GERMAN AIR FORCE PARTICIPATES IN RED FLAG ALASKA EXERCISE

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
A German air force Eurofighter Typhoon launches from the runway at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, June 4, 2012. The Germans are participating in Red Flag-Alaska 12-2, a two-week exercise providing aircrew realistic combat sorties and increasing their chances of survival in combat. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Miguel Lara III)  
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German air force brings Eurofighter, skills to Eielson AFB
by Airman 1st Class Zachary Perras
354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

6/21/2012 - EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFNS) -- After a nearly 5,000-mile trip across the world, 150 members of the German air force recently arrived here with eight German Eurofighter Typhoons.

It is the first time the German airframe has deployed overseas, according to German officials. In fact, it is the very first of the Eurofighter's participation in any U.S. exercise.

German air force Col. Andreas Pfeiffer, the commander of Fighter Wing 74, at Neuburg air base, Germany, said training here is a completely different experience for the German air force, specifically because Alaska provides more air space and accommodates high-caliber coalition training. Most importantly, though, it is host to the 18th Aggressor Squadron.

"The (18th) Aggressor Squadron, which provides us with the best training on Earth, is unique -- there is no other training partner like the Aggressors," Pfeiffer said. "If you put all of the factors together, this is probably the highest quality training you could possibly get in modern air combat."

One of the most valuable aspects the 18th AGRS provides is dedicated adversary support that the German air force might not find back home, giving a new perspective for German flying and tactics, said Capt. Cory Farrer, an 18th AGRS F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot.

"It allows us to fly with another ally and integrate with them as well as giving them a large piece of airspace to train in," Farrer said. "The Eurofighter is a very capable and formidable airframe, and it's a great and valuable asset (for our allies)."

The German air force's aim with Red Flag was to bring the Eurofighter into an environment in which its pilots could show their proficiency with the aircraft while being able to learn and enhance their experience level, Pfeiffer said.

"The goals we have for this Red Flag exercise are focused on our wing capabilities, both in terms of logistics as well as techniques, to prove that the Eurofighter is capable of coping with all of the challenges of modern air combat," said Pfeiffer. "At the same time, it's for us to increase our own technical performance and capabilities."

In addition to months of training in Europe, the Germans arrived in May to participate in Distant Frontier in order to prepare for Red Flag. Since then, Pfeiffer said his forces have learned valuable lessons.

"We are learning that we are flying and fighting on a common tactical basis," he said. "Although we are flying alongside coalition forces on a regular basis (in Europe), what we learn here is a completely different dimension ... and we are able to prepare ourselves for possible future operations anywhere."

While the German air force has participated in previous exercises like Maple Flag in Canada and other Red Flags at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., the Eurofighters have never participated in such a large-scale exercise.

"We have some really experienced pilots, but this is a huge challenge for most of them -- it's the first time they've done something like this," Pfeiffer said. "Even so, I'm surprised about the performance of both our jets and our crews. Our guys and our systems are ready to face the challenges ahead."

Keeping the future in sight, Pfeiffer is eager to return to Alaska for future Red Flags, attributing the success of his forces to the hospitality and support of Eielson Air Force Base.

"I feel privileged to have the opportunity to participate with my wing and with a new jet in such an outstanding exercise," said Pfeiffer. "This is the highest quality training you could get worldwide; it is unique and simply a privilege."

REMERBERANCE OF WWI VETERANS AT ST. MIHIEL CEMETERY

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
THIAUCOURT, France -- The Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Honor Guard colors detail advances to position during the Memorial Day event at the St. Mihiel American Cemetery May 27, 2012. The 40.5-acre World War I cemetery, about 24 miles southwest of Metz, France, contains the graves of 4,153 of U.S. military dead. It is the third largest of the eight World War I American military cemetery memorials in Europe. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Francesca Popp)

U.S. EUROPEAN COMMAND LISTS FOUR BASIC PRIORITIES

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE 
Ensuring ready forces is U.S. European Command's highest priority. Here, paratroopers from Special Operations Command Europe descend after jumping from an MC-130 Combat Talon aircraft over Malmsheim Drop Zone, Germany, Dec. 9, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Isaac A. Graham

Priorities Chart Way Forward for Eucom
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
STUTTGART, Germany, May 4, 2012 - Using the new defense strategic guidance as its roadmap, officials at U.S. European Command say they've fixed their compasses on four basic priorities: maintaining ready forces, completing a successful transition in Afghanistan, sustaining strategic partnerships and countering transnational threats.
Keeping a steely-eyed focus on these priorities is particularly important at a time of limited resources, Navy Vice Adm. Charles Martoglio, Eucom's deputy commander, told American Forces Press Service.

