WEPTAC to hone warfighting skills Published Jan. 23, 2009 By Staff Sgt. Aileen Carter Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- More than 250 Nellis Airmen took part in the 10th annual Weapons and Tactics Conference, here Jan. 6-16. Sponsored by Air Combat Command, WEPTAC is the Air Force's largest gathering of weapons and tactics experts from the Navy, Marine Corps, United Kingdom and Canada. The purpose of this conference was to provide a face-to-face forum with experts to discuss current operational challenges, faced by our warfighters in theater and seek viable solutions, said Maj. Chris Alley, F-15E Strike Eagle weapons systems officer and WEPTAC coordinator. "We look at how we can efficiently and effectively accomplish our mission with the equipment that we currently have today," said Mr. H.A. Hamilton, weapons and tactics consultant for ACC and WEPTAC coordinator. "Our focus is not just the Global War on Terror and what we do now but the bigger picture, which sets the tone." To achieve this objective, the conference was separated into two portions. During the first week, members of the Tactics Review Board convened to sift through a listing of issues, suggestions or areas of interest, submitted by the various wings AF-wide. The topics of interest are then chosen for discussion in the second week of the conference, said Mr. Hamilton. The second week was marked by briefings and open forums to review the selected topics, chosen previously. From here, the 900 conference attendees were further organized into 33 working groups to examine and share solutions to current issues, which included weapon system upgrades, tactics and equipment and new technologies that may enhance warfighting capabilities, said Major Alley. One topic that surfaced at this conference was the usage of the HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter to assist with medical evacuation missions in addition to its traditional role as a combat search and rescue helicopter. Questions to either find another aerial transport to support the increasing medical evacuation missions or make the HH-60 Pavehawk a dual-role are currently being explored. "The benefit of WEPTAC is that it gathers together mid-level officers who are assigned to operational units throughout the combat air forces, as well as those who are fighting the war," said Major Alley. "The experts and participants gather to talk about real issues that are affecting our ability to fly, fight and win current conflicts, as well as future wars." Major Alley said the communication and problem-solving achieved through this conference help eliminate the turnaround time needed to make improvements in the battlefield, which could save lives.
