JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – A crew made up of people from all over the world, working on an aircraft that can survey an area of more than 120,000 square miles and provide situational awareness to friendly aircraft, makes for an interesting group – a group that uses individual skill sets to make an effective unit.

Aboard the NATO E3-A Sentry Airborne and Warning Control System, its diverse and capable crew members provide air surveillance and control capabilities, promoting peace, stability, and global security.

AWACS are mobile, long-range airborne radar systems designed to provide information to other aircraft in an airspace, allowing for control of that airspace.

“We make sure that our friendly military aircraft have a picture in their mind of what else is flying in the battle space,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Adrian Polk, an AWACS pilot assigned to NATO AWACS, Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany. “In the area where aircraft are engaged in fighting, we make sure our friendly aircraft have a good picture of what enemies are out there.”

Sixteen nations are represented on the NATO AWACS crews, with about a dozen of those represented on the crew participating in RED FLAG-Alaska 23-1. Those crew members were joined by 1,000 service members and more than 40 aircraft from 15 units, all exchanging tactics, techniques, and procedures while enhancing combat readiness. Some of these units include the Royal New Zealand Air Force and British Royal Air Force, furthering the opportunities for multilateral cooperation and integrated force training.

“Working together in that international environment at NATO, or here, coming to work with the New Zealanders and the British and the Americans – this exercise gives a new perspective of how the different nations and the different aircrews are using the same procedures, but in different ways,” said Norwegian Air Force Kaptein Anders Bjøernerud, a weapons controller assigned to the NATO AWACS. “So we learn about different capabilities, capacities, and how they perform their mission.”

RF-A 23-1 serves as a training opportunity with a concentration on international engagement and joint interoperability, providing NATO AWACS to further their mission of ensuring high readiness forces capable of alliance objectives.

This training is primarily accomplished in the Joint Pacific-Alaska Range Complex – the largest instrumented air, ground, and electronic combat training range in the world. The JPARC allows for realistic full-spectrum engagement training and large-scale joint engagement.

“It’s very unique and very beneficial for the smaller nations, especially in Europe, that don’t get to see higher-level tactics employment, especially ones where we have more than eight or 10 aircraft at a time,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Brandon Ellis, a weapons controller assigned to the NATO AWACS. “This is very beneficial for them to see large-force exercises, or LFEs, and be able to control those, and get the experience they may not get back in their home country.”

The service members on this crew each bring different specialties and knowledge to the team, strengthening the unit through an exchange of tactics, techniques, and insights.

“Anders, for example, from Norway, he’s very experienced with working up in the Arctic, up in the colder areas,” said Ellis. “He can give me insights as to how I need to work in that environment. For example, I primarily worked around the ship, so we had very clear water, we could do whatever we wanted. Now, coming and learning from these guys – how to control spaces, especially in Europe, helps me gain a little more experience.”

Working side by side, NATO AWAC service members from different countries, trades, experiences, branches, and backgrounds make up a unique and sophisticated crew. With various skills and experiences, crew members work together to finish the mission, wearing their home country’s flag on their right arm and a NATO AWACS patch on their chest.