Col. Chris Short, 366th Fighter Wing commander from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, performs preflight inspections on an F-15E Strike Eagle at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 31, 2014. Short is on temporary duty assignment at Nellis AFB participating in the combat exercise Red Flag 14-1 as the Air Expeditionary Wing commander. The U.S. Air Force’s premier exercise gives military members the opportunity to experience realistic, stressful combat situations in a controlled environment to increase their ability to complete missions and return home. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Benjamin Sutton/Released)
Col. Chris Short, 366th Fighter Wing commander from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, climbs into the cockpit of an F-15E Strike Eagle Jan. 31, 2014, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Short is one of more than 3,200 service members participating in Red Flag 14-1. By providing realistic combat training in a contested, degraded and operationally limited environment, Red Flag 14-1 provides pilots with real-time war scenarios and helps ground crews test their readiness capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Benjamin Sutton/Released)
Col. Chris Short, 366th Fighter Wing commander from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, performs his preflight checklist inside an F-15E Strike Eagle Jan. 31, 2014, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Twelve aircraft along with more than 150 personnel from Mountain Home AFB are currently on temporary duty assignment at Nellis AFB, participating in the multinational combat exercise Red Flag 14-1. Red Flag gives aircrews and air support operations service members from various airframes, military services and allied countries an opportunity to integrate and practice combat operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Benjamin Sutton/Released)
Col. Chris Short, 366th Fighter Wing commander, and Capt. Bernard Froehlich, 391st Fighter Squadron weapon systems officer, both from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, prepare their F-15E Strike Eagle before a flight Jan. 31, 2014, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The aircrew are participating in the combat exercise Red Flag 14-1. This exercise gives Airmen an opportunity to experience realistic combat scenarios to prepare and train in the event of future conflicts or war. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Benjamin Sutton/Released)
Senior Airman Aljon Alfonso, 366th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, salutes an F-15E Strike Eagle from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, Jan. 31, 2014, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The pilot of the aircraft was Col. Chris Short, 366th Fighter Wing commander, who was flying his first sortie while participating in the multinational combat exercise Red Flag 14-1. Red Flag began back in 1975 and provides aircrew realistic, stressful situations to deal with in a controlled environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Benjamin Sutton/Released)
Col. Chris Short, 366th Fighter Wing commander, and Capt. Bernard Froehlich, 391st Fighter Squadron weapon systems officer, both from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, cross the solid red line on the flight line at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Air force units from the around the country and the world have come to Nellis AFB to work together on simulated combat scenarios to prepare them for future real-world conflicts or war. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Benjamin Sutton/Released)
Col. Chris Short, 366th Fighter Wing commander, and Capt. Bernard Froehlich, 391st Fighter Squadron weapon systems officer, both from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, fire themselves up for a Red Flag sortie while taxiing on the flight line Jan. 31, 2014, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Short and Froehlich operate the F-15E Strike Eagle which has the capability to perform air-to-air or air-to-ground missions at all altitudes, day or night, in any weather. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Benjamin Sutton/Released)