Pacific Air Forces units are participating in Cope Tiger ’06 in Thailand, along with military forces from Thailand and Singapore. The exercise started Feb. 6 and runs through Feb. 18. Some 1,300 personnel—about 300 from PACAF units—are working in “a very challenging scenario,” according to exercise director USAF Col. Jeffery LeVault. Cope Tiger enables USAF airmen to practice tactical-level skills and build relationships with partner nations, he said. PACAF forces include A-10s from Osan AB, South Korea and an E-3 AWACS from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, as well as KC-135 tankers and C-130 airlifters from various units.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
