U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs assigned to the 25th Fighter Squadron completed a Dynamic Force Employment exercise with the Philippine Air Force at Clark Air Base, Philippines, Dec. 9-13, 2024. U.S. Pacific Air Forces Airmen conducted integrated training with Philippine Air Force Airmen, offering pilots and maintenance teams a valuable opportunity to strengthen shared skills and enhance the two forces’ interoperability.
Dynamic Force Employment, or DFE, is an operational strategy across the Joint Force to remain strategically predictable, but operationally unpredictable, in an ever-evolving, challenging, and contested environment.
The bilateral training conducted with the Philippine Air Force consisted of pilots, maintainers, and other support assets, utilizing the minimal amount of personnel and equipment possible to conduct flight operations within the Philippines at different spoke locations. The hub and spoke training missions demonstrated the combined air forces’ ability to rapidly project air power and sustain such flight operations across dispersed locations.
“DFE’s are important because it allows us to project airpower at the time and place of our choosing with as small footprint as possible at the location we conduct these DFE’s at,” said Maj. Gregory St. Clair, Pacific Air Forces chief of future operations. “In addition to that it allows us to train closely with our allies and partners which is our greatest strength.”
The exercise reinforced the two nation’s defense partnership and commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. The successful completion of this DFE marks another milestone in U.S.-Philippine military enhanced cooperation.
“Flying with the Philippine Air Force has been incredible, I was blown away by how willing they were to work and engage with us to continue to strengthen this alliance we have in the Indo-Pacific,” said Capt. Ben Burmester, 25th Fighter Squadron project officer. “We continue to promote stability and freedom to all our partners in the region”
The U.S. Air Force and Philippine Air Force worked together through bilateral training and subject matter expert exchanges to promote interoperability, strengthening our alliance and enhancing security and stability within the Indo-Pacific region.
“The main goal of this DFE was to show we are super close with our allies and partners so that we can train and be effective together,” said St. Clair. “DFE’s are not a new concept and we will continue to do them in the future and we’re only going to get stronger by continuing to do them.”
