NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The U.S. Air Force celebrates 50 years of Red Flag—an aerial combat training exercise that has transformed how pilots prepare for modern warfare.
Red Flag stood up 50 years ago to ensure we never lose our ability to win air superiority.''
Acting Secretary of the Air Force Gary Ashworth
Coordinated at Nellis Air Force Base and conducted over the Nevada Test and Training Range, the exercise is a major element in advancing realistic, multi-domain training for U.S., Joint and Coalition forces.
“Nellis is the epicenter of warrior ethos for the Air Force,” said Acting Secretary of the Air Force Gary Ashworth. “Red Flag represents the best of the best, training our warriors to be ready to fight and deliver lethal airpower across the globe at a moment's notice.”
Tasked with planning and controlling the rigorous exercise, the 414th CTS maximizes combat readiness by orchestrating realistic scenarios that combine air, ground, space and electronic threats. Blue forces deploy under the Air Expeditionary Force concept to execute missions ranging from offensive counter air and suppression of enemy air defense to combat search and rescue and dynamic targeting. Their simulated adversaries, provided by the various Aggressor squadrons of the 57th WG, replicate enemy tactics, ensuring each sortie is as challenging as it is instructive.
“Our mission is to simulate the complexity of today’s threat environment so that every pilot and aircrew member leaves with invaluable combat experience,” said Col. Eric Winterbottom, 414th CTS commander. “We’ll often hear past participants tell us their first experience in combat was hard, but not as hard as Red Flag.”
Red Flag was born in 1975 as the brainchild of Lt. Col. Richard “Moody” Suter—a visionary whose innovative approach helped reshape combat training following lessons learned in Vietnam. General Robert J. Dixon, then commander of Tactical Air Command, spearheaded the initiative to expose every Blue force pilot to their first 10 simulated combat missions. The goal was clear: build confidence and effectiveness in actual combat by providing a controlled, yet challenging, environment.
“Red Flag stood up 50 years ago to ensure we never lose our ability to win air superiority,” said Ashworth. “Ever since, the realistic, high-end training the 414th Combat Training Squadron provides has been the secret sauce to our success. There’s nothing equivalent to what you do in the skies of the Nevada Test and Training Range; as a result of your training, we’ve seen excellence in combat operations from Operation Desert Storm to nearly 25 years of air dominance in the wake of 9/11.”
Suter’s concept not only changed training doctrine but also fostered international collaboration. Over the decades, 29 countries, including members of the EPAF consortium and NATO forces, have joined the U.S. in this high-stakes exercise.
“My father was always focused on excellence, integrity and mission success, prioritizing the collective over the individual,” said Allison Suter, Richard Suter’s daughter. “Throughout his career, from the military to his work as a national security consultant, he remained fiercely dedicated to strategically creating peace during times of conflict. Mediocrity was never an option. I believe these are beating in the heart of Red Flag.”
Since its inception, Red Flag has logged more than 423,000 sorties flown by over 165,000 aircrew members, totaling nearly 785,000 hours of flight time. From simulated airfields and convoys to bunkered defensive positions and missile sites, the exercise challenges participants in a variety of missions—ensuring they are prepared to face any near-peer adversary in any combat environment.
“Red Flag’s 50th anniversary is more than a milestone,” said Winterbottom, “it’s a testament to five decades of evolving our tactics, strengthening alliances, and preparing warfighters for the complexities of modern combat. As we look to the future, Red Flag remains committed to delivering the most realistic and challenging training anywhere in the world”