History
MAPLE FLAG can be considered a Canadian version of the United States Air Force's RED FLAG, which is held several times a year at Nellis Air Force Base (using the Nellis Air Force Range). RED FLAG was conceived during the Vietnam War when the USAF found that 90 percent of combat aircraft losses were during a pilot's first 10 missions; the first RED FLAG occurred in 1975.
MAPLE FLAG copied the RED FLAG format in 1978 and until 1987, it was held twice a year, and reduced to once a year after 1987. MAPLE FLAG has only been cancelled three times, once in 1991, due to Operation Desert Storm, and again in 1999 due to combat operations in Kosovo. In 2011, Maple Flag was cancelled due to NATO military commitments in Libya.
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