A dozen F-15C Eagles from Barnes ANGB, Mass., and Fresno ANGB, Calif., will deploy to Iceland and the Netherlands in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve beginning April 1. Approximately 350 airmen from the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 131st Fighter Squadron and California ANG’s 194th Fighter Squadron will make up the latest theater security package (TSP) to Europe to deter Russian aggression, according to a release. During the six-month TSP, the F-15s will forward deploy to Bulgaria, Estonia, and Romania, according to the release. The F-15s sent to Leeuwarden AB, the Netherlands, will also participate in exercise Frisian Flag, which is set to begin April 11, according to the Netherlands Ministry of Defense. The first European TSP deployed in February 2015. Some 350 airmen and 12 A-10s from Moody AFB, Ga., ended another rotation—the third rotation of Warthogs to Europe—earlier this March.
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff touted his highly unusual background for the job as an asset and reaffirmed his commitment to stay apolitical during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1.