Starting on Aug. 25, NATO will begin Exercise Brilliant Arrow in central Norway, the first in a series of four training events scheduled through the end of the year to stress the readiness and interoperability of the NATO Response Force, according to alliance officials. “We are operating as a seamless integrated team right now, and we aim to maintain this level of cohesion . . . by intensifying our education, training, and exercises across the air, land, and sea domains,” said Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe, in a blog post earlier this month. Brilliant Arrow, which runs through Sept. 5, will include 40 fighter aircraft, two airborne early warning platforms, and some 800 participants from 10 member nations, he said. Following this will be Exercise Brilliant Mariner in late September and early October focused on maritime readiness. Special forces will then conduct Exercise Brilliant Sword in Italy in October. The final event in this year’s series is Exercise Steadfast Jazz in November in several alliance nations, including the Baltic States, and Poland. (See also NATO release.)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or perhaps even President Donald Trump will have the final say on a way forward for the Air Force’s Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter, the nominee to serve as the Pentagon’s No. 2 civilian said at his confirmation hearing.