“The fire was moving at 20-25 mph; the fire traveled a mile and a half in 20 minutes to jump into ‘our’ property. With the pasture field grass that we have out here, that’s how fast it can move. The fire was eating up ground, all we can do was carrel it and defend it from jumping on county land, basically keep it on Army land.”– Steven Coloma, Pōhakuloa Training Area (PTA) Fire and Emergency Services
From July 30th to August 4th, 2021, the Waimea wildfire grew to become the largest in Hawaii’s modern history. Hawaii’s Army National Guard, and the U.S. Army’s 25th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), joined the fight.
U.S. Army photo, 31JULY2021.
25th CAB used their CH-47 and HH-60 helicopters:“…the priority was some threatened and endangered species that reside on PTA. Once we got that initial assessment from the PTA firefighters, we started hitting the areas around the threatened and endangered species. That was PTA garrison commander’s number one priority—fire management on federal land, and ensure we saved the threatened and endangered species.”-Major Lee Jones, 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment
USA photo, 31JULY2021.
Armed with Bambi buckets, the Chinook and Black Hawk ‘copters made 268 drops on the fire, more than 169-thousand gallons of water. The Waimea wildfire burned at least 40-thousand acres (16187 hectares).
U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Christopher Stewart, 14AUG2021.
The U.S. Army’s 12th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) could be taking part in a wargame called Dynamic Front 21, instead they have joined with USAID in helping the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı) fight fires in the western mountains.
USA photo by Staff Sergeant Christopher Stewart, 14AUG2021.
Flying their CH-47 Chinooks, the 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment, 12th CAB deployed from their assignment in Bulgaria to fight fires in Turkey, on 12AUG2021.
USA photo by Staff Sergeant Christopher Stewart, 14AUG2021.
USA photo by Staff Sergeant Christopher Stewart, 14AUG2021.
Water bombing aircraft from around the world arrived in Turkey to fight the fires:
On 14AUG2021, a Russian Navy flying boat crashed while fighting a fire in Turkey:
On 16AUG2021, the Minnesota Army National Guard deployed two UH-60M Black Hawks to fight the fires spreading across The North Star State. Video by Staff Sergeant Sydney Mariette:
Photo by Senior Master Sergeant Ralph Kapustka.
On 17AUG2021, Minnesota Air National Guard deployed a fuel truck to support Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fire crews.
On 12AUG2021, twenty three Wisconsin Army National Guard personnel took three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to California to help fight the fires, for the second year in a row.
Wisconsin ANG Black Hawk practices using the Bambi Bucket, 12AUG2021, prior to leaving for California. WANG photo by Greg Mason.
WANG video by Greg Mason, of Bambi Bucket training on Fort McCoy, 12AUG2021:
It wasn’t Just Wisconsin sending their militia to help The Golden State; Arizona, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma sent Air National Guard TACPs (Tactical Air Control Party Specialists) and ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) aircrews at the request of the Boise, Idaho, based National Interagency Fire Center: “The entire fire service lacks fire fighters, equipment, and especially intelligence capable assets. Being able to utilize TACPs and the ISR aircraft during fire suppression efforts is filling a large gap that we, in civilian government lack. The expertise TACPs bring truly makes our jobs much easier, safer, and can translate into our mission objectives.”-George Violante, National Interagency Fire Center
Arizona Air National Guard ISR wildland fire mapping RC-26 flying out of Eugene Airport, Oregon, 01AUG2021. Nevada ANG photo by Airman First Class Thomas Cox.
Pennsylvania & Oklahoma TACPs set-up near Chester, California, 25JUL2021. PANG photo by Master Sergeant Brent Hill.
The National Interagency Fire Center says military TACPs are perfect for the job of wildland fire fighting from the air: “They require limited training and can engage right into providing real-time critical decision-making information for the incident management personnel. The constant demand for this type of support speaks for itself. We appreciate their time away from their families and the long hours they work to support the Interagency National Fire Center and fire staff on the ground.”-George Violante
Pennsylvania TACP somewhere in Nevada, 13JUL2021. PANG photo by Lieutenant Colonel Angela King-Sweigart.
U.S. Army photo by Sergeant First Class Ernest Henderson.
