Capt. Mike “Havac” Gilpatrick, 9th Airlift Squadron pilot, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and Capt. Jason “Brick” Sewell, 43rd Operation Support Squadron pilot, Pope Air Force Base, N.C., prepare a C-17 Globemaster III for take-off before a Joint Forcible Entry exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Dec. 10. JFEX is a U.S. Air Force Weapons School large-scale air mobility exercise in which participants plan and execute a complex air-land operation in a simulated contested battlefield.
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — Joint Forcible Entry is a U.S. Air Force Weapons School large-scale air mobility exercise in which the participants plan and execute a complex air-land operation in a simulated contested battlefield.
During the JFEX, pilots’ flying and decision making skills are tested in the execution of various missions in a contested environment.
The C-17 Globemaster III is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and various cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward operating bases in the deployment area.
JFEX is meant to challenge the aircrews and ground combat units involved. It is an evaluation of the mission leadership’s ability to efficiently integrate ground forces and dissimilar aircraft into one “strike package.”