Space Force

PANAMAX 2024 is officially underway.

The U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM)-sponsored, multinational, biennial command post exercise (CPX) aimed at reinforcing and enhancing the long-term security of the Panama Canal and the Western Hemisphere takes place from Aug. 5-14 at various locations across the United States.

“Collectively, we will go through the next eight days together and make our area of responsibility (AOR), our region, stronger and better with what we all are going to bring to this exercise,” Maj. Gen. Phil Ryan, U.S. Army South commander, said as he welcomed hundreds of joint and multinational participants who will take part in the exercise at Fort Sam Houston. “All of us bring a wealth of information and experience to this AOR and to what we are doing here.”

More than 1,500 U.S. forces – including staff elements from USSOUTHCOM, USARSOUTH, U.S. Marine Forces South, Special Operations Command South, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern), and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet and other joint force enablers, along with 500 participants from 18 partner nations – are participating in PANAMAX 2024 at various U.S. locations to include Florida, Texas, Virginia, and Arizona.

“When PANAMAX started 21 years ago, there were only three nations, and what you see here today is just a representation of the broader force,” said Ryan as he welcomed the members who will make up the Multinational Forces South (MNFS) and Combined Force Land Component Command (CFLCC) during the exercise. “A total of 18 partner nations have come together, 11 of which are represented in this room right now.”

USARSOUTH is hosting both the MNFS and Chilean-led CFLCC at Fort Sam Houston, bringing together participants from the United States, Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru.

Ryan, who is serving as the commander of MNFS, emphasized the importance of the collaboration undertaken by this multinational exercise and how it contributes to establishing lasting partnerships and capabilities, for the security of the Western Hemisphere.

“Just meeting each other makes a big step forward. Over the next week, we will be sharing meals together,and sharing time in our operations center,” he explained. “We share common interests and regional challenges. We are all in the same region together, and we have common goals to continue with peaceful operations and ensure that all of our nations can continue to prosper in the future.”

PANAMAX is designed to conduct stability operations in support of a fictitious United Nations Security Council Resolution, providing interoperability training for the participating multinational staff..

Ryan explained that the exercise is intended to develop and test capabilities to respond as a unified force to a variety of mission demands across the air, land, maritime, space, cyber and information domains.

“I want to make sure everybody understands how many aspects are part of this,” he said.“This is not just the ground forces, there are all sorts of entities. Space and cyber as well as the information operations are really key to this [exercise] because we might be able to do some of these operations non-kinetically, through influence, through information, and ensure that we are getting into the mindset of the populations and not using bullets to transmit our messages.”

Using various scenarios involving notional threats, the goal of PANAMAX is to provide participating forces an opportunity to conduct security and stability operations, and strengthen their ability to plan and execute complex multinational operations as a team.

PANAMAX began in 2003 and has grown to become the region’s largest coalition CPX. Since its inception, partner nations have continued to take increased leadership roles in the exercise.

“Yes, there is a lot that goes into this exercise,” said Ryan, emphasizing the importance of the partner nations involved and the evolution of their participation over the last 21 years. “As you know, our motto here is ‘Defense and Fraternity.’ This combined exercise is integral in terms of our interoperability.”

Ryan encouraged the audience to continue the unity of effort throughout PANAMAX 24 and to find innovative ways to share information as a multinational force.

“One of the 11 partner nations that are here might have a way of doing something that we could share across all of our nations,” he said. “Someone might have a technique, a tool, or a piece of technology that we can all learn from and benefit from so that we can become better together.”

Ryan closed, reminding the participants that the main objective of PANAMAX is to understand collaboration.

“That really is the core of this. In the future, if there is a conflict in the Southern Command area of operations, we are all there. We’ve already met. We are able to plug into each other and work together.”

It is a typical evening in the West Valley of Maricopa County. As you are driving home from a long day at work, you hear the thundering of an aircraft soaring high above your car. But there is nothing to fear that thundering is the sound of pilots training at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.

The 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB is the largest fighter wing in the USAF, and home to more than 120 F-35A Lightning IIs and 20 F-16 Fighting Falcons. Named after 2nd Lt. Frank Luke Jr., who was awarded the Medal of Honor for achieving 18 aerial victories in World War I, Luke AFB is responsible for training 75% of the world’s F-35 pilots. Luke AFB takes student pilots from zero to hero with training lasting up to eight months and has graduated more than 61,000 pilots since 1941. Airmen leave the training base ready to win tomorrow’s fight.

