Reserve tankers among 4! aircraft participating in Sea Lion 11-05 .

Air Force Reserve Command KC-135 Stratotankers were among the 42 aircraft that converged in the sky over North and South Carolina to sustain Operation Sea Lion 11-05, a phase two operational readiness exercise centered at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.

Stratotanker crews from the 916th Air Refueling Wing here, as good as from the 459th ARW, Joint Base Andrews, Md. represented the command.

Also active in the work were aircrews and aircraft from the 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley AFB, Va. the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 in Beaufort, S.C. the 333rd FS at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. the 157th FS at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C. the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw AFB, the 552nd Air Control Wing at Tinker AFB, Okla. and the 128th ARW, Wisconsin Air National Guard.

"(So many units are involved) to maximize everyone's training," said Maj. Cameron Nordin, the 20th FW chief of inspections. "We are in a safe location geographically, with many different assets in near proximity and the airspace and air-to-ground ranges to hold us. The consolidation of all the assets is precisely how we would fight; therefore this is approximately of the best training for our Airmen, as good as the former services participating."

The work included a strike mission with offensive counter air and suppression-of-enemy-air-defense support, as good as in-air refueling. Scenarios like these are only a few aircrews could experience during real-world contingency operations.

"This is an opportunity to incorporate with other assets and sister services, which takes us that step beyond simulation and allows us to derive lessons from our training that we can make on in the future," Major Nordin said. "The pilots are not just benefiting from operating in the same air-to-air and air-to-surface environment as each other, but they are also integrating in the planning process as well."

Seymour Johnson AFB aircrews played a substantial part in the work because of the F-15 Strike Eagle's unique tactical capabilities and the in-air refueling capabilities of the Stratotanker.

"Operation Sea Lion was a large chance for our refueling crews to hold a high-visibility, joint training exercise in our own backyard," said Col. Caroline Evernham, the 916th Operations Group commander. "Even though we are in a constant rotational deployment status, these type of stateside exercises allow us to perfect our skills and show our allegiance to be a force-multiplier."

"We were able to see a lot from the desegregation of our Air Force's different assets as good as those of the Marine Corps," Major Nordin said. "While the tactical lessons learned are the most valuable to us as professional Airmen, we also learned valuable lessons in the mission planning process that will help aid us in organizing these exercises in the future. The 20th Maintenance Group, as good as maintainers from other wings, also deserve great credit. The 20th FW alone put up 24 out of 24 aircraft and, overall, out of the 42 aircraft participating, only one was unable to clear the fight."