Red, white & blue dawn? US aerial drill simulates full-scale ‘forcible entry’ invasion

A “conga line” of over 10 transport aircraft startled aviation fans during the US military’s annual “Joint Forcible Entry Exercise” in the skies of Nevada.

Noticing the large line of C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft carriers prepared for take off at the Dyess Air Force base in Texas early Sunday morning, some aviation fans on Twitter became understandably worried.

As it turns out, the aircraft were assembled for a yearly drill carried out by the US air force. After taking off from the Texas base, the aircraft took the skies over Nevada and headed to the Nellis Test and Training Range (NTTR) in the remote South West corner of the state.

The drill simulates a large scale “backdoor” invasion targeting a “world-class” opposing enemy force, presumably with a geography similar to massive open plains of the Nevada desert. The army’s website describes the drill as “one of the most challenging and complex missions” they are assigned.

The exercise simulates a “large-scale” drop of airborne troops parachuting over enemy territory and skydiving into “contested” areas in order to set up a base to strike further inland, according to the base’s webpage.

Aside from ominously prepping its soldiers for an all out invasion, the army’s description of the drill in 2015 says it calls for a host if block-buster movie offense scenarios including neutralizing hostile air defense, multiple air-assault helicopter attacks, elimination of time sensitive targets and “unconventional warfare”.

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