Today, the base has a $3.8 billion economic impact to the state of Arizona and the 56th FW trains service members from allied nations such as Norway, Italy, and more. But with Luke AFB’s flourishing operations comes additional noise creation.

Since the base focuses primarily on training fighter pilots, Luke AFB conducts about 100-150 flights each day, Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Although these are the usual flying hours, pilots may occasionally fly outside of this window to accomplish unique mission requirements such as training with other agencies.

Flying operations may be noisy at times, but the wing ensures all flights are in accordance with state, local, and federal guidelines in addition to those defined by the Air Installations Compatible Use Zones.

“We’re doing our best to be good stewards of our training in a responsible way for the community,” said Lt Col. Tyler Smith, 56th Operations Group deputy commander and F-35 instructor pilot. “We try our best to mitigate the noise that we create. However, there’s a certain amount of unavoidable noise that’s going to happen when you’re operating fighter jets.”

The Department of Defense manages the AICUZ program to promote collaborative planning for compatible development to sustain mission and community goals. The program aims to protect the health, safety, and welfare of community members from the effects of aircraft operations, including noise pollution.

This program establishes noise contours and accident potential zones around Luke AFB. Noise contours are based on an average annual day of airfield operations and are shown in Day-Night Average Sound Level, or DNL. Noise contours ranging from 65DNL to 80 DNL and the APZs identify compatible land uses in these sensitive areas.

“Luke’s current noise contours are codified in Arizona state law and identify the average noise levels on a decibel level,” said Christopher Toale, 56th FW Community Initiatives Team director. “Anywhere above 65 decibels is generally accepted as an industry standard for when noise becomes a nuisance. For this reason, Arizona state law prohibits homes from being built inside the 65-decibel line unless residential buildings were built before 2001.”

Arizona State Statute 28-8481 mandates that all new buildings inside the 65 decibel contours require building materials to reduce the sound decibels for sound attenuation anywhere between 15-40 decibels depending on the location and what the project is.

Homes built inside the 65 DNL before 2001 do not have to follow the statute. However, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation has a program called the Community Noise Mitigation Program which offers city or county governments a $75 million grant for specified buildings, including residential homes, built inside the 65 DNL to use for new insulation to lessen the noise.

When taking off from the runway, the safety of pilots, aircraft, and the community are at the forefront, which involves coordination with the local air traffic control and the 56th FW Range Management Office. Aircraft take off from Luke AFB and fly to one of several areas within the Barry M. Goldwater Range or military special use airspace designated for military training. The RMO is responsible for scheduling flights and managing the 14,585 square miles of available training space [SL6] at the BMGR and military operating airspace. The RMO is also responsible for land management of the BMGR and as such conduct scientific studies to ensure the flora and fauna within the range are safe from harm.

For example, the RMO tracks endangered species like the Sonoran pronghorn on the BMGR and ensures that they are not in danger of any harm from flight missions. The RMO can redirect pilots to a different target for their exercises when necessary. This helps ensure the range remains an effective place for pilots and other agencies to train with weapons, rehearse maneuvers, and meet their mission requirements without significant environmental impact.

In addition to all the restrictions set in place, the 56th FW Public Affairs Office also fields calls concerning aircraft noise. The RMO investigates potential noise infractions, informs the 56th OG of the incident if necessary, and works with public affairs to explain the situation to community members. According to Charles Buchanan, the 56th FW/RMO director, if the pilot who created the noise broke any rules, it is not typically intentional.

“While our noise can be startling or an inconvenience, it is part of our training. And in the case of sonic booms, it can be equally if not more disturbing,” said Buchanan. “But those sonic booms are also part and parcel to our training, and we need to train the right way so we can build the right instinctive habits for those pilots.”

56th FW pilots do their best to mitigate noise over residential areas by avoiding them as much as possible while also achieving mission objectives. However, besides the noise that is being created by the jets, there are other factors that impact how loud aircraft can be.

The weather and time of year can have a great impact on noise. Low hanging clouds can trap noise and make F-35s and F-16s sound even louder than they are. The direction of takeoffs and landings can differ depending on seasonal changes in the wind, so different residential neighborhoods may experience more noise than they are used to. Toale stated that many instances of excessive noise happen to specific areas at very specific times of the day and are often temporary. Some residents acclimatize after living in the valley for long periods.

In addition to the RMO and instructor pilots, the CIT builds and strengthens long-lasting relationships with the community. The team provides training on noise science and what to expect when coexisting with the base to create understanding and continuation of mission success.

