20, 2017. The shop supported the U.S. and its allies during the large-force exercise and provided battle management command and control to the coalition forces who participated. They worked together with pilots in order to provide tactical advantages in the playing field in order to further enhance the Air Force’s capabilities to dominate in air and cyberspace. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Sadie Colbert)
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U.S. Air Force Capt. Jaclyn Dzieciolowski, the 610th Air Control Flight operations training officer and senior director, directs aircraft during a RED FLAG-Alaska 17-2 mission, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, June 20, 2017. The shop supported the U.S. and its allies during the large-force exercise and provided battle management command and control to the coalition forces who participated. They worked together with pilots in order to provide tactical advantages in the playing field in order to further enhance the Air Force’s capabilities to dominate in air and cyberspace. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Sadie Colbert)

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Christopher McWhorter, a 610th Air Control Flight weapons director, walks down the hallway with an air controller headset during RED FLAG-Alaska, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, June 20, 2017. The headset provides controllers with zero noise pollution so they can clearly communicate to all players in the airspace. While in Misawa Air Base, Japan, controllers coordinate with Japan Air Self-Defense Force's 3rd Air Wing to work on interoperability which further strengthens their tactical fluidity. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Sadie Colbert)
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U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Christopher McWhorter, a 610th Air Control Flight weapons director, walks down the hallway with an air controller headset during RED FLAG-Alaska, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, June 20, 2017. The headset provides controllers with zero noise pollution so they can clearly communicate to all players in the airspace. While in Misawa Air Base, Japan, controllers coordinate with Japan Air Self-Defense Force's 3rd Air Wing to work on interoperability which further strengthens their tactical fluidity. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Sadie Colbert)

A fleet of aircraft sit on the flight line during RED FLAG-Alaska 17-2 June 16, 2017, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. During RF-A, the 610th Air Control Flight out of Misawa Air Base, Japan, afforded aircraft extra eyes in the sky, ensuring pilots had 360 degrees of surveillance so they could tactfully execute the mission and bring the fight to the frontlines during the large force exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Haley D. Phillips)
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A fleet of aircraft sit on the flight line during RED FLAG-Alaska 17-2 June 16, 2017, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. During RF-A, the 610th Air Control Flight out of Misawa Air Base, Japan, afforded aircraft extra eyes in the sky, ensuring pilots had 360 degrees of surveillance so they could tactfully execute the mission and bring the fight to the frontlines during the large force exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Haley D. Phillips)

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EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- It’s a dark room, lit up by a handful of bright screens; each one displays locations of different airframes in the sky. It’s laid out like a virtual play book with Airmen who look like football coaches wearing headsets giving instructions.  They're the 610th Air Control Flight from Misawa Air Base, Japan, now in Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska to support RED FLAG-Alaska 17-2, from June 8 to 23.

The 610th ACF acts as the centralized communication point for U.S. and its allies during RF-A as eyes in the skies, providing training on real-world scenarios.

“It’s exciting; although we are not physically in the air with the pilots, it definitely feels like we’re a part of the fight,” said Capt. Jaclyn Dzieciolowski, the 610th ACF operations training officer and senior director. “We direct fighters to target airborne adversaries, simulated by U.S. fighters, and receive assessments from their ground strikes, which often involve live munitions.”

Their primary mission is to provide battle management command and control, also known as C2, to the coalition forces participating. They do so by communicating enemy locations as well as directing aircraft when and where they can refuel.

“We will talk to about 40 to 50 different aircraft during a mission,” Dzieciolowski said. “We have a ‘god’s eye view’ of everything. We also inform them what kind of maneuvering they are allowed to do and if there are any weather changes affecting their operations.”

Not only do they provide C2 support for the U.S., Japan Air Self-Defense Force, the Royal Thai Air Force and the Republic of Korea in Eielson, they are also working with several squadrons out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

“Red Flag-Alaska is one of the world's premier joint and coalition large-force employment exercises designed to simulate the stresses associated with combat operations,” said Lt. Col. Doyle Pompa, the 35th Operations Group deputy commander. “It is conducted at the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex and utilizes aggressor forces and advanced surface-to-air defense forces to test and sharpen our war fighting ability.”

Capt. Winston Jean-Pierre, the 610th ACF director of operations, said RF-A came with a lot of training benefits for their small shop as well.

“Exercises like Red Flag are good opportunities for us to practice the check-in and check-out, tanker management, HVAA protection and defensive counter-air roles we execute in accordance with our primary mission: the defense of Japan,” Jean-Pierre said.

Through it all, they are here in the long-run to provide tactical mission support.

“It’s a lot of work, but we are here to back the pilots up,” Dzieciolowski concluded. “We will always be there as their eyes when they cannot see, helping them tactically to execute the mission and build upon their strengths so we can remain the most credible and reliable Air Force in the world.”