Stoltenberg Welcomes VJTF Enablers from US

By Marc V. Schanz
Brussels As the NATO defense ministers meet at the Alliance’s headquarters here to refine improvements to its investments in readiness and collective defense, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters ?he welcomed Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s recent announcement that the US...

NATO Enhances Rapid Response Forces, Policies

By Marc V. Schanz
Brussels NATO defense ministers addressed a raft of security challenges at their defense ministerial this week, including strengthening collective defense measures set up in the aftermath of last year’s Crimea crisis. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, traveling in Europe, previewed some...

Getting to Two Percent across NATO

By Marc V. Schanz
Brussels NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg cited “significant progress” towards implementing the Alliance’s readiness action plan and building rapid response capabilities, such as the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force. However, “our efforts to adapt the Alliance must be funded,”...

US Still Seeking “Balance,” Compliance from Moscow

By Marc V. Schanz
Brussels Despite concerns over Russia’s nuclear rhetoric, exercising, and treaty violations, the US Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute told reporters here there is no move afoot in Washington, D.C., to consider “counter deployments” in response to Russian testing of new...

Senate Confirms Hesterman to Lead Air Staff

The Senate on June 23 confirmed Lt. Gen. John Hesterman to be assistant vice chief of staff and director of the Air Staff. Hesterman has served as Air Forces Central Command boss since July 2013. A 1983 Air Force Academy...

Accounting for More

US Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard mounted their annual expedition to recover airmen’s remains from the 1952 crash site of a C-124 Globemaster II on Colony Glacier. Expeditions have been able to recover and identify the remains of...

Last Air Force C-17 Sim

Boeing delivered the 28th and final C-17 simulator to the Air Force, completing the service’s Globemaster III aircrew training network with a sim for the West Virginia Air National Guard’s 167th Airlift Wing. “Receiving our simulator avoids sending our local...

Scouting Honduras

A 12th Air Force, Air Forces Southern survey team recently visited several Honduran air bases to identify opportunities for future training exchanges. “We decided to visit as many bases as possible in such a short amount of time so that...