Major John "Red" Walker, an F-16 pilot for the US Air Force (USAF), flew Harrier GR7s in the Royal Air Force's (RAF) 1 Squadron from Al Jaber Airfield, Kuwait, in 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He begins the interview by discussing transition from the F-16 to the Harrier, the training process involved, the fundamental differences between the two aircraft, and challenges associated with making the transition. He also talks about the huge differences between how the USAF and the RAF approach training, with the USAF spoon-feeding its students and teaching tests while the RAF puts all the responsibility for learning on the individual. He explains how the two services are different in doctrine, how this affects their training, leadership and operations, and why they are equally risk averse but in completely different ways. In preparation for combat, Walker's squadron emphasized training for a medium-altitude air war by shifting to close air support, killbox interdiction and strike coordination and reconnaissance. When combat operations began, he and another exchange officer scheduled operations for the squadron because, as Americans, they had rapid access via the secure internet to the air tasking order and could parse their portion out faster than if transmitted through normal liaison channels. Primarily assigned to support V Corps, he found himself waiting in large stacks of aircraft until he ran out of fuel and flew back to Kuwait. He quickly learned to check in with the Marines who would commonly send them to a killbox where they would be used to good effect. "I'm going to go to the next guy because what really matters is that I get these bombs to the guys on the ground," says Walker, "and I think the complexity of the system sometimes hampered that." He relates the experience with two very different journalists and the intensive media training he received from the RAF. His biggest challenge was the amount of time it took for him to become an effective combat aviator, explaining that integrating the aircraft's systems, the tactical systems and the communications system in the most effective way was more difficult than he anticipated. He notes that the flexibility of the RAF is a great strength and that American aviation would profit by adjusting its training halfway towards their system. He closes the interview by stating that the Marines should be the acknowledged role model for the Army and USAF in integrating air and ground operations, recommending more opportunities for joint tours and education.

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