From Feb. 7-15, Naval Air Station North Island served as a “spoke” location for pilots from the 388th Fighter Wing’s 421st Fighter Squadron to participate in the Bamboo Eagle exercise.
Bamboo Eagle, a U.S. Air Force Warfare Center exercise, stretches force elements and command-and-control structures to several “hub and spoke” locations across the Western United States.
Each day for the squadron brought a new challenge. Exercise “injects” and tasking orders determined the flow of the busy flying day.
“Other exercises can get our pilots used to working with others through the fog and friction of war, but not at the size and tempo of Bamboo Eagle,” said Lt. Col. Bryan Mussler, 421st FS commander. “We’ve got pilots taking off, tasked with missions they weren’t expecting, for much longer than they were expecting, and landing somewhere they weren’t expecting. The unpredictability built into this exercise gives us a realistic look at what the fight will be like.”
