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Training Pilots for the Post 9/11 World

  • Published
  • By Lt Col Nicole Jansen
  • 50th Flying Training Squadron
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  

On Sept 11th, 2001, I was 18 and beginning my military career at the New Mexico Military Institute for a year of academic prep before attending the U.S. Air Force Academy. I was studying for my first class of the day when my mother messaged me saying something terrible was happening in New York. Since we weren’t allowed TVs, and this was pre-streaming internet, I proceeded early to my class where we watched United Airlines Flight 175 fly into the South Tower of the World Trade Center building.  

Today, the average Air Force member serving was born in 1995 and would have been six years old and in kindergarten when the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93 over Pennsylvania were struck by coordinated terrorism. That event solidified my resolve to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy and join the fight to protect America from its’ enemies. Sept 11, 2001, transformed me, the world culturally and the U.S. Military structurally.  

One of the big questions after 9/11 was how could a powerful nation who spends more on the military than the next nine countries combined have such a blind spot to our vulnerabilities surrounding non-state actors and terrorists? The country realized there was no single military commander charged with defense of the homeland. Instead, since its inception, the U.S. has primarily relied on defense by distance—protected by the 104.9 million square miles of ocean to our east and west, and our alliances to the north and south.  9/11 was the first time since Pearl Harbor that the U.S. had been attacked on home soil, and the first time since the war of 1812 that the Continental U.S. faced a real threat.  

In response, the National Security Strategy was revised to shift focus from traditional state-based threats to non-state actors, such as al-Qaeda, and launched the Global War on Terrorism using each instrument of national power (diplomacy, information, military and economics). The U.S. stood up the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. NORTHERN COMMAND—a geographic combatant command charged with homeland defense and civil support operations in the continental United States, Alaska, Canada and Mexico. 

I was there, 18 years later at USNORTHCOM, stationed to assist with plans ensuring the defense of North America from airborne threats. Specifically, I worked on a Department of Defense plan which outlined strategic and operational schemes of maneuver to prepare for war with one of five identified threats by the National Security Strategy: Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and terrorist organizations. 

 One such element of this plan is Operation NOBLE EAGLE, a response plan to intercept threats to America via fighter aircraft. A NOBLE EAGLE conference was called when a potential threat was identified and USNORTHCOM leadership presence was required to determine if a use of force was necessary. Often times these threats were wayward civilian pilots oblivious they had just flown into protected airspace, but in the wake of Sept 11th, we could not make that assumption.  

Following my time there, I moved to Columbus Air Force Base and discovered some of my Instructor Pilots had participated in NOBLE EAGLE missions. Now, those same IPs teach the next generation of fighter pilots the same basics they relied on during those real-world operations.  

Operation NOBLE EAGLE and the rest of our national defense plans leverage many pilot skills which we practice daily here in the 14th Flying Training Wing. The first and most important skill is how to safely depart to and return from the mission. Basic airmanship is critical to preserve crews and aircraft -- and therefore -- our nation’s ability to project power and deter our enemies.  

Taking a building block approach, the 14 FTW then adds complexity to our training missions. We teach instrument training which is essential for flying in the weather and at night. During World War II, the U.S. Army Air Corps invested heavily into radar-guided bombing systems which allowed for combat in the weather. Today, the USAF relies on radar-guided targeting solutions which allow for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions in all weather conditions. It is paramount to have a solid understanding of instrument navigation while executing radar employment. Cross-country missions train for Agile Combat Employment—small detachments executing decentralized and autonomously with junior officers making command decisions to ensure mission success. 

Aerobatics -- such as loops and rolls -- are not only fun but teach attention to an aircraft’s energy state—a vital skill for advanced fighter aircraft maneuvers. Formation training is a building block to aerial refueling which facilitates global reach: fighter deployments overseas, and bombers launching from CONUS, employing weapons and returning to CONUS. Multiple aircraft in formation are also the standard scheme of maneuver for fighter and bomber aircraft and training for formation begins at the 14 FTW.  

Finally, throughout their time at Columbus, students learn intangible skills including flight leadership, risk management and decision making while operating a multi-million-dollar aircraft traveling near the speed of sound. 

While the global landscape has changed many times over since 9/11; what has not changed is the 14 FTW’s mission to ensure the U.S. Air Force and our partner nations are provided pilots with necessary skills to fight our adversaries. The 14 FTW and the U.S. Air Force will always be ready to meet the challenges of the future, ensuring that our pilots are well-trained and equipped to protect our nation, its people and our allies.