USAF Weapons School Mission Employment Phase Combat PHD

By Richard VanderMeulen

A pair of F-16’s hold formation on the wing of the KC-135 tanker as their element completes pre-strike refueling during the CAS (Close Air Support). Vul. A Vul refers to the “vulnerability period” or the time aircraft are away from base and vulnerable to harm. (Richard VanderMeulen)On June 9 the United States Air Force Weapons School completed its Mission Employment Phase, a seven-mission capstone to a five-and-a-half month training period. During Weapons School Class 11A ME Phase graduating Weapons Officers flew more than 90 aircraft on 500 individual sorties day and night utilizing every aircraft and asset in the U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense inventory.

More than 30,000 man-hours and 1,400 flight-hours go into preparing students for the ME Phase. More than 3,300 personnel support each class. Maintenance Squadrons play a crucial role in the ultimate success of Weapons School students, even more so during ME Phase when operational tempos run at, or even higher than, actual combat operations.

USAF Weapons School Commandant Col. Robert “Shark” Garland describes the ME Phase as “the culmination of what we do in five-and-a-half months of training. It is The final operational flight, for crew members, end with a traditional dousing with water or fire hose followed by a bottle of champagne. Here both pilots LtCol Snell and LtCol Theil celebrate their final flight as Weapons School instructors. (Richard VanderMeulen)our graduation level exercise. On June 9 we’re handing them the Air Force Weapons School patch.” Within the USAF, Weapons Officers are commonly referred to as “patch wearers.”

“Patch wearers” are experts in every weapons system within the USAF and DoD by the time they graduate. However, as Garland notes, “The significance is not the patch, but the person wearing that patch. They can go anywhere in the world, at any time, and support any decision maker at any level from a Lieutenant Colonel squadron commander to the President of the United States of America. They are systems experts in their specialty. Here at the Weapons School we have 17 squadrons, 22 combat specialties, which includes the entire Air Force arsenal.”

The USAF Weapons School mission according to Garland is to “train graduates that go out to not just the Air Force but all the services in the DoD and are your combat tactical system experts. They are ultimately the ‘Shell answer man’ to all of our defense leaders making decisions not just The “front office” of a KC-135 Stratotanker. High above the Nevada Test and Training Range pilot LtCol Snell and copilot LtCol Theil of the 509th Weapons Squadron, Fairchild AFB, orbit in the tanker track awaiting their next set of “contacts.” (Richard VanderMeulen)defending the U.S. but our interests and anything we have to do abroad.”

Weapons School differs greatly with another well-known Nellis AFB asset, Red Flag. Red Flag exercises are large force exercises bringing in visiting units throughout the U.S. Air Force as well as other Department of Defense branches and allies from around the globe. Red Flag concentrates on training younger crew members, incoming wingmen, giving them the equivalent of their first combat missions.

Weapons School accepts a very small number of students, just over 100, from a pool of very experienced instructors and instructor pilots. Weapons School is a purely U.S. service endeavor. Foreign nationals are not allowed into classes as students are exposed to everything in the U.S. arsenal.

One might equate Red Flag as equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree and unit-based internal training and experience as a Master’s degree. In that continuum Col. Garland describes the USAFWS curriculum: “We have Sunrise Mountain and Nellis AFB control tower provide the backdrop as a C-130 lifts off shortly before sunset. In this case the aircraft carries Wyoming Air Guard markings but is part of the 29th Weapons Squadron. Weapons School students represent pilots and crews from every platform and major discipline in the Air Force, from transports like the C-130 to space based assets. (Richard VanderMeulen)graduate level academics, the combination of MIT and Harvard PhD academics all rolled into one. When a student graduates after five-and-a-half months of intense training they are by far the very best combat systems experts that not only the Air Force or United States has to offer, but on the planet. That is why five-and-a-half months of training is the most intense training I have ever been through.”

During the first five months of their tenure, Weapons School students have opportunities to drop or fire many of the weapons systems, bombs or missiles, carried by their respective aircraft platforms. During ME Phase however, all weapons are simulated. Large numbers of participants and support personnel on the ground throughout the 2.9 million-acre, 15,000 square-mile Nevada Test and Training Range during ME Phase preclude carriage of live ordnance for safety reasons.

The massive range represents an incredible training asset for the USAF Weapons School. Col. Garland notes, “The Northern Training Range affords us the most phenomenal, the most combat mission realistic training that you can imagine with the exception of actually being in combat. That’s what we simulate every day. Without that capability the Air Force would not have the might that it has today.”

Well after sunset an F-15E Eagle of the Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 422nd TES, lights up the deep twilight. (Richard VanderMeulen)On top of the grueling five months of intense training leading up to the capstone, the ME Phase turns things up another notch, moving to nearly 24/7 operations with many long hours on planning and briefing missions. Upon returning from each long mission, students and instructors again spend many hours debriefing and examining the mission in detail before beginning the cycle again. Notes Col. Garland, “When you go through, it is all you can handle and all you can do. And we do it for a reason; if you can handle this level of tactical expertise for the USAF you can do anything. Our students go on to perpetuate that expertise and level of experience wherever they go.

