Service in foreign lands Published May 3, 2007 By Lt. Col. Garth Doty 325th Fighter Wing Safety TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Three months ago I was cleaning the dust off my Wiley-X sunglasses after riding in an H-60 helicopter to a crash site in Afghanistan. A Dutch contracted Russian Mi-26 helicopter failed to clear a ridgeline by 50 feet, and eight people were killed in the accident. My job was to conduct an on-scene investigation for the Afghani government. Then, just last week, I found myself sipping tea with a Japanese Air Defense major general, discussing common issues in bilateral air power readiness. I learned that it is not if, but when, the U.S. Air Force will be called on next to serve in a foreign country with joint and foreign forces. Some Tyndall Airmen have spent time overseas, while others have been holding down the fort domestically. However, all operational missions where Air Force air power has been executed have objectives that involve nations distant and diverse from our surroundings in Panama City. Last fall, I was tasked to create a coalition safety outfit composed of 10,000 soldiers from 11 NATO countries operating out of Kandahar AB, Afghanistan. This was not a typical mission. It didn't matter if you were the Airman building the water supply infrastructure, the engineer overseeing air base construction, or a commander coordinating with host and coalition forces. To win, Airmen must consider subtleties of the international arena, including the foreign enemy, and prepare early for their deployed mission. "Expeditionary culture" means that I and other Airmen must operate in and with other nations to deliver Air Force air power - it is a baseline mindset. And it's best to start instilling the mindset early in our youngest members of the Air Force team. Expeditionary air power is not for the weak at heart, and involves deliberate planning and commitment. It's also the ultimate adventure for those who seek challenges, and it comes with ultimate rewards. Expeditionary air power means we all have to be as fit as possible, ready to adapt, lead, solve unique problems and include coalition and host nation considerations in any game plan or execution. Operating in foreign nations will allow Airmen to gain a rare global perspective that will serve them well in and out of the Air Force. Air Force Airmen may also find that they are the sole air power expert on site. I encourage Airmen to offer training and experience to those planning operations in deployed locations. While operating from Afghanistan, I discovered that success in Operation Medusa, which was an offensive operation targeting Taliban in the Helmand province in 2006, was due in part to Airmen working real-time with the RQ-1 Predators in theater. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles targeted several hundred of the approximately 1500 enemy killed in action. In addition, the UAV provided critical battlefield awareness. Successfully articulating air power capabilities was critical to accomplishing military objectives, especially in the early stages of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of course, these capabilities are impossible to execute unless everyone on the air power team plays their position. This is especially true overseas. To prepare for war time operations overseas during a deployment, I suggest Airmen prepare by accomplishing the following tasks: read the top two award-winning books written about the country you will be operating in, understand the Air Force air power and DoD objectives for your area of responsibility, extensively read about the area's history and culture and understand who the 'players' are in current conflicts, learn the geography and location of airfields, forward operating bases and important cities in your deployed location and learn key phrases needed to communicate in the native language. Knowing the language is a significant credibility builder. I experienced this first hand flying F-15s at Clark AB, Philippines, during Cope Thunder in 1990. Having lived in the Philippines for 15 years as a child, I found that understanding the language in a foreign country is a major advantage. Expeditionary service is baseline to mission success, and our Airmen will gain invaluable experience while operating in foreign lands. I encourage Airmen to take the time to articulate this to their family, as well as the rest of our Air Force team. Be ready for and have a plan during periods of deployed service or a PCS overseas. Take a moment to read about and prepare for the context you are presently working in - or will be working in. Fill any air power knowledge "void" if there is one, play your position in theater, mentor our next generation of Airmen with your "global Air Force air power experience," and of course - fly and fight to win in foreign lands.