Green Flag resumes Aug. 16 Published Aug. 15, 2009 By Tech. Sgt. Aileen Carter Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Southern Nevada and Southern California residents will continue to see increased military aircraft activity as the Air Force resumes Green Flag West 09-09 Sunday, Aug. 16. Missions which take place at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., will be flown between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the second week of the exercise which began Aug. 9 and ends Aug. 20. The exercise flight path includes areas within Las Vegas valley, near Mount Charleston, and north of Pahrump in Nevada; as well the Mojave Desert near Fort Irwin in both Inyo and San Bernardino Counties in California. Conducted by the 549th Combat Training Squadron at Nellis and the 12th Combat Training Squadron at Fort Irwin, Green Flag West provides a realistic close-air support training environment for Airmen and Soldiers preparing to deploy in support of combat operations in Southwest Asia. An unscripted battle exercise which provides units with training on a scale not available at or near their home stations, Green Flag West replicates irregular warfare conditions currently found in Iraq and Afghanistan. Aircrews, working closely with Air Force joint terminal attack controllers embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division, protect 6,000 Soldiers and 400 armored and support vehicles from an opposing enemy force in a 1,000-square-mile combat environment. Units from the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied nations regularly participate in Green Flag West which is held throughout the year. Aircraft and squadrons participating in Green Flag West 09-09 include the Italian Air Force with AMX fighter-bombers, as well as MQ-9 Reapers and MQ-1 Predators from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., Creech Air Force Base, Nev., and the California Air National Guard. For more information about Green Flag West 09-09, contact the Nellis Public Affairs Office at (702) 652-2750.
