The Idaho Air National Guard’s 124th Fighter Wing recently hosted German armed forces joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs) for a joint training exercise. This marks the second time this year that the two nations have collaborated on training.
The training focused on validating standard operating procedures across five warfighter pillars: communications, mobility, tactical combat casualty care, shooting, and fitness. Members of the 124th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) worked alongside their German counterparts, focusing on scenarios designed to maximize safety, efficiency, and lethality in joint combat environments.
“Inviting the German armed forces to Idaho allows us to continue to develop strong NATO relationships,” said Col. Chad Kornberg, 124th Fighter Wing commander. “Being able to have our Airmen working directly with them here in Idaho provides an opportunity to introduce them to how we conduct training.”
The joint training included a variety of activities, such as water confidence training, field exercises, marksmanship, and medical response. These exercises helped to improve the participants’ technical skills and foster teamwork.
“I’m really impressed by how professional everyone is,” said a German soldier training in Idaho. “Everyone seems to be on good footing with each other. Everybody seems really to enjoy working out here in the field.”
This joint training initiative is part of an ongoing partnership that has seen German forces visiting Idaho annually since 2016 for close air support training with the 124th ASOS and 190th Fighter Squadron. The relationship was further solidified last year when over 100 Airmen from Idaho participated in Air Defender 2023 in Germany, the largest NATO air exercise ever conducted.
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