Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall conducted a trip to strengthen international partnerships and visit Airmen and Guardians supporting NATO objectives in the U.S. European Command area of responsibility from Aug. 19-25.
The trip consisted of engagements with senior leaders in Belgium, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Estonia and Poland to reinforce the indispensable alliances that ensure security in the region.
At his first stop in Belgium, Kendall focused on DAF priorities for the NATO alliance, including capitalizing on space as an operational domain, integrated air and missile defense, and the future of interoperable command and control. These discussions were had with the Belgian chief of defense, NATO's assistant secretary general for operations, U.S. military representatives to NATO, the secretary of defense representative in NATO, and the defense advisor for the U.S. mission.
This initial stop set the stage for the rest of the trip as he continued to Sweden. Kendall arrived in Sweden, which recently became a member of NATO in March 2024, to meet with Lt. Gen. Michael Claesson, Sweden's incoming chief of defense, and Maj. Gen. Jonas Wikman, commander of the Swedish Air Force.
"Sweden is a very sophisticated country with a lot of technical capability [and a] very professional military," Kendall said. "It was great to meet with Swedish defense leaders and further strengthen our ties with our newest NATO ally. This relationship allows us to become more united, capable and ready to prevail over any military challenge that we may face in this era of Great Power Competition."
Kendall's third stop was to Lithuania, where he met with Minister of National Defense Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Gen. Raimundas Vaikšnoras, and Commander of the Air Force Col. Antanas Matutis.
"The NATO alliance is the rock-solid cornerstone to security, not only in Lithuania, but also the Baltics and across all of NATO," Kendall said. "It is crucial to peace and stability that we continue to work together to deter our adversaries in the region."
Next, Kendall arrived in Lativia to speak with U.S. and Latvian military members at Lielvārde Air Base alongside Ministry of Defense State Secretary Aivars Puriņš and Commander of the Latvian Air Force Col. Viesturs Masulis.
"Alongside our Latvian allies, we consistently and convincingly demonstrate NATO's value as an enduring deterrent to potential aggressors in the Baltics. Visiting Lielvārde Air Base and seeing our partners working together there was a terrific experience," Kendall stated.
The fifth stop was to Finland, which recently became a NATO member in April 2023. Kendall met with Finland Minister of Defence Antii Häkkänen, followed by the Finnish Air Force Chief of Staff Maj. Gen Juha-Pekka Keränen at the Tikkakoski Air Force Headquarters.
"As we continue to build this alliance, it will allow our forces to build capabilities necessary to defense against our adversaries," Kendall said.
Kendall then travelled to Estonia where he discussed bilateral and regional defense cooperation and toured Ämari Air Base.
"The Baltic Air Policing mission is an essential activity to maintain peace and security not only for Estonia, but throughout NATO," Kendall said. "I appreciate the continued commitment of Estonia's leadership to host this mission, and we will continue to work together to deter our adversaries."
Kendall's final stop was to the 52nd Operations Group, Detachment 1 at Łask Air Base in Poland to gain a deeper understanding of the unit's mission and capabilities with the Polish air force.
There, he received mission briefs and spoke with leadership from both the U.S. and Polish air forces. Kendall also held an all-call during his visit to recognize Det. 1 Airmen for their efforts in facilitating the first operational deployment for the 495th FS in support of U.S. European Command's no-fail Quick Reaction Alert mission.
"My mantra as Secretary of the Air Force has been one team, one fight," Kendall stated. "You've come together as a team from different units, working together, building camaraderie, great trust and capability. You have demonstrated the importance of the alliance that we have with our Polish allied partners. It is meaningful work, and I am delighted to be able to say thank you for doing it so well."
