KUNSAN AIR FORCE BASE, Republic of Korea (AFNS) -- Members of the 8th Fighter Wing and Republic of Korea Air Force are participating in the fourth annual Max Thunder exercise, hosted by Kwangju Air Base officials Oct. 15 to 22.
Max Thunder is a bilateral training exercise intended to increase interoperability between Republic of Korea and U.S. military forces. The exercise replicates the scenarios and planning cycles of Red Flag Nellis, and will provide large-force employment training for U.S. and ROK military personnel.
"In all, nearly 50 combat aircraft will participate in the exercise," said Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, the 80th Fighter Squadron commander. "I'm looking forward to an outstanding exercise. This is the first time we've deployed such a large aviation package from Kunsan to Kwangju and I see this as an incredible opportunity to work alongside our U.S. and ROKAF neighbors."
This exercise also will test Kwangju's ability to fulfill the second tenet of the 8th FW's mission, "to accept follow-on forces," Colonel Wilkerson said.
"The movement of follow-on forces will include bases other than Kunsan AB, and it is extremely likely that U.S. units will deploy and operate from these bases," Colonel Wilkerson said. "This exercise is our opportunity to test and stress the various support systems that facilitate that effort, as each system involves a myriad of processes. As such, we'll not only test the base infrastructure at Kwangju, but we'll also test our ability to deploy to and operate from a bare-base location, as well as the ability of 7th AF to support our efforts."
Training side-by-side will be part of day-to-day operations for ROK and U.S. airmen during this week-long exercise.