On 11AUG2021, the U.S. military handed Iraqi-Kurdish Peshmerga forces an additional 21 trucks, worth US$5.3 million. The ‘divestiture’ took place on Erbil Air Base.
USA photo by Sergeant First Class Ernest Henderson.
On 08JUL2021, Peshmerga got $741-thousand-584 worth of weapons and ammo. It’s all part of the never ending Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund (CTEF) program.
USA photo by Sergeant First Class Gary A. Witte.
On 12JUN2021, Iraqi Border Guards got $4.5 million worth of barbed wire, pre-fab guard towers, generators, water tanks and shower trailers.
USA photo by Specialist Trevor Franklin.
On 03JUN2021, Peshmerga got an undisclosed amount of U.S./NATO funded Russian made/designed weapons.
USA photo by Specialist Angel Ruszkiewicz.
On 20MAY2021, Peshmerga also got truck-loads of barbed wire and uniforms.
Tyndall AFB cops join local Bay County Sheriff’s Office to learn about a new bumper mounted ‘grappler’ system, 12DEC2021. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Magen M. Reeves.
The U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) Security Force (formerly Security Police or Air Police), on Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB), have made a policing deal with the Florida Highway Patrol and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
USAF photo by Airman First Class Tiffany Price, 14JUN2021.
The policing deal blurs the federal-state-local police jurisdiction lines by allowing USAF police to patrol Bay County and Highway 98, and will allow state and county law enforcement to patrol the AFB.
In July 2021, Tyndall AFB tactical response team conducted SWAT training with Bay County Sheriff’s Office and Panama City Police Department. USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Stefan Alvarez.
However, this is not the first time that Florida has allowed the USAF to get involved with local police ops: “We have been fortunate lately to be more active with Tyndall in a training aspect. We have had an awesome time sharing information, experiences, and seeing first-hand the mutual respect we have for each other.”-Lieutenant Jason King, Florida Highway Patrol
In December 2020, Tyndall AFB partnered with Bay County Sherriff’s Office to conduct a police driver course (Emergency Vehicle Operations Course). USAF photo by Second Lieutenant Kayla Fitzgerald.
Pay attention to how Major Jordan Criss, of the USAF’s 325th Security Forces Squadron, explains the rationale behind getting involved in local policing: “These partnerships are a tremendous force multiplier for our Security Forces. Not only due to the necessity for mission generation, but also because we learn so much from one another and establish long lasting ties with the community as ambassadors of the U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense.”
‘Force multiplier’ is a military phrase that refers to anything that can be used to increase your unit’s fighting potential. But what does Major Criss mean when he says there is a “necessity for mission generation”? Is there a covert order to increase military policing of civilian areas? Major Criss continued his justification by saying “Integrated Defense is a team sport. Everyone inside and outside the fence line plays a different role for the collective effort to protect our power projection platforms and the people that generate those missions.” In other words, it’s all about protecting the military, not civilians.
USAF photo by Airman First Class Bailee A. Darbasie, 03JUN2019.
In a more insidious partnership, in June of 2019, Tyndall AFB commander Colonel Brian Laidlaw signed an agreement with Bay County to create a permanent county tax collection operation on the federal air base! Officially it was so that Bay County residents working on-base wouldn’t have to take time off from their jobs to pay their local taxes and, for some reason, to reduce lines at the Bay County office (ever hear of mailing in your tax payment?).
And in April 2018, Bay District Schools teacher Cathy Felty got to take a federally funded ride in a Tyndall AFB T-38C, just for winning Teacher of the Year.
USAF photo by Airman First Class Isaiah J. Soliz, 09APR2018.
“Today marked yet another milestone in the proud history of the Idaho National Guard as wildland firefighter ground crews mobilized and deployed to support the growing wildland fire threats across our state.”-Brigadier General Russ Johnson, Idaho National Guard Joint Staff
Idaho Army National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Becky Vanshur.
On 04AUG2021, sixteen Idaho Air and Army National Guard personnel, who are federal Type 2 Red Card (Incident Qualification Card) certified, were deployed to assist the Idaho Department of Lands battle at least 15 wildfires across the Gem State.
