About 150 airmen from US Air Forces in Europe were in Iceland earlier this month with personnel from the US Navy and Canadian, Danish, and Norwegian militaries to take part in exercise Northern Viking 2008. Held Sept. 1-6 at Keflavik, the participants practiced supporting the defense of the island nation. “The exercise is a series of combined air operations, which include high-value defense, offensive, and defensive air operation scenarios,” said Lt. Col. Michael King, 404th Air Expeditionary Group commander. He added, “Although US forces no longer have a permanent presence in Iceland, it is still in NATO’s best interest to ensure Iceland’s continued peace and security.” Among the vast array of hardware assembled for the event, USAFE sent four F-15s from RAF Lakenheath and two KC-135s from RAF Mildenhall, Britain. This was the second Northern Viking exercise since the US military left the island in 2006. (Keflavik report by SSgt. Nathan Gallahan)
Reports: DOD Planning to Draw Down Forces in Middle East
June 21, 2021
The Pentagon is reportedly planning to draw down the number of fighter squadrons in the Middle East while also returning missile defense systems as part of a broad shift in the U.S. military’s force posture in the region. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III informed the Saudi regime that Terminal…