31st Air Task Force rolls out Air Expeditionary Wing model at Freedom Flag 26-1

At Gwangju Air Base in the Republic of Korea, the 31st Air Task Force was redesignated as the 31st Air Expeditionary Wing and charged with executing operational command and control in support of Freedom Flag 26-1, a routine training event held April 13–24 to prepare joint and combined forces to defend the Republic of Korea.

More than 30 U.S. and Republic of Korea units took part, planning and flying over 500 sorties as the wing fielded its modular, scalable unit of action for the first time in the Freedom Flag series. Organizers cited gains in agility and expanded decision-making options for commanders. “We operated as a multinational joint force gathered to prove our combined strength and seamless integration,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Brad Dvorak, 31st AEW commander and U.S. deployed forces commander during the exercise. “We executed complex missions—including offensive and defensive counter-air, close air support and air interdiction—to demonstrate that we are a force multiplier. The tactics this team validated will define the next fight.”

Operating from Gwangju throughout the event, the wing provided a standardized command-and-control construct and a combat air base squadron package to enable centralized command with distributed execution. Before flying operations began, the staff stood up an expeditionary wing operations center and secured communications networks. “The foundation of a successful team is to be brilliant at the basics,” said Chief Master Sgt. Matthew Greiner, 31st AEW command chief. “Leading up to this event, we had numerous training touchpoints to build a cohesive team focused on problem solving, winning, and flexing to address emergent issues.”

The wing integrated with contingency intelligence and mission-planning cells from U.S. and ROK units and sustained interoperability through liaison officers from U.S. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232, the 35th Fighter Squadron, the 909th Aerial Refueling Squadron, the 621st Air Control Squadron, Seventh Air Force exercise planners, and the 8th Material Maintenance Squadron. “We can lean on a SOF principle from this exercise: humans are more important than hardware,” Dvorak told exercise participants at the closing ceremony. “It was each of you—the trust you built in mission planning cells, the unbreakable links you forged in the air, and the shared understanding you developed during debrief—that made this exercise a success.”

Republic of Korea air force Col. Jeonghyun Choi, commander of the 29th Tactical Fighter Weapons Group, underscored the combined gains made during the event. “Every player involved saw capabilities improve and went above and beyond to execute the mission,” he said. “Every player took the time to establish and develop their capabilities here.”

The 31st Combat Air Base Squadron, organized as a capabilities-based team, established Base Operating Support Integrator functions for designated forces from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and the ROK air force ahead of most personnel arrivals. The squadron also delivered personnel support for contingency operations, medical services, airfield security, and aircraft refueling for units based at Gwangju over the duration of the exercise. “The 31st CABS demonstrated the principles of agile combat employment and excelled,” said Dvorak. “They exemplified the critical maneuvers required for any future Indo-Pacific fight, proving the ability to be flexible, lethal, and survivable.”

Together, the 31st AEW and 31st CABS supplied the staff, command-and-control, and support functions—including Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration, and BOS-I—needed to sustain combined air operations throughout Freedom Flag 26-1.

The wing is organized as a ready unit of action designed to create competitive advantages against pacing challenges. Its O-6 headquarters comprises a command-and-control element and a combat air base squadron with up to 2,500 Airmen across more than 60 specialties, capable of providing base operating support for as many as three mission-generation force elements to conduct agile combat employment at deployed locations.