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March 18, 2016
Volume 40, number 11
Exercise Serpentex 16: Cleared hot Story and photo by Staff Sgt. Sara Keller 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs CORSICA, France — Airmen from the U.S. and 11 NATO countries officially kicked off the Frenchled exercise Serpentex 16 March 7 on the island of Corsica, France. Approximately 215 Airmen, including joint terminal attack controllers from the 2nd Air Support Operations Squadron from Vilseck, Germany, are participating in the annual exercise held at NATO’s tactical training center and the French air force’s Air Base 126 Solenzara. The multinational exercise is focused on the training of U.S. and NATO aircrews and JTACs on the air and land integration mission, to include close air support, dynamic targeting, strike coordination and reconnaissance, and live ordnance operations. JTACs are qualified service members who direct the
Senior Airman Gage Duvall, 2nd Air Support Operations Squadron joint terminal attack controller, prepares his radio during exercise Serpentex 16 March 7 in Corsica, France. Serpentex 16 is an annual French-led exercise that is designed to enhance NATO operations and training between allies and partners. The exercise helped enhance readiness and reinforce relations in a joint and combined training environment.
action of air- and surfacebased fire at the tactical level. They are the Airmen on the ground with the authority to control and direct airstrikes on targets. “There are times, like when we are deployed, when
we work with JTACs from other countries, and sometimes we do things a little differently,” said Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Rarang, 2nd ASOS JTAC. “This exercise is giving us the opportunity to build partnership capacity
and know how to better work with our allies when we are in those situations.” Serpentex has occurred annually since 2008 and has contributed to the development of U.S. and NATO relations, capabilities, interop-
erability and multinational training between allies. Other U.S. Air Force participants include three B-52 Stratofortress bombers from the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. Other countries participating include France, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom. “Exercises like Serpentex are exciting and extremely useful because we get to learn different countries’ equipment and how they would control in a realword scenario,” said Senior Airman Gage Duvall, 2nd ASOS JTAC. “I know that we will be able to learn a few things from all the different JTACs, and hopefully they will get to learn something from us.” The training exercise will continue through March 25 with a variety of training scenarios to increase the Air Force’s ability to work side by side with its European allies and partners.
76th AS executes mission on four continents
Remember to pick up a copy of next week's
KA SPECIAL SPRING EDITION.
Lew, U.S. treasury secretary, to travel to China for the G-20 Economic Summit on a C-40B. In addition to transporting leaders, Airmen staged aircrew members at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, using a C-40B and C-37A to support both the operation in China and a stateside mission for Gen. Phillip Breedlove, Supreme Allied Command Europe and U.S. European
Command commander, and to resupply the China-bound aircraft with both fuel and food. Not only did Airmen deal with multiple factors that could have interfered with logistics but also the time difference around the globe. For a small unit of 110 personnel, this was a big task, but the team did
NCO academy begins first European ILE, Page 8
See MISSION, Page 3
Tip of the Week
LIFESTYLES
Airmen from the 76th Airlift Squadron engaged in flight operations Feb. 21 through March 3 on four different continents across the globe. The 76th’s mission is to provide safe, world-class priority airlift for civilian and military lead-
ers and ensure a continuous aeromedical evacuation capability. The success of the simultaneous recent mission surge highlighted the squadron’s ability to meet mission requirements well beyond its normal areas of responsibility. In addition to a 10-day C-21A mission to Africa and a combat deployment to Afghanistan, Airmen from the 76th AS also enabled Jacob L.
FEATURES
by Senior Airman Nicole Sikorski 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Germans observe Easter traditions, Page 14
U.S. service members should take part in the Overseas Housing Allowance survey at www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/ ohaSurvey.cfm?ID=mar-utilmiha until March 31.