The Wisconsin Air National Guard is hosting the first-ever international training exercise in the US for NATO forward air controllers. Dubbed “Ramstein Rover 2010,” the exercise runs through Sept. 3 at the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center in Madison and other nearby facilities. It is meant to offer realistic scenarios to help the alliance FACs prepare for deployments to Afghanistan. About 40 NATO personnel are participating from Belgium, Britain, Canada, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovenia. Fifteen FAC instructors will coach them. A-10s, B-1s, F-16s, KC-135s, remotely piloted vehicles, and helicopters are supporting the exercise. Applying NATO’s train-as-you-operate approach, this exercise will offer valuable opportunities for air-land integration in theater-realistic scenarios, said Col. Rob Redanz, exercise director. (Wisconsin National Guard release)
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
