MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania - Against the backdrop of screaming fighter jets, American and Romanian soldiers came together to formally open the third annual iteration of Exercise Tobruq Legacy at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania on July 12, 2017.
Tobruq Legacy is a multinational air defense exercise bringing various NATO countries together to train and to share air defense knowledge and techniques. Although only Romanian and American forces were on display for this opening ceremony, leaders from other participating countries, such as Canada, Germany, and other NATO Allies were in attendance. The exercise spans across Europe, having various components in the Czech Republic and Lithuania as well.
Romanian Air Force Col. Virgil Tosa, officer in charge of the Romanian Air Force's Surface Space Air Defense training, gave insight to the significance of this event.
"Exercises like this don't just happen overnight. Many nations have worked together over many months to ensure that this mission meets NATO needs," he said.
This air defense exercise ties neatly into this summer's Saber Guardian, a U.S. European Command, U.S. Army Europe-led annual exercise for the U.S. and its NATO Allies and partners wherein they work together to foster readiness and enhance unified command across Eastern Europe.
This is the first time the countries involved will be able to work together with the aid of new Surface-Based Air Defense Operations Centers that have been placed in all three participating countries. Col. David Shank, commander of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, touched on the importance of this addition to the exercise in his speech.
"Make no mistake, we have a great opportunity here. The ability to technically integrate systems across twelve nations is vital for us. These three SBADOCs help us share information and conduct live-fire exercises like never before," he said.
During the ceremony, Allied air defenders came together by saluting during the customary playing of each country's national anthem, which was followed by the remarks of Tosa and Shank. Afterwards the air defense leadership of the other Allied nations were invited to join the operations command staff in a group photo to commemorate the event. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Douglas Lynch, deputy commanding officer of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, expressed the feelings of many regarding the planned exercise.
"As an American, working alongside our Allies and partners is a fantastic opportunity," he said.
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