U.S. Airmen and F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft assigned to the 492th Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, England; F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft assigned to the 480th Fighter Squadron, 52nd Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany; and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, arrived in Poland to participate in an Agile Combat Employment exercise during Aviation Detachment Rotation 21.2.
“Opportunities to train alongside our Polish allies are incredibly valuable and critically important. It allows us to hone our combat skills, build lasting relationships and learn to operate seamlessly as a combined force,” said Gen Jeff Harrigian, U.S. Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa commander. “The reoccurring aviation detachment rotations make both nations stronger by developing highly capable Airmen ready to deliver combat airpower, anytime and anywhere.”
ACE is a proactive and reactive operational scheme of maneuver executed within threat timelines to increase survivability while generating combat power. U.S. Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa is operationalizing ACE concepts to increase agility, resiliency and lethality in all air operations. The 48th FW and 52nd FW will operate out of the 32nd Tactical AB, Åask, and the 31st Tactical AB, Krzesiny, Poland. The 86th AW will operate out of Chièvres AB, Belgium, to disperse, organize and generate airlift for the ACE event.
Following the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) exercise, the U.S. Air Force 48th Fighter Wing will conduct bilateral training with the Polish air force to maintain joint readiness while building interoperability capabilities. The U.S. Air Force’s rotational force presence in Poland allows the United States and its allies to prepare to respond decisively to an array of global threats and to better support air operations.
