Czech Republic: NATO Holds Exercise For Afghan Air War

[glry at ngi.it]

Fonte : NATO

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Czech Republic: NATO Holds Exercise For Afghan Air War

    Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff at yahoo.com rwrozoff

    Date: Thu Aug 16, 2012 8:08 pm ((PDT))

http://www.aco.nato.int/ramstein-rover-2012-international-military-air-exe

rcise-in-the-czech-republic.aspx

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Allied Command Operations

August 16, 2012

RAMSTEIN ROVER 2012 - International Military Air Exercise in the Czech

Republic

Ramstein:The Czech Republic will host a major international exercise for

NATO Forward Air Controllers (FACs) from 5 to 21 September 2012. The

training is organised by NATO's Headquarters Allied Air Command Ramstein

(HQ AC Ramstein), Germany.

Exercise Ramstein Rover 2012 (RARO12) is an advanced training opportunity

to exercise Close Air Support (CAS) and FAC capabilities. RARO12 provides

realistic pre-deployment training for FACs to be deployed to NATO's ISAF

operation in Afghanistan.

In coordination with the Czech Air Force, HQ AC Ramstein has organised the

exercise for participants from a total of 16 NATO member nations based at

Namest Air Base and involving training areas in the Czech Republic at

Libava, Boletice, and Písek. During RARO12 the Czech Air Force will fly

missions out of Čáslav.

Flying assets and FAC teams will be provided by the Czech Republic,

Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands,

Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United

States.

The aim of RARO12 is to provide a measurable increase in proficiency,

standardization and interoperability for FACs from NATO, Partnership for

Peace (PfP) and ISAF troop contributing nations. RARO12 is a live-fly

exercise during which NATO aircraft will provide the full-spectrum of day,

night, medium and low altitude training for aircrews in realistic and

complex scenarios.

In a classroom academic training followed by live-fly practical CAS

training, RARO12 exercise participants will be taught how to effectively

employ airpower in support of their own forces while mitigating risks to

civilians and their property.

"I am confident that RARO12 makes a difference,” underlines Colonel (GS)

MSc Harry H. Schnell, German Air Force, the HQ AC Ramstein Exercise

Director for RARO12 and a former pilot on F-104 Alpha Jet and Tornado –

aircraft also used for CAS missions, "we have done everything to provide

realistic and challenging training to further develop the capabilities of

FACs and the Air Land Integration in support of ISAF operations.”

"For the Czech Air Force RARO12 is an outstanding opportunity to showcase

our contribution to NATO,” says Brigadier General Jiri Verner, Deputy

Commander of the Joint Forces and Air Force Commander, the senior

representative of the Czech Host Nation for RARO12, "we have offered ideal

facilities for conducting CAS training. NATO nations come here to train

and prepare for the important Allied mission in Afghanistan. To us it is

paramount to explain the purpose of the exercise to the population

especially in the vicinity of the exercise locations.”

"We currently plan with the participation of some 30 FAC teams and an

additional 15 FAC instructors in RARO12,” says Colonel (GS) MSc Schnell,

"during the exercise's ten fly days from 10 to 21 September, aircraft like

the Turkish F-16, US Air Force A-10, Czech L-159, L-39, Mi-24, Mi-171,

Mi-17, Slovak L-39, Mi-17, German Learjet and PC-9 as well as a US KC-135

tanker aircraft will prominently portray the air dimension.”

The FAC Capability Section (FCS) of HQ AC Ramstein is responsible for the

FAC training during the exercise. The team headed by Lieutenant Colonel

Steve "Cajun” Behmer, a US Air Force A-10 pilot, have been working the

standardization of NATO's FACs and, using this process, have accredited

several FAC training facilities. "RARO12 provides a great venue for

‘collective' training,” says LtCol Behmer, "an aircraft mission in

support of ground forces – what we call CAS – is typically a combined

and joint event. It involves several nations and branches of the military

within those nations. A CAS mission provides our men on the ground – the

FACs who direct and control the supporting aircraft to the target – with

a very beneficial opportunity to exercise with these entities.”

The 20-strong HQ AC Ramstein team led by Col (GS) MSc Schnell will start

deploying to Namest Air Base from 4 September 2012 on.

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