RELEASED BY: LT. COL. GREG HAPGOOD

     PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER
     OFFICE: (515) 252-4582
     CELL: (515) 971-6385
     HOME: (515) 986-5725

RELEASE: IMMEDIATE

*PUBLIC ADVISORY*
“IOWA FLAG” EXERCISE TO BE HELD IN NORTHWEST IOWA AUGUST 7-18
 

The Iowa Army and Air National Guard, various active duty units, and the Iowa Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) will participate in a joint training event, Iowa Flag, August 7-18 in northwest Iowa.
 

Iowa’s participation in the Global War on Terror requires joint reconnaissance and combat support missions. In combat theaters of operation, Iowa Air and Army National Guard aircraft are required to track human and vehicle movement, both friendly and hostile, through urban environments, as well as on open stretches of highway and in sparsely-populated rural areas. These types of missions, and certain Close Air Support operations, require lower altitudes not currently available in Military Operating Areas (MOAs).
 

To train effectively and in order to support multi-faceted combat missions, Iowa Air and Army National Guard units have teamed up to launch the Iowa Flag exercise. This joint exercise will include the establishment of a temporary operating area at approximately 8,000 feet which may extend as low as 1,200 feet in a rectangular area situated in northwest Iowa. The military operating area will extend from Rockwell City, south to Carroll, west to Charter Oak, north to Ida Grove, and then west to Rockwell City. Given the temporary operating altitudes during Iowa Flag, aircraft may be visible at lower altitudes as late as midnight throughout the temporary operating area. All aircraft and vehicles participating in Iowa Flag will be clearly marked, and vehicles will have U.S. Government license plates. All personnel involved in the exercise will be in uniform.
 

This multi-faceted event utilizes many different military assets from fighter aircraft to ground vehicles. Here’s what Iowans may see over the course of the exercise:
1) A number of ground teams will operate in and around the Carroll, Storm Lake, and Pocahontas areas. These teams will operate a variety of vehicles, including tractor-trailers, delivery-type trucks, Humvees, various military cargo trucks, green or blue pick-up trucks, white Civil Air Patrol vehicles, plus other equipment. Personnel will operate both in town and out in the country.
2) The ground teams will utilize sophisticated optics and communications equipment, including night vision equipment, laser ranging equipment (eye safe), satellite communications systems, and Line of Sight (LOS) radio equipment
3) Small military convoys will operate on numerous roads between Cherokee and Carroll.
4) The Iowa Wing of the CAP will be flying circular and “Figure 8” search patterns over Carroll, Storm Lake and other northwest Iowa locations during the exercise. These aircraft are white, single-engine propeller aircraft (like Cessna 172s and 182s) with CAP markings in dark blue and red. These aircraft and personnel may also utilize airports in various northwest Iowa communities.
5) For the duration of the exercise, Iowa Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from Boone and Waterloo will be operating at the Carroll and Storm Lake airports, and near various northwest Iowa communities. These aircraft will be offloading and loading troops.
6) Iowa Air National Guard F-16 fighter aircraft from the 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines will be operating over much of northwest Iowa, from Carroll to the Minnesota border, and from Fort Dodge to west of Storm Lake. People may also see red flares in the sky (especially at night) that look like fireworks.
7) KC-135 tanker aircraft from the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City and other units and locations will be operating in areas from Spencer to Estherville. The tankers will be conducting refueling operations with F-16 fighter aircraft above 20,000 feet, but it may be possible to observe their missions. There might also be flares associated with the refueling operations.
8) Additional aircraft, including the RC-135, E-8 JSTARS, E-3 AWACS, and B-2 Spirit bomber may also participate but their altitude or operating orbit will make it difficult to actually see the aircraft. The B-2 bomber may be visible at a high altitude over numerous northwest Iowa communities.
 

For questions concerning this release as well as additional information about the operations, training, and activities of the Iowa Army and Air National Guard, please contact Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood, Iowa National Guard Public Affairs Officer by email at gregory.hapgood@ia.ngb.army.mil or (515) 252-4582 (office), (515) 971-6385 (cell), or (515) 986-5725 (home). You may also contact Master Sgt. Duff E. McFadden at (515) 252-4666 (office), (515) 480-7647 (cell), (515) 251-7335 (home)or by email at duff.mcfadden@ia.ngb.army.mil.

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