Directing Cope Tiger flying shows multilateral partnership

  • Published
  • By Capt. Erika Yepsen
  • 13th Air Expeditionary Wing-CT09 Public Affairs
KORAT, Thailand --  In many war movies, there is usually a scene in a crowded control room where dozens of uniformed men and women talk busily, consult computers and write things on big boards in the front of the room. 

The live fly cell at Cope Tiger 2009 shows that the truth behind the Hollywood image is both simpler and more complex, as three men from different backgrounds and countries direct the multilingual hustle and bustle of this annual aerial exercise. 

Cope Tiger 2009 is a two-week exercise including both flying and humanitarian missions conducted by U.S., Thai and Singaporean military forces in Korat and Udon Thani, Thailand. It began March 9 and will conclude March 20. 

"This is the live fly cell, but back home we call this 'base operations,'" said Warrant Officer Naranasamy Samyual, a Republic of Singapore Air Force air traffic controller and the officer in charge of the Singaporean contingent. 

"This is very similar to what I'd be doing back home," Warrant Officer Samyual said. "It is slightly different because we're working with the different countries, but we mix and match very well to get the job done." 

Approximately 20 military personnel from Thailand, Singapore and the United States fill the small room. In the front, a group of Singaporean personnel work at computers. Others transcribe information coming in from their Thai and U.S. counterparts onto a large board tracking the aircraft in the air. 

Radio frequencies, airfield status and other special instructions are posted to their left. To their right is weather information. Behind them sit two groups of Airmen working at computers--one made up of Thais and the other Americans. 

"We plan the schedule and issue it out to every unit--that is our first job," said Royal Thai Air Force Wing Commander Arnon Charusombat, the officer in charge of the live fly cell and its Thai contingent. "Then we track the aircraft that are flying in the area, sortie achievement and any deviation from the sortie plan. 

"We have all the information in the live fly cell, and we know if this or that aircraft is good to go, or there is a problem with the tower or the weather and it can't go," the wing commander said. 

The information flows to the live fly cell from aircraft in the air, Airmen on the ground, and from control towers at both Korat and Udon Thani Royal Thai Air Force Bases. It is in multiple languages before eventually appearing on the main wall in English for all to see. 

Around the room phones ring and conversations overlap, creating a constant rumbling punctuated from time-to-time by static bursts from the radios in the corner. 

"Basically we coordinate the operations side of the exercise and flying-related activities," said Capt. Jeff Watts, the live fly cell liaison officer deployed from Kadena Air Base, Japan. "We coordinate everything from scheduling, air space, and pushing the schedule to the tower." 

An E-3 Sentry maintenance issue sends Captain Watts over to talk to Wing Commander Charusombat to coordinate bringing up the alternate air battle manager. A few phone calls later, Wing Commander Charusombat returns with the thumbs up and everything is ready to fly. 

In addition to a mix of countries, languages and cultures in the live fly cell, the three men in charge of their countries' contingents bring a wide range of experience to the mix. 

Wing Commander Charusombat is a veteran of Cope Tiger, having participated for eight years as a pilot and now for his third year as a planner. Warrant Officer Samyual is a first-time participant, but three days into the exercise he already hopes it will not be his last. Between the two is Captain Watts, a three-year Cope Tiger veteran. 

The three are representative of the team members they lead, whose backgrounds and experience vary greatly. However, all three agree that Cope Tiger is an excellent training opportunity. 

"This is a large scale, multiplatform aerial training exercise," said Warrant Officer Samyual. "There is a great training benefit to working with the other countries. [The United States] actually has warfighting experience; we do not. We can learn from your experiences." 

It is also an excellent opportunity to practice English, said Wing Commander Charusombat. 

"As pilots, we use English as a common language while we are flying, but when we do our planning it's not in technical terms," the wing commander said. "You know, 'Break right,' 'Break left,' that's easy." 

As his phone rings, Wing Commander Charusombat does not miss a beat, scribbling flight information relayed in English from a U.S. counterpart. 

"These guys are very professional, very mission-focused and very accommodating when we need things," Captain Watts said. "They're very intelligent, but they're very modest. I've been very impressed by them." 

The three men running the live fly cell at Cope Tiger 2009 are every bit as capable as their Hollywood counterparts appear to be in movies, but their humble attitude of cooperation stands them in a class of their own and in a spirit unique to the professionals of Cope Tiger.