“This CIT office and the folks that work with us are here to protect the long-term interests of Luke Air Force Base with the community’s safety in mind, first and foremost,” said Toale. “Everything we do is limiting the impact on the community while still engaging and doing what we need to for national defense, but we still have a mission and we have to be here to do it. Critical to accomplishing our mission is the CIT office’s engagement with the community on a daily basis.”

For more information about noise and flying operations, please visit our website at www.luke.af.mil, check the factsheet, or email [email protected].

FORWARD OPERATING SITE KARLIKI, Poland—In the Army, most Soldiers are familiar with the saying, “if it ain’t raining, we ain’t training!” For several days starting August 1, 2024, participants were able to experience the true meaning of this saying through a series of unexpected events during a spur ride hosted by 553rd Division Sustainment Support Battalion (DSSB), 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade (1CDSB) in Karliki, Poland.

After arriving at the ‘Day 0’ bivouac site, candidates were placed in groups, with respective spur holders in charge of each group. After the spur holders inspected their respective candidates’ packing lists to ensure they had all the essential gear needed to complete this spur ride safely, the candidates thought they were getting ready to conduct ‘Stand To’ before bedding down for the night. However, a consistent and gradual downpour of rain on ‘Day 0’ forced the event organizers to adjust the plan to uphold the spirit of the event while, most importantly, ensuring the safety of the candidates.

“We were informed by the Polish military we couldn’t use a pretty prime training space,” said Jones about the change of plans, which was mitigated by the quick thinking of the planners.

The candidates learned upon arrival that they would complete a four-mile ruck to a designated turn-around point before rucking back to their bivouac site. To motivate and encourage the teams, the group that returned first would be given the longest recovery time and an opportunity to start the next day’s events last.

1CDSB, known as Task Force Wagonmaster, hosted 138 candidates from three Army components: Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard, making it a Total Army Force event. Many spur rides are hosted across the United States, but it is a unique and rare opportunity to participate in a spur ride during an overseas rotation or deployment.

“Task Force Wagonmaster … it’s a Total Army Task Force, so National Guard [and] Reserve units … along with our organic troopers altogether participated,” said Col. Christopher Jones, the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade and Task Force Wagonmaster Commander, about the make-up of the pool of candidates.

“There’s a likelihood that many of the Soldiers that are here will never be in another cavalry unit [again] … but [because] they’re in the 1st Cavalry Division, the only Cavalry Division in the Army… [it was] really special to see how eager Soldiers and leaders were to do it,” Jones remarked.

The candidates ranged from junior enlisted Soldiers to senior leaders. Based on their unit assignment alone, many of them would not have had the opportunity to compete for the infamous Silver Spurs, an accessory awarded upon completion of the physically and mentally demanding event.

“I’m excited because I had the chance to do [a spur ride] … and usually wouldn’t have this opportunity,” said Pfc. Justin Moore, a motor transport operator from the Missouri Army National Guard.

For Lt. Col. Travis Peck, the 533rd DSSB commander, it was simply a matter of timing. The logistics officer from Wichita, Kansas, earned a pair of golden spurs earlier in his career as a first lieutenant. Golden spurs are only awarded during a combat tour, whereas silver spurs are earned during a non-combat rotation.

Upon completion of the spur ride, he now proudly holds the title of Master Spur Holder and a memory of earning his silver spurs in Poland.

“Earning my silver spurs would mean that I would be a Master Spur Holder,” said Peck. “That is something I have wanted to do since I earned my gold spurs as a lieutenant.”

Candidates underwent a number of challenges including a physical fitness lane where they had to work together to complete a required number of deadlifts and standing power throws, a CBRN lane, where they had to quickly don their protective mask then simulate administering an antidote for one of their contaminated Soldiers, recovering a disabled vehicle while maintaining tactical security, assembling and disassembling various weapons (with an accompanying functions-check), and reacting to a near ambush by flanking the enemy and conducting follow-on actions on the objective.

The candidates also underwent a lane where they had to camouflage their faces and equipment to blend into their environment, a lane where they had to crawl to a covered position to throw a grenade at a notional enemy position, and a lane where candidates had to treat and transport two of their group members who suffered extremity injuries as part of the scenario.

“I think I’m looking forward to the grenade lane and reacting to contact because those are the things that really get people going,” said Peck. “I’ll get to see how they react under pressure and how they’ll do as leaders.”

By the time the groups reached the finish line, hardly anyone was spared from being soaked and exhausted. Despite the pain, the emotions outweighed the relief of the new spur holders as they formed special bonds with their teammates, and created a lifetime of special memories. By upholding this unique Cavalry tradition, the Order of the Spur continues to live on, one new spur holder at a time.

