A pair of C-130Js from Ramstein AB, Germany, deployed for a joint training exercise with French air force C-130Hs at Air Base 123 near Orleans, southwest of Paris. “This is the first time that French and American C-130 crews have trained together in France,” said French air force Lt. Col. Laurent Neumann, vice commander of Transport Squadron 2/61. “We regularly work together according to standardized procedures, but it is important to regularly upkeep the bonds of confidence that unite us,” he added in the French air force’s Nov. 19 release (English-language translation by Daily Report staff.) The aircrews practiced low-altitude formation flying, joint airdrops, and airborne assault tactics during the week-long exercise, which ran from Nov. 12 to Nov. 16. Approximately 40 aircrew members and support personnel from Ramstein’s 37th Airlift Squadron participated in the event. The units plan to continue the relationship with more joint training in the near future. (Orleans report by FAF Capt. Karim Djemai)
The Air National Guardsman who was arrested last year for sharing hundreds of top secret and classified documents to online chatrooms was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on Nov. 12 after pleading guilty to several charges this March.