Nellis celebrates half a century of Red FlagRecently, Red Flag 25-1 was concluded at Nellis AFB (NV). The latest held Red Flag exercise marked fifty years of high-end training, highlighting Red Flag’s enduring legacy of preparing its participants to be combat-ready and mission-effective in the face of evolving threats.
Red Flag was established soon after the Vietnam War in 1975, to better prepare the US flying forces for combat. Lessons from Vietnam showed that if a pilot survived his first ten combat missions, his probability of survival for remaining missions increased substantially.
Red Flag was designed to expose each “Blue” force pilot to their first ten “combat missions” at Nellis, allowing them to be more confident and effective in actual combat. This same principle continues to guide Red Flag today, with the goal of preparing Air Force, Joint, and Coalition pilots, aircrew and operators to fight against a near-peer adversary in any combat environment.
Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence, Red Flag 25-1 was flown from Nellis, uniting US forces with allies from the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in combined exercises to enhance combat readiness and strengthen partnerships.
Integrating combat capability is what Red Flag is all about and being ready for integrated combat operations with multiple allies. Red Flag, which normally last some two weeks, continues to focus on overcoming the complexities of Great Power Competition (GPC), with a focus on integrating air, space, and cyber capabilities to counter advanced threats. Training scenarios, in and over Nevada, push participants to operate in contested and degraded environments, forcing rapid decision-making and teamwork under pressure. With over 500,000 military personnel trained and more than 420,000 sorties flown since the start in 1975, Red Flag’s legacy continues to evolve.
Credit photos: USAF