Operation Hoodoo Sea

During the first week of May 2023, Virginia's 192nd Wing and Puerto Rico's 156th Wing, along with three other Air National Guard Wings, two Air Force Reserve Wings, the US Navy, US Coast Guard and other government agencies partnered to execute "Operation Hoodoo Sea".

"Operation Hoodoo Sea", an Agile Combat Employment (ACE) training exercise, which occurred on the southeast US coast was led by the Virginia Air National Guard. Airmen assigned to the 156th Wing engaged with the 192nd Wing to coordinate and support logistics and airfield operations for Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptors and Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers at Muñiz Air National Guard Base (PR) while providing command and control support from the 141st Air Control Squadron to control the skies.

Scramble has received photographic proof that the following aircraft participated: F-22As: 04-4076/FF, 05-4091/FF, 05-4095/FF, 08-4170/FF, 09-4189/FF (possibly there have even been more) and KC-135R 59-1483 belonging to the Ohio ANG.

The Puerto Rico 156th Wing's strategic location at Muñiz has been chosen to be ideal for supporting Major Commands and the Department of Defense implementing the 2022 National Defense Strategy. Operation Hoodoo Sea's goal was to assess and validate minimum force elements using multi-capable Airmen to support a scaled down deployment by over 90% of the typical workforce and equipment footprint. This, all with different tasks in austere environments.

At the end of the exercise, it was assessed that if a KC-135R crewchief is taking a post-mission intelligence report from a Raptor pilot and disseminating threat location to a displaced, over-the-horizon bomber force, while a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III loadmaster is helping to execute a combat turn on a F-22A, "Operation Hoodoo Sea" did met the predetermined effects and expectations.

Credit photos: USAF (KC-135R) and James Woodrow (F-22) from the Scramble archives