Over 500 personnel from the U.S., German, French, Spanish and Canadian air forces as well as the U.S. Marine Corps participated in Arctic Defender 24 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, July 8-18.
AD24 is a German Air Force-led field training exercise and part of the months-long deployment known as Pacific Skies. This deployment includes various exercise locations across the Indo-Pacific region, including the U.S., Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and India.
"Pacific Skies is unique because it's the first time that the German air force will deploy all around the world," said Brig. Gen. Frank Gräfe, German Air Force Pacific Skies commanding general. "To put it all together, this is indeed a unique exercise which has not happened before like this."
This marks the first year that Eielson has hosted the German air force and our other NATO partners for AD24.
"In short, Arctic Defender aims to push everyone's limits with a high-flying exercise involving complex scenarios," said French Air Force Col. Eric, Arctic Defender French Detachment colonel and Pegase deputy commander. "We'll be developing and improving interoperability between nations. It's also a clear message to all: we're stronger together."
Training with joint service members and allies during AD24 operations enhances our lethality and interoperability, enabling our forces to counter military aggression and coercion by sharing responsibilities for common defense.
"Joint exercises like this are important because they simulate real world operations, and this is how we're going to fight," said U.S. Marine Corps Col. William Mitchell, Marine Aircraft Group 11 commanding officer. "The more we can train with our allies, partners and sister services, the better prepared we will be on the day of execution."
Airmen from Eielson AFB supported AD24 by sharing their knowledge of adversarial tactics, techniques and procedures with participating units. This ensures that the U.S. and its allies receive the best air combat training possible.
"I think it's a great opportunity to work with people doing different things and to get familiar with it," said Spanish Air Force Capt. Jose Caamaño, 14th Wing fighter pilot. "We also have a wider range of weaponry here compared to Spain, so it's a great opportunity for tactical missions."
Eielson AFB and Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson were chosen as the exercise locations due to the size of the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, which spans more than 77,000 square miles, making it the largest combat training range in the world. Alaska also offers minimal air traffic, providing ample space for joint operations.
"We would like to thank the German, French, Canadian and Spanish air forces for making Arctic Defender 24 a success," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Weston Umano, AD24 team chief. "The hard work and dedication of our allies is unmatched and the quality of training for AD24 followed suit. Events like this exercise showcase our combined joint interoperability; NATO is stronger together."
By strengthening collaboration and coordination with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific through multilateral alliances, we can effectively address security challenges, enhance interoperability and foster international trust.
