newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — Officials at Eielson Air Force Base have received far fewer noise complaints about this month’s Red Flag-Alaska exercises after a record number of people complained about noise from the base in April.

Only eight complaints have come in about the Red Flag exercises that began on June 5 and end today.

“We’re just going through the exercises and being smart about utilizing the air space to minimize disruptions to the public,” said Capt. Ron Strobach, the battle management commander of the exercises at Eielson.

In April, the last time the exercises were held, the Air Force received 86 complaints about sonic activity.

Two pilots were disciplined for performing unauthorized maneuvers during those exercises. During the most recent exercises, all pilots were found to be operating within the guidelines of the exercise, and no one was disciplined as a result of the eight complaints, Strobach said.

The high number of complaints in April led the Air Force to host several public meetings explaining the importance of Red Flag-Alaska. The exercises, held three times a year, are the largest in the state, covering 67,000 square miles of air space.

Other branches of the armed forces regularly participate in Red Flag-Alaska, as do military units from other nations. Eielson and Elmendorf Air Force bases hosted airmen from Germany, Japan and South Korea for the latest round of exercises.

The next Red Flag-Alaska is scheduled for October.