JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) -- The 613th Air and Space Operations Center here will serve as the command and control hub for Air Force, Navy and Marine aircraft participating in exercise Valiant Shield 10, scheduled near Guam, Sept. 12 through 21.
Valiant Shield is a joint field-training exercise focused on integrated training among U.S. forces. This training enables real-world proficiency in sustaining the joint forces' ability to detect, locate, track and engage units at sea, in the air, on land and in cyberspace in response to a range of mission areas.
"Valiant Shield is an excellent venue to forge stronger working relationships with our sister services -- it allows us to strengthen our ability to command, control, and execute air sea battle during any contingency in the Asia-Pacific region," said Col. Alan Kollien, the 613th AOC vice commander. "We will test our ability to provide command and control from more than 3,000 nautical miles away in Hawaii, despite operating in a heavy jamming environment that degrades communication lines and denies space capabilities."
More than 100 aircraft will participate in Valiant Shield, including B-52 Stratofortresses, F-15C Eagles, F-15E Strike Eagles, F-22 Raptors, KC-10 Extenders, KC-135 Statotankers, and E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft. Navy and Marine Corps aircraft and equipment participating in Valiant Shield include F/A-18 Hornets, E-2C Airborne Early Warning aircraft, HH-60 Helicopters, AV-8 Harriers, ground attack aircraft and Omega tankers. Aircraft will fly from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam to conduct sorties in various exercise scenarios.
A joint team of Airmen, Sailors and Marines will work in the 613th AOC, and in the airspace around Guam to enhance joint-combat skills and interoperability.
"I'm looking forward to training and the feedback this exercise will provide the 'aces' of the 613th AOC and for the opportunity to once again train alongside our sister services," said Col. Wade Thompson, the 613th AOC commander.
Valiant shield is conducted in the U.S. Pacific Command Area of Operations and is designed to train Joint Task Force 519 functional components, including the Joint Force Air Component Command, on operational tasks with an emphasis on interoperability. This is the third Valiant Shield exercise conducted by the United States. The first Valiant Shield was conducted in June 2006.