The 187th Fighter Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard is teaching members of the Romanian air force the ways of F-16 maintenance. Fifteen maintainers from Romania are at Montgomery Regional ANGB, Ala., this month for maintenance training, part of the state’s partnership with the country. “We get trained on how to fix jets and how to follow the procedures,” Romanian air force Maj. Constantin Pecete said in an Air National Guard release. Romania first acquired F-16s in 2014, and has partnered closely with the Alabama Air National Guard in joint exercises and training since. (See also: The Guard Partnerships from the October 2014 issue of Air Force Magazine.)
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.