CAMP DOUGLAS, Wis. -- Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center will host aircraft and personnel from multiple active duty Air Force, National Guard and Navy units as part of the annual Northern Lightning Counterland training exercise May 1-12.
Northern Lightning is one of seven Air National Guard joint accrediated exercises held at a Combat Readiness Training Center. According to Col. Chad Milne, Wisconsin Air National Guard director of operations, the two-week long exercise will provide participating units a tactical level, joint training environment emphasizing user-defined objectives.
"Northern Lightning’s strength and focus is air interdiction, low and high-threat close air support and the integration of fourth and fifth generation assets,” Milne said. “Participating units will find that the Volk Field contested training environment presents a complete tactical exercise experience with assets suchs as the EA-18G Growler, F-16 Fighting Falcon, T-38 Talon, F-22 Raptor, EA-18G and F-35 Lightning II aircraft.”
Units scheduled to participate in the 2017 exercise include the 128th Air Refueling Wing from Milwaukee; 115th Fighter Wing and 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation from Madison, Wisconsin; 128th Air Control Squadron, Volk Field; 148th Fighter Wing from Duluth, Minnesota; 114th Fighter Wing from Sioux Falls, South Dakota; VAQ-209, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island of Washington; 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron of Edwards Air Force Base, California; 266th Range Squadron of Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; 126th Air Refueling Wing of Scott Air Force Base, Illinois; 434th Air Refueling Wing of Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana; 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron of Dyess Air Force Base, Texas; 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing from Virgina Beach, Virginia; NSWG-2, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek from Fort Story, Virginia; and the 94th Fighter Squadron and 71st Fighter Squadron of Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.
The general public can expect to see a significant increase in aircraft activity in and around the Camp Douglas area May 1-12. Those living in the following counties can also anticipate increased noise levels from 10 a.m.-noon May 1-12: Adams, Calumet, Clark, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Jackson, Marathon, Marquette, Monroe, Outagamie, Portage, Sauk, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Winnebago, and Wood.