U.S. Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Africa participate for the first time in Joint Stars 2018, a bilateral training exercise with Italian military forces and U.S. Marines, at Decimomannu Air Base, Sardinia, from 7-18 May, 2018. SPMAGTF-CR-AF deployed to conduct crisis-response and theater-security operations in Europe and Africa.
Joint Stars 2018 was designed to train commands and forces on the various types of missions that could be required in future national, multinational and coalition operations and is “a valuable opportunity to achieve, through the joint training of the Italian Army, Navy and Air Force synergy and economies, as well as to share resources and maximize interoperability in the Defense field, refining the capacity for intervention with a joint force.”
The MOB (Main Operating Base) of the exercise was Decimomannu, in Sardinia, that hosted most of the participating assets, including the Italian Navy AV-8B+ Harrier II and NH-90, the Italian Army CH-47 and A-129 Mangusta as well as the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor and KC-130J aircraft, that took part in the airdrop onto the airfield and in a large Joint Personnel Recovery mission.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Britni M. Garcia Green/Released)