To be Red Card certified means you’re literally are given a red card saying you are qualified to fight wildfires. IANG photo by Master Sergeant Becky Vanshur.
72 Idaho state militia personnel are Red Card certified: “We are currently training more Soldiers and Airmen as they volunteer for this mission in the hopes of building a large capacity consisting of several hand crews.”-Lieutenant Colonel Tony Vincelli, Task Force Timber Shield
IANG photo by Master Sergeant Becky Vanshur.
Two Idaho National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters have also been fighting fires, dropping more than 205-thousand gallons since July 13th.
An Idaho 1-183rd Aviation Battalion Black Hawk deployed to fight fires in California, in 2020. California Air National Guard photo by Captain Jason Sanchez.
Eight militia members have also been providing logistical support since July 21st, at the Idaho Fire Cache warehouse in Coeur d’Alene.
The U.S. Coast Guard says it captured 14 illegals from Cuba in this little boat, near the Bahamas, on 27JUL2021. The Cubans were sent home on 29JUL2021.
ARIZONA: U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel use a Black Hawk (spending lots of your money) to rescue an illegal from Guatemala, stranded on the Baboquivari Mountains, 26JUL2021:
“Our adversaries have advanced weapons systems and advanced technology that they can use against us, so we need to be able to operate efficiently in austere situations and gain proficiency in those operations.”-Lieutenant Colonel Brian Wyrzykowski, 127th Wing, Michigan Air National Guard
Michigan Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant David Kujawa, 05AUG2021.
Claiming to be a first, intentionally operating combat aircraft from a U.S. state highway (such operations having been done in Europe since the Cold War), the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and Michigan Air National Guard conducted operation Thunder LZ (Landing Zone), beginning on 05AUG2021. Thunder LZ involved Michigan Air Guard A-10Cs, U.S. Air Force A-10Cs from Arizona, and USAF C-146As from Florida.
Michigan Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Scott Thompson, 05AUG2021.
Notice how close the A-10C touched down to the police and fire vehicles.
Michigan Air National Guard cockpit video of Alpena (aka M32) Highway landing, 05AUG2021:
Michigan Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant David Kujawa.
It is part of wargame Exercise Northern Strike. The highway is M-32, and involved the Michigan Department of Transportation, and a local electricity utility which had to take down some lines so the aircraft could safely land and take-off. Local police were on scene, as well as fire fighters just in case. But first, the M-32 had to be ‘taken’ (secured) by Special Tactics Airmen assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing.
Michigan Air National Guard video explainer, by Staff Sergeant Drew Schumann:
More Michigan Air National Guard video, by Staff Sergeant Drew Schumann, of A-10Cs landing on the highway:
What if you were driving down the highway when you saw this coming at you? More video from by Staff Sergeant Drew Schumann:
Landings and take-offs:
Michigan Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Scott Thompson, 05AUG2021.
The USAF says using highways is part of its ‘near peer threat’ Agile Combat Employment (ACE) tactic. The aircraft used are C-146As (Dornier 328) and A-10Cs: “The A-10 allows us to land a lot more places to get fuel, weapons and other armaments so we can operate anywhere, anytime. This will allow us to get away from using built-up bases that our adversaries can target, by moving much more rapidly.”-Captain John Renner, 354th Fighter Squadron, Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
Michigan Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Scott Thompson, 05AUG2021.
Michigan Air National Guard photo by Master Sergeant Scott Thompson, 05AUG2021.
Staff Sergeant Andrew Schumann shows what it looks like to see a C-146A land on the highway:
Notice that the U.S. military’s C-146A Wolfhound (Dornier 328) wears a ‘silly-vilian’ (civilian) paint scheme. More video of A-10Cs and the C-146A:
20JUN2016, National Guard photo by Technical Sergeant Amy M. Lovgren.
It’s not the first time using a highway for A-10Cs from Michigan’s 127th Wing. In June 2016, 127th A-10Cs used a highway in Estonia, during wargame Saber Strike.
Since the days of the undeclared Cold War, NATO and ‘enemy’ forces have practiced using highways for impromptu air bases. The use of Michigan’s M-32 is supposedly the first time a highway within the U.S. was used for such operations. Sounds like the Cold War never went away.
