Department of Defense

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DAVID Y.  IGE

GOVERNOR

MAJ. GEN. ARTHUR J. LOGAN

DIRECTOR

MEDIA RELEASE

#2017-002                                                    Jan. 23, 2017

For Immediate Release

          

HAWAII AIR NATIONAL GUARD CONDUCTS ‘SENTRY ALOHA’ EXERCISE

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -The Hawaii Air National Guard (HIANG) will  conduct its first large-scale “Sentry Aloha” fighter exercise of 2017 beginning today.   Oahu residents, particularly along Oahu’s leeward coastline, may see an increase in military aircraft as they approach Honolulu International Airport for landing.

Sentry Aloha is an ongoing series of exercises, hosted by the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 154th Wing, involving multiple types of aircraft and services. Sentry Aloha provides tailored, cost effective and realistic combat training for U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard and other Department of Defense services to provide U.S. warfighters with the skill sets necessary to perform their homeland defense and overseas combat missions.  Additionally, training in the airspace north and south of Oahu allows for robust large force exercises with limited restrictions in favorable weather conditions, specifically during the winter months when many organizations experience a loss of training to adverse conditions.  This Sentry Aloha iteration will involve more than 1000 personnel and more than 50 aircraft from eight other states. The exercise will run through the end of the month, with units returning to their home stations in early February.

Visiting units include tanker support from Utah and Tennessee, F-16 Falcons from Minnesota, F-18 Hornets from California and an E-3 Sentry (AWACS) from Oklahoma. The visiting aircraft will be taking part in simulated combat exercises in an around the air space of Hawaii with F-22 Raptors flown by the HIANG’s 199th Fighter Squadron and active duty 19th Fighter Squadron.

The 199th Fighter Squadron is part of the 154th Wing, the largest Air National Guard wing in the nation.  The Hawaii Air National Guard is comprised of nearly 2,500 Airmen whose federal mission is to be trained and available for active duty Air Force operational missions.

For more information, please contact Lt. Col. Charles Anthony, Director of Public Affairs at the number below.

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Media Contact:

Lt. Col. Charles Anthony

Public Affairs Officer

808-733-4258

[email protected]

www.hawaii.gov/dod