Red Flag-Alaska 26-2 Launches With 2,100 Troops From US and Partners

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska — Exercise Red Flag-Alaska 26-2 commenced this week with more than 2,100 service members from the United States and multiple partner nations conducting realistic air combat training at Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

The exercise draws U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps personnel together with allied and partner forces for two weeks of live-fly missions. It centers on offensive counter-air, interdiction, close air support and large-force employment tactics in Alaska’s expansive training ranges, which offer electronic threats, ground targets and vast airspace unavailable in most other U.S. locations.

This iteration marks the second Red Flag-Alaska cycle of 2026. Prior iterations operated on a similar scale; the current exercise maintains that scope while integrating additional partner-nation aircraft and ground elements. Training runs through mid-June.

Downstream effects include accelerated readiness certifications for participating squadrons, updated tactics development that feeds directly into theater operational plans, and strengthened command-and-control linkages between U.S. and partner units that deploy together in Indo-Pacific and European contingencies.

Aircrews who complete the exercise return to home stations with current proficiency in contested environments, shortening the time required to integrate into higher-end combat missions. Coalition partners gain exposure to U.S. fifth-generation tactics and procedures, creating standardized procedures for future combined operations.

The exercise continues a long-running series that traces back decades as the successor to earlier Cope Thunder drills. It operates under U.S. Pacific Air Forces oversight and remains one of the Defense Department’s primary venues for multinational air-combat training outside the contiguous United States.

Primary sources: U.S. Department of Defense · CENTCOM daily release