Airmen from the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein AB, Germany, and members of the Israeli Air Force’s 103rd Squadron practiced combat airlift together with their C-130s in the Negev Desert on a recent training deployment to Nevatim AFB, Israel. The two-week meet from Jan 27 to Feb. 8 was the first time in five years that Ramstein’s airmen have trained with the Israeli unit, according to a Feb. 8 Ramstein release. “The purpose of this training was to hone our tactical expertise while building partnerships and maximizing bilateral training,” said Capt. Raymond Bevivino, a 37th Airlift Squadron pilot from Ramstein who served as deployment mission commander. This training deployment was also the first time that the two units practiced together since Ramstein transitioned from legacy C-130s to new C-130Js, something for which the Israelis are preparing as well, states the release. (Nevatim report by 2nd Lt. Kay Nissen)
Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held meetings with defense leaders from the Philippines, Japan, and South Korea during a trip to the Indo-Pacific this week.