Maj. Gen. H.D. Polumbo Jr, commander of 9th Air Force at Shaw AFB, S.C., paid a visit to Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. earlier this month where he flew an F-16 in support of Exercise Razor Talon. Polumbo flew in the exercise Dec. 5, participating in a large force-training sortie. Razor Talon is a monthly joint force exercise, which is designed to bring together forces from several installations along the East Coast, and integrate air, land, and sea forces from all services to train in advanced scenarios. The low cost exercise has served as a premier venue for integrating and training for anti-access, area-denial scenarios, and running through concepts related to AirSea Battle.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.