Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke, director of the Air National Guard, said the breadth of the ANG’s involvement in security cooperation missions is so wide that he is “still learning today how involved we are” across the world. Speaking at a Dec. 19 Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event in Arlington, Va., Clark gave the example of Romania, which is looking to acquire its own F-16s after partnering with the 187th Fighter Wing in Montgomery, Ala., on F-16 exercises. Members of the Romanian air force joined US airmen for Dacian Viper 2014 in April, a two-week air-to-air and air-to-ground exercise that included F-16s and MiG-21s. The Alabama Air National Guard and Romania having been working together through the Guard’s state partnership program since 1993. Romania will receive 12 F-16 Block 15 midlife upgrade aircraft from Lockheed Martin to replace its MiG-21 fleet beginning in 2016. As for the Air National Guard’s continued role with security cooperation, “We’re going to continue to look for partnerships with anyone who believes the same ideas that America does,” Clarke said. (See also The Guard’s Partnerships from the October 2014 issue of Air Force Magazine.)
Seven F-22 Raptor pilots have recently been awarded one of the military’s highest decorations for their actions during operations in the Middle East. Six of the pilots were decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.