Air Force B-52s on Tuesday flew close air support training as part of a large-scale, bilateral exercise with Jordan. Exercise Eager Lion 2016, which began May 15 and ended Tuesday, included 6,000 US and Jordanian troops training on scenarios such as border security, command and control, cyber defense, and battle space management, according to a Defense Department release. US airmen and Jordanian troops on Tuesday conducted close air support training, including a live ordnance demonstration from B-52s. The B-52s deployed in April in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.