Seven missions flown during ME Phase are a combination of roughly 60 percent night missions, 40 percent day missions, with Close Air Support and Defensive Counter Air missions generally flown during daylight to aid in de-confliction of participating aircraft. The missions or Vuls (Vulnerability periods during which aircraft and personnel are vulnerable) described by USA.F Weapons School instructor Capt. John “Limey” Christianson consist of:

1. IPOE: Intel Prep Of the Environment. All “Have” assets (intelligence gathering assets such as EC-130, E-8 JSTARS and EC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft) go out and gather intel on emitters, see what’s happening to paint a “big picture” of the adversary country. In this case the “adversary” country was named Coyote. The IPOE mission is escorted by DCA or Defensive Counter Air to protect assets from Aggressor aircraft.

2. DSAO: Defense Special Air Operations. Special operations insertion mission with MC-130 and JTACs (Joint Tactical Aircraft Controller) providing direct forward air control from forward positions.

3. OCASA alpha: Offensive Counter Air Strategic Attack. This is a “night one” type strike mission utilizing LO (Low Observable/stealth) aircraft and “Iron” (non-LO) aircraft. Essentially this is “kicking down the door.”

4. CAS: Close Air Support (Day mission). The Close Air Support mission is divided into three areas of operations, high, medium and low threat to give students a view of each type of area. Some SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defense) assets take part in support of the CAS to clear ground-to-air missiles in a Reactive SEAD role.

5. OCASA bravo (Second Vul) Essentially a repeat of the initial “night one” attack to ensure that all students have an opportunity to take part in the OCASA mission.

6. DT: Dynamic Targeting. Students will run the entire kill-chain from finding the target to prosecuting the target. Targets consist of mobile targets, mobile missile launchers and high value individuals. Ground assets inserted during the DSAO mission work in conjunction with air assets including HH-60 Blackhawks to apprehend the “high value individual.” Who actually takes the target depends on which assets are available during that particular phase of the Vul. Students during class 11A were successful in capturing the individual.

7. DCA: Defensive Counter Air (Day mission). “Kind of our ‘fun” Vul where we take everything the adversary tactics group has, all their assets, their aircraft as well as all their assets to jam our radar and such. Additionally, we take assets normally on the blue side. We’ll take some of our bomber and jammers to work on the Red side to make our fighters have to work harder. The DCA (Defensive Counter Air) Blue force consists of F-16s, F-15Cs, F-15Es and EF-18G Growlers. Normally the F-22 would play DCA also. F-22s were grounded during the ME phase – students filling in with other roles including planning. Growlers were the last line of defense with AMRAAMs that they now carry. A Growler shot a “leaker” during the first OCASA that was going for the “Have” assets. A “leaker” refers to a Red force aircraft what was able to penetrate through the Blue DCA defensive forces.

Who are the students accepted into the USAF Weapons School? Competition to enter the Weapons School is stiff with only a small percentage of applicants ultimately being selected. Col. Garland describes the selection process; “We take the most seasoned, most experience instructors the Air Force has to offer. It takes several years of seasoning, training and preparation before we’ll even consider taking you as a candidate to come to this premier school.” He continues, “The students we get are the very best the Air Force has to offer when they start. Our job is to make them even better!”

ME Phase participants:
USAF WS Squadrons
14 WPS – AC-130 Specter, MC-130 Combat Shadow
16 WPS – F-16 Fighting Falcon / Viper
17 WPS – F15E Strike Eagle
19 WPS – Intel
26 WPS – MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper
29 WPS – C-130 Hercules
34 WPS – HH-60 Blackhawks
57 WPS – C-17 Globemaster
66 WPS – A-10 Thunderbolt II / Warthog
77 WPS – B-1 Lancer
325 WPS – B-2 Spirit
328 WPS – Space, ICBM
340 WPS – B-52 Stratofortress
433 WPS – F-15C Eagle, F-22 Raptor
509 WPS – KC-135 tanker
Other Weapons Schools:
U.S. Navy AEA (Airborne Electronic Attack) Weapons School – EA-18G Growler
Other Units:
422 TES – A-10, F-15C, F-15E, F-16, F-22 Operational Test
9 RW – RQ-4 Global Hawk, U.S.A.F.
VAQ-209 – EA-6B Prowler, U.S.N
VAW-117 - E-2 Hawkeye, U.S.N
U.S.SOCOM – Special Forces
91 NWS – Cyber
315 NWS – Cyber
CAOC-N – Air Operations Center
608 AOC – Air Operations Center
612 AOC – Air Operations Center
614 AOC – Air Operations Center
Opposition Forces:
64 AGRS – F-16 Aggressors
65 AGRS – F-15 Aggressors
98 RW – Surface to Air
507 ADAS – Surface to Air
527 SAS – Space
57 IAS – Information Operations

We would like to offer special thanks to those who made our coverage possible. Col. Robert “Shark” Garland, Commandant U.S.A.F.WS; Capt John “Limey” Christianson; Mr Charles Ramey; Lt. Kenneth Lustig.