187th Fighter Wing heading to Nevada

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  • By 187FW Public Affairs
  • 187th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Less than five months after returning from the first-ever six-month combat deployment for an Air National Guard fighter wing, more than 100 members of the 187th Fighter Wing are now deploying to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. This deployment will support the U. S. Air Force Weapons School and is an answer to a nationwide solicitation for support from Air Combat Command (ACC), the 187th's higher operational headquarters.

The 187th will bring the experience gained from their Afghanistan deployment to help train pilots in air-to-air combat strategy.

The U. S. Air Force Weapons School teaches graduate-level instructor courses that provide the world's most advanced training in weapons and tactics employment. The goal of the course is to train students to be tactical experts in their combat specialty while also learning the art of battle-space dominance. This ability creates such a complete overmatch in combat power in any domain of conflict that adversaries have no choice but to submit or give up.

"We are very proud of the fact that the men and women of the 187th Fighter Wing continue to step up in order to meet the needs of ACC and our Country", said Col. Randy Efferson, Commander, 187th Fighter Wing. "We are committed to the total force concept."

The Total Force Integration concept is an Air Force doctrine that combines active duty with Air Reserve and Air National Guard units to enhance the Air Force's ability to conduct its mission. The Total Force concept strengthens the Air Force by making better use of resources and enhances training through the sharing of resources between the three components, including aircraft, crews, maintenance and support.  In October 2014, the 187th Fighter Wing became one of only four fighter units selected to receive a full complement of active duty personnel as part of the Total Force Integration mission.

Following completion of the 187th's mission at Nellis AFB, the Wing will begin gearing up to participate in an international training event with the Romanian Air Force in Romania in the fall of 2015.