User:Cadentf/Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center

= Article Draft Information = For this assignment I'm going to work on information I intend to add to the main article here instead of copying and pasting the entire article here and then copying and pasting it all back, I'll move this information in sections to the new article.

Overview (additions)
The Alpena County Regional Airport is a shared use airport between the Alpena CRTC and the Alpena County, allowing for both civilian aircraft operations and military aircraft operations.

Alpena CRTC Mission Statement
"Our mission at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC) is to provide premiere support, facilities, instruction, and airspace to the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Coalition Forces, and Emergency Responders in order to meet the mission requirements of Combatant Commanders and Civil Authorities."

Air National Guard Use
Since 2012 the Alpena CRTC participated in one of the many Department of Defense's multinational exercises called exercise Northern Strike. This exercise is one of the largest reserve component exercise designed to ensure members of the United States military, as well as other nations military's train together to accomplish mission essential tasks and training for preparation of the future wartime environment with future adversaries. This exercise is designed to replicate a modern-wartime environment, utilizing aerial live-fire ranges to simulate close air support, as well as other mission essential tasks such as emergency response and testing air mobility capabilities.

In 2017 Captain Brett DeVries, assigned to 107th Fighter Squadron in the Michigan Air National Guard crash landed an A-10 at the Alpena Regional County Airport after the canopy of the aircraft had been removed and the landing gear would not extend down.

Northern Strike 2021 Exercise the Alpena CRTC hosted the Arizona Air National Guard's MQ-9 Reaper, an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that is utilized for aerial reconnaissance, close air support, and aerial precision strikes. During Northern Strike Exercise the United States Air Force tested the capabilities of an upcoming technology called the 'Ground Based Detect and Avoid system (GBDAA) at the Alpena CRTC.

In 2021, for the first time in United States history the United States Air Force had conducted the operation of landing an aircraft on a US highway. This operation was conducted at the Alpena CRTC to show United States adversaries that the United States Air Force has the capability to land on highways and continue to be an effective fighting force as long as there are roads to land on. This proof of concept was intended to prove if the US military could operate at any location, anytime. The US Air Force, and Michigan Air National Guard landed four A-10 Thunderbolt II's assigned to the 354th Fighter Squadron, and the Michigan Air National Guard's 127th Wing. An additional two C-146 Wolfhounds, assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command also participated in this highway landing operation.

In 2021 the Alpena CRTC participated in an Air Mobility Command hosted exercise Mobility Guardian, an exercise where the United States Air Force tests it's Agile Combat Employment (ACE) capabilities, as well as it's Rapid Global Mobility capabilities with 18 air mobility aircraft at six different military locations. This exercise was designed to test the capabilities the United States Air Force has when it comes to the movement of personnel, and equipment in high-stress combat rich environments. Furthermore, this exercise tested the US military's capabilities in a combat environment to refuel and rearm aircraft. Additionally, a Contingency Location Team (CLT) and an Air Force special tactics team simulated an airfield seizure at the Alpena CRTC further proving the US Military's Agile Combat Employment Capabilities. Exercise Mobility Guardian was conducted in preparation for a potential wartime environment with a developed nation or adversary.

Winter Strike 2022 Exercise at Grayling Range, attached to the Alpena CRTC, multinational joint exercise between the Michigan Air National Guard and the Latvian military during the winter of 2021. Winter Strike exercise provides training for visiting units to acclimate to the demanding winter weather and to maintain wartime readiness regardless of the climate.