The 414th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 1, located on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, developed and executed large-scale simulated combat operations in a maritime environment in San Diego, Feb. 14, 2025.

“Det 1’s primary focus is on supporting high fidelity training for Air Combat Command’s combat search and rescue forces,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Christopher Smith, 414th CTS, Detachment 1 commander. “We directly support advanced combat integration for the 563rd Rescue Group here at DM in addition to other rescue forces in ACC and our joint, reserve, and Air National Guard rescue units.”

Belonging to the ACC-owned Exercise Bamboo Eagle, this iteration of RED-FLAG RESCUE 25-1 training scenario exhibited how Air Force rescue assets, such as the HC-130J Combat King aircraft and pararescue Guardian Angel teams, can conduct joint recovery operations in maritime environments. The training also included participation from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency and United States Special Operations Command personnel recovery forces, enabling various DoD rescue entities to train together and share best practices.

As a unified front, rescue teams developed disaggregated planning with the USN helicopters for joint recovery operations during single seat ejection scenarios as well as large wing aircraft ditching, which is controlled emergency landing on water.

“This RFR exercise was the first of its kind, and provided a new baseline for the level of maritime training that can be produced through partnerships throughout the exercise enterprise,” said Smith. “Detachment 1 continues to deliver on its promise to develop the most realistic and intensive training available to the joint force to train and validate combat rescue forces for the Department of Defense.”

The short training scenario of RFR adds to the much larger lethal combat training tactics that Exercise Bamboo Eagle provides to DoD rescue entities.