Northern Edge
Northern Edge 2006
Northern Edge 2006 was a joint training exercise running from 6-16 June 2006. The exercise was aimed at helping prepare forces to respond to crises in the Asian Pacific region. Participants practices defensive counter-air, close-air support, air interdiction of maritime targets and personnel recovery missions.
It included approximately 5,000 US active duty and reserve component soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Major participating units included US Army Alaska, Pacific Air Forces, Air Combat Command, Marine Forces Pacific, Special Operations Command Pacific and US Pacific Fleet. Naval units included the Carrier Air Wing 11 from Naval Air Station LeMoore, California. Marine units included the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing from Okinawa. Army units included the 1st of the 52nd Aviation Battalion from Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Air Force units included the 3rd Wing from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; the 354th Fighter Wing from Eielson AFB, Alaska; Alaska Air National Guard 176th Wing from Kulis Air Station and the 168th Air Refueling Wing from Eielson AFB; the 509th Bomb Wing from Whiteman AFB, Missouri; The 1st Fighter Wing from Langely, Virginia; the 180th Fighter Wing from Toledo, Ohio; and the 18th Wing from Kadena, Japan. Small elements of Special Operations Forces also participated.
The exercise involved over 110 aircraft including: B-2 Spirit, CH-47 Chinook, E-2C Hawkeye, E-3B Sentry AWACS, EA-6B Prowler, F-22A Raptor, F-15C Eagle, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16C Falcon, F/A-18C and F/A-18D Hornet, F/A-18F Super Hornet, HC-130 Hercules, HH-60 Pavehawk, KC-130 Hercules, KC-135 Stratotanker, SH-60B Seahawk and the UH-60 Blackhawk. It was the Pacific-region debut for the F22-A Raptor, which was designed to project air dominance rapidly and at great distances and defeat threats attempting to deny access to the nation's Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps.
Over the course of the exercise, aircraft from all the services flew approximately 1,500 missions, or about 80 flights twice a day for 10 days. For the first week of Northern Edge, the joint-air forces used the Alaska Pacific Range Complex, a large military air space near Fairbanks, to conduct the exercise air war and practice targeting on land. During the second week, the focus shifted to maritime targets, using airspace above the Gulf of Alaska.
In one scenario, the command-and-control structure in Hawaii directed a Navy destroyer in the Gulf of Alaska to launch a simulated strike of land and sea targets. A similar innovation used in this year's Northern Edge was the integration of live flying and flight simulators. This allowed aircrew to participate in exercise scenarios from ground-based simulators while airborne aircrew flew the same scenarios.
Even in the midst of all the advanced technology, one old-fashioned concept was retained in Northern Edge: safety. The planners completed an operational risk management plan covering every aspect of the exercise. For example, the pararescue jumpers participating in search-and-rescue missions were restricted from jumping if the waves topped 10 feet or winds were greater than 25 knots.
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