Italian Defense Minister Visits the Pentagon

07/18/2017
07/18/2017: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Italian Minister of Defense Roberta Pinotti focused on NATO issues during their meeting at the Pentagon, July 11, 2017. 07.11.2017 Video by Chief Petty Officer Alma Paschall DoD News According to an article published on July 12, 2017 on the Italian Ministry of Defence website: Italy…

Exercise Ocean Explorer: The Italians Participate in the Australian Exercise

03/15/2017
03/15/2017: Exercise OCEAN EXPLORER 17 (OE17) is a major Fleet training activity led by the Royal Australian Navy, Exercise Ocean Explorer and jointly-enabled by the Royal Australian Air Force and other nations’ forces. The maritime exercise is one of the largest iterations of the exercise held in the West Australian Exercise…

NATO AGS Global Hawk Flight

08/13/2016
08/13/2016: The first of NATO’s five unmanned air vehicles rolled off the factory line in San Diego on Thursday, 4 June 2015. The Global Hawk Block 40 is part of the Alliance Ground Surveillance Program (AGS). The NATO-owned and -operated AGS core capability will enable the Alliance to perform persistent surveillance…

Training Peshmerga

01/22/2016
01/22/2015: Earlier, we have argued that the training of the Peshmerga is a significant element of not only defeating ISIS but in building a post-Baghdad transition in Iraq. Here we are providing a series of updates on that training effort, being engaged in by the United States and several key…

First Norwegian F-35 Training Sortie

12/18/2015
12/18/2015: LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) -- The first two Norwegian F-35s arrived here Nov. 10. Shortly after, a Norwegian pilot flew the F-35 Lightning II for the first time, in conjunction with the Royal Norwegian Air Force's birthday. The F-35 program took its first step forward, integrating partner nations…

Italian Predator Taking Off and Landing

12/11/2015
12/11/2015: Amendola Air Force Base, 32nd Wing, Puglia (Italy) 32nd Wing 28th Squadron is the Italian Air Force unit equipped with the Predators (MQ1 and MQ9). As Lt. General Preziosa, the head of the Italian Air Force put it about the Predator “Enterprise.” A final topic for discussion was the…

Trident Juncture 2015 Overview

11/02/2015
11/02/2015: Russian Observers visited a training area in Teulada during the NATO Exercise Trident Juncture 2015. LTC Yuri Praskovin, the Inspector Team Leader, COL Valentin Barykin, LTC Oleg Lozhkyn and 1st LT Yuri Sukhanov attended. Turkish F16 fighter pilots conduct training sorties from the Los Llanos airbase, as part of…

Trident Juncture Exercise Begins

10/20/2015
10/20/2015: The opening ceremony of NATO exercise Trident Juncture 2015 took place at an Italian military base in Trapani, Sicily, 10/19/15. It was followed by a large aerial display with fighter jets, transport planes and helicopters from various NATO member countries. NATO Allies and partner nations kicked off the Alliance’s Trident…