"Our highest priority is readiness to execute the contingency plans that we are responsible for," he said. "That goes directly back to the Constitution that says the military's mission is to fight and win the nation's wars."

That, explained Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, the command's deputy commander for plans, policy and strategy, means being ready to act if called upon to deal with issues in a 51-country area of responsibility that stretches across the Baltics, the Balkans, the Caucasuses and the Levant.

Eucom's next priority is to complete a successful security transition in Afghanistan from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force to Afghan national security forces, the admirals said. This, Montgomery explained, requires evolving from an operational role to a training role to ensure Afghan forces are prepared to accept increasing security responsibility.

"Many people don't realize that most of the non-U.S. forces in ISAF are from Europe," Martoglio said, noting that about 32,000 of the 35,000 partner forces in the coalition deploy from European soil. Eucom has been active over the past decade helping to organize, train and equip forces from countries not financially or logistically capable of doing so themselves.

"Some would say we should expect more from our European partners," Martoglio acknowledged, noting the 90,000 U.S. troop  contribution to ISAF. "But I would say that if it weren't for those 32,000 European partners there, we would require 32,000 more Americans."

As the coalition draws down forces in Afghanistan, Eucom's next priority, he said, will be to preserve the strategic partnerships solidified there.

"We have been alongside NATO, or NATO has been alongside us, for 10 years in Afghanistan and Iraq," Martoglio said. "We have a combat edge that has been honed by 10 years of working together in very challenging circumstances.

"So as we come out of Iraq and Afghanistan, how do we sustain that combat edge over time, particularly when everybody's budgets are being significantly constrained?" he asked. "Our job here is to sustain the strategic partnership, the NATO alliance – that most successful coalition in history – across these difficult financial times."

NATO never has been at a higher level of readiness to conduct contingency operations, Montgomery said. He cited the immediacy of a mission that's brought interoperability within ISAF to its highest level ever, but could begin deteriorating over time without a concerted effort to preserve it.
"The question," he said, echoing Martolgio, "is how do we preserve all the investment that's been made over the last eight to 10 years – an investment of not just money, but blood and sweat, working together in both Iraq and Afghanistan?"

Martoglio emphasized the importance of continued engagement and training, both to take new strategic partnerships forged with Eastern European nations to the next level, and to maintain other ISAF contributors' high-end capabilities.

"We have to look toward ensuring interoperability of those forces and routinely training together so that if we have to conduct high-end operations, we have the ability to work together from a technical perspective, and the skills to work together from a training perspective," he said.

Looking forward, Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, the Eucom commander, identified four specific countries for increased engagement: Israel, Russia, Turkey and Poland.

Israel is one of the United States' closest allies, Martoglio said, noting the U.S. commitment to help in deterring its adversaries. Russia has a major impact on security in Europe and the world, and forging a more positive bilateral relationship is essential, he said.

Turkey, a rising regional power and NATO partner, is able to influence events in parts of the world the United States simply can't. And Poland, an increasingly influential leader in Northeastern Europe, is on a trajectory toward extending its economic and democratic impact beyond the immediate region.

These partnerships will be vital in confronting new and emerging threats in a rapidly-changing security environment, Martoglio said, particularly transnational threats that no one country can tackle alone. These include violent extremist organizations, cyber attacks, ballistic missiles and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

NATO addressed these concerns at its 2010 summit in Lisbon, Portugal, tasking member countries to contribute to various capabilities as part of its new 10-year strategic concept. The United States took on a significant ballistic missile defense tasking, Montgomery noted, and is working within NATO and U.S. structures to address other challenges.

Stavridis, testifying before Congress in March, said these evolving threats demand the steady commitment that the trans-Atlantic alliance has demonstrated since its inception more than six decades ago.

"Working together with our historic partners on these critical security challenges of the 21st century to wisely leverage the significant investments that America has made for over half a century will be more important than ever in light of the fiscal constraints that we all face," he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Stavridis credited the men and women of Eucom who work alongside allies and partners across the dynamic European theater every day pursuing common security interests and as a result, forward defense of the United States.

 "With every action, they are shaping the rapidly changing world we live in today, in order to provide the ensuring capabilities, security structures and trust we need for a stronger world tomorrow," he said.