THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
F-15E Strike Eagles and F-15C Eagles of the United States Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath, deployed to Estonia March 15, to take part in Exercise Baltic Trident. Other participating countries include Estonia, Finland, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, and the UK.
Baltic Trident aims to demonstrate the USAF’s ‘Agile Combat Employment’ concept of operations (ACE). Agile combat employment is seen as key to regional defense and stability and a USAF spokeperson said that collective training events like Baltic Trident enhance the ability of NATO forces to work together effectively to fight from varying locations and respond to any threats.
Explaining ACE, Lt. Col. Daniel Etue, 48FW ACE Development Team Lead said, “Agile Combat Employment ensures the Liberty Wing, along with our allies and partners, are ready for potential short or no-notice contingencies by enabling forces to operate from locations with varying levels of capacity and support. This mission set can only be done effectively through seamless integration with our NATO allies. The rapidly employable skillsets brought about by ACE training ensures that we are postured to respond across the spectrum of military operations anywhere in the theater.”
Col. Jason Camilletti, Commanding officer of 48FW, added, “Training with our joint and allied teammates solidifies our ability to win when it matters most — it improves the collective lethality of our combined force to counter military aggression and coercion. We will continue to maximize practice reps like this to ensure the Liberty Wing remains always ready to own the skies.”
