1B-USAF Service: 11th Air Force (1993-94)

My second active-duty assignment with the U.S. Air Force was to provide weather support for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), Alaskan Command, and the 11th Air Force from King Salmon Joint Airport, Alaska. This collection covers the aircraft I supported during that assignment.

AIR DEFENSE
Fighter aircraft from the 3rd Wing, specifically the 43rd and 54th Fighter Squadrons, were regularly forward-deployed from Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, to King Salmon. Between two and eight F-15C fighters remained on 24-hour alert, ready to intercept any hostile aircraft approaching Alaskan airspace. I provided routine weather reports to NORAD and local Air Traffic Control (ATC), with special weather updates as needed during scrambles. Additionally, the 3rd Wing operated two E-3B Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft out of Elmendorf AFB, to which I provided weather updates via radio while they orbited nearby.
- F-15C Eagle (US Air Force)
- E-3B Sentry (US Air Force)

INTELLIGENCE
The 55th Wing frequently deployed RC-135V Rivet Joint aircraft from Offutt AFB, near Omaha, Nebraska, to Alaska for Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) missions in the Pacific region. I provided weather updates to Rivet Joint aircrews via radio.
• RC-135V Rivet Joint (US Air Force)

SEARCH AND RESCUE
Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak was responsible for search and rescue missions across southwest Alaska, including the Bristol Bay area. When Coast Guard aircraft operated in this region, aircrews would frequently request real-time weather reports from me via radio.
- HC-130H Hercules (US Coast Guard)
• HH-60J Jayhawk (US Coast Guard)
- MH-65D Dolphin (US Coast Guard)

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