USAFWS Class 16-B executes JFEX

Capt. Mike “Havac” Gilpatrick, a pilot assigned to the 9th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and Capt. Jason “Brick” Sewell, a pilot assigned to the 43rd Operation Support Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, N.C., prepare a C-17 Globemaster III for take-off before a joint forcible entry exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Dec. 10, 2016. JFEX is a U.S. Air Force Weapons School large-scale air mobility exercise in which participants plan and execute a complex air-land operation in a simulated contested battlefield. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)

Capt. Mike “Havac” Gilpatrick, a pilot assigned to the 9th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., flies a C-17 Globemaster III during Joint Forcible Entry exercise, Dec. 10, 2016. Joint Forcible Entry is an exercise that tests the Air Force's capability for tactical airlift. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)

A radar on a C-17 Globemaster III shows nine aircraft flying in formation during a joint forcible entry exercise over the Nevada Test and Training Range, Dec. 10, 2016. The exercise is the U.S. Air Force Weapons School collaboration that exercises the Air Force's ability to tactically deliver and recover combat forces via air drops and combat landings in a contested environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)

Capt. Dan “Filter” Naske, 57th Weapons Squadron pilot, uses night vision goggles to see while flying in a C-17 Globemaster III over the Nevada Test and Training Range on Dec. 10, 2016. The C-17 is operated by Air Mobility Command located at Travis Air Force Base, Calif.; Dover Air Force Base, Del.; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; Joint Base Charleston, S.C., and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)

Capt. Mike “Havac” Gilpatrick, a pilot assigned to the 9th Airlift Squadron, flies a C-17 Globemaster III at night during a joint forcible entry exercise over the Nevada Test and Training Range, Dec. 10, 2016. Joint service exercises like the JFEX are integral to maintaining operational cohesiveness between the Air Force and the Army. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)

A C-17 Globemaster III from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., awaits the start of a joint forcible entry exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Dec. 10, 2016. During the Joint Forcible Entry exercise, pilots’ flying skill and decision making are tested in the execution of various missions in a contested environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)

Capt. Mike “Havac” Gilpatrick, a pilot assigned to the 9th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and Capt. Jason “Brick” Sewell, a pilot assigned to the 43rd Operation Support Squadron pilot, Pope Air Force Base, N.C., take-off in a C-17 Globemaster III from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Dec. 10, 2016. The C-17 Globemaster III is the newest, most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)

Capt. Mike “Havac” Gilpatrick, a pilot assigned to 9th Airlift Squadron pilot, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., rest his hand on the throttle of a C-17 Globemaster III on Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Dec. 10, 2016. The inherent flexibility and performance of the C-17 force improve the ability of the total airlift system to fulfill the worldwide air mobility requirements of the United States. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)

Capt. Mike “Havac” Gilpatrick, a pilot assigned to the 9th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., prepares a C-17 Globemaster III for take-off participating in a Joint Forcible Entry exercise on Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Dec. 10, 2016. The exercise demonstrates the Air Force’s ability to tactically deliver and recover combat forces via air drops and combat landings in a contested environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)

Tech. Sgt. Mike Smith, loadmaster, stands by a C-17 Globemaster III prior to joint forcible entry exercise on Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Dec. 10, 2016. JFEX is meant to challenge aircrews and ground combat units involved, and is an evaluation of the mission leadership's ability to efficiently integrate ground forces and dissimilar aircraft into one "strike package." (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)

Capt. Dan “Filter” Naske, 57th Weapons Squadron pilot, performs an exterior check of a C-17 Globemaster III prior to take-off on Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Dec. 10, 2016. The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)

A C-17 Globemaster III flies over the Nevada Test and Training Range during a joint forcible entry exercise, Dec. 10, 2016. Joint-service exercises like JFEX have long been integral to maintaining cohesiveness between the Air Force and the Army in an era where a new conflict can spark at any moment around the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)