Roy Vaughn, an Air Force Special Operations Command exercise planner, was awarded the Polish Armed Forces Medal during a ceremony in Warsaw last week for his help integrating Polish special operations forces with the US-based exercise Emerald Warrior, states an AFSOC release. The exercise practices an “air-centric” approach to special operations that leads to “improved wartime interoperability among partner nations,” according to the May 9 release. “The actions and assistance provided by Mr. Vaughn have helped ensure the security of Poland,” said Col. Piotr Gastal, commander of Poland’s operational maneuver response group. “With his help, the [group] has become an effective partner in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the other regions where we are engaged in battle.”
A recent seven-day exercise sent Air Force F-22s—along with other USAF aircraft—to austere, challenging environments across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Agile Reaper, taking place for the second time after its inaugural edition last year, featured 800 Airmen and 29 aircraft across five different locations from April 10-16, training…