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)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department determines requirements, handles the acquisition process, and tests its kit. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a 1-hour and 10-minute speech…