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HONOLULU — U.S. Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps midshipmen enhance innovation partnership between U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Navy Information Warfare Command-Pacific.

The second year of the ROTC Cadet Training Success Program’s expansion into the Indo-Pacific recently kicked off with three ROTC midshipmen from universities and colleges across the country, gaining real-world experience and building technical skills under the mentorship of INDOPACOM and NIWC-Pacific engineers.

“Our goal was to expose the midshipmen to the research, development, testing, and integration of technologies that may be used within an operational environment,” said Marc Manalac, intelligence & space systems project engineer at Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific Hawaii. “Not only did we want them to refine their technical skills they learned in school, but also expose them to the “why” and “how” the projects they worked on have a direct impact on our fleet and allies. Giving our future leaders an opportunity to work side-by-side with engineers and scientists and allowing them to have a direct hand in building various systems that equip midshipmen and cadets with a new perspective on how future technologies make it to the front line.”

The program was funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research through Clarkson Aerospace Corp and facilitated by NIWCPAC.

“This program provides the next generation of naval military leaders with a unique perspective of how combatant commands partner with the services to out-innovate our adversaries; a key component of integrated deterrence,” said Dr. Martin Lindsey, USINDOPACOM science and technology advisor. “In return, we get to tap into the unmatched creativity and enthusiasm of our midshipmen and cadets and instill in them that from the very beginning of their careers, their contributions make a real difference.”

“I joined this program to gain a background understanding in the research and development that is used to support our Navy; something I would not otherwise be exposed to before becoming an active member of the Navy,” said Midshipmen 2nd Class Isabel Wellman, Texas A&M University NROTC. “Throughout this experience, I learned how to apply both general and specific topics to large and complex projects and recognize how to get to an answer when there is no answer key. The most rewarding experience I had was to witness the result of the team’s work when we produced a working deliverable of our project.”

This program represents one component of a network of USINDOPACOM mentorship and development opportunities. The command works with industry and partners across the Department of Defense to ensure innovation at the highest level.

USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression, and, when necessary, fighting to win.

MANGILAO, Guam. – The Air Force Reserve, Navy and Guam Air National Guard are partnering with the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services to host a pop-up medical clinic in support of the 2024 Guam Wellness Innovative Readiness Training now through Aug. 8, 2024, at the Guam Community College located at 1 Sesame St, Mangilao, Guam, 96921.

Since arriving, the 147 participating service members have completed over 2,500 hours of mission-critical training. By the end of the second day, Aug. 2, the Guam Wellness IRT, Guam Department of Health and Social Services staff, and community volunteers served almost 400 patients seeking no-cost medical care.

Walk-In Hours (Chamorro Standard Time):

• Aug. 1-3 and Aug. 5-7 from 9 a.m. to noon

• Aug. 8 from 9-11 a.m.

• Closed on Sunday, Aug. 4

Note: Clinic walk-in hours may end early if capacity is reached.

“The community should know our clinical area at Guam Community College is smaller than last year’s venue,” said Air Force Maj. Denise Fox, 2024 Guam Wellness IRT officer in charge and clinical nurse from the 482 Medical Squadron, Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. “We may not accommodate the same volume of residents daily. Please be patient as we provide the best service possible in a smaller space. We remain committed to offering the best no-cost medical services to the Guam community.”

Long wait times may be expected as the health care providers and volunteers assist patients. Seating is limited to inside the clinic, and there are no amenities available for patients waiting for their service.

“We request the community eat and stay hydrated before attending, and take necessary medications as usual,” said Don Sulat, Guam DPHSS public information officer. “Please bring snacks, water, portable chairs and fans to stay comfortable while waiting.”

The no-cost services at the 2024 Guam Wellness IRT pop-up clinic include:

• Dental care (cleanings, fillings, extractions)

• Comprehensive eye exams with prescription glasses

• Medical evaluations, physicals and sports exams

• COVID-19 immunizations for six months and older, and routine child vaccinations through 18 years old

• STD and HIV screening

• Patient education on tobacco and nicotine cessation, diabetes, nutrition, heart health and breastfeeding

• Program enrollment services for Guam Women’s Infant Child Program and Guam Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program

All are available while supplies last and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Media can request a tour of the pop-up clinic on Aug. 7 from 8-8:45 a.m., followed by an interview session. For more information or to attend, contact Air Force Master Sgt. Jaime Ciciora at [email protected] or 480-335-2584.

For Guam DPHSS media queries, contact Don Sulat at [email protected] or 671-922-2501.