ANDRAVIDA AIR BASE, Greece -- The U.S. Air Force is participating in INIOCHOS 22 at Andravida Air Base, Greece, from March 27 – April 8, 2022.
INIOCHOS is an annual Hellenic air force-sponsored operational and tactical level field training exercise hosted by the Hellenic Air Tactics Center at Greece’s fighter weapons school and in various locations across Greece.
“We are here strengthening NATO partnerships and strengthening our war-fighting readiness,” explained Col. Jason A. Camilletti, 48th Fighter Wing commander.
INIOCHOS 22 is designed to provide advanced and realistic aircrew training to strengthen interoperability of allied and partner air forces during joint operations and air defenses in order to maintain joint readiness.
The exercise aims to enhance combat readiness, fighting capability and the enhancement of the procedural and system interoperability of the participating forces, such as members from the United States, Greek, Cypriot, French, Israeli, Romanian, Italian, Slovenian, Austrian and Canadian militaries.
“INIOCHOS 22 brings together hundreds of participants in face to face planning, briefing and debriefing, thus maximizing training benefits and promoting cooperation and exchange of ideas on tactics, between participants with different experience,” said Brig. Gen. Nikoloas Kokkonis, Hellenic Air Tactics Center commander.
Training with allies and regional partners allows for synchronized and prepared responses to regional security threats world-wide contingency operations.
“The exercise exposes the participants to a multiple threat environment such as Anti-Access Area denial, where long range surface based Air Defense Systems, 4th generation RED aircraft and Tactical Ballistics Missiles, form a multi-layer challenge for Allied forces,” Kokkonis added.
The exercise builds upon the nations’ joint capabilities, ensuring a much stronger partnership and enhanced interoperability.
“The modern operational environment is dynamic and complex and in order to take control of it, we need to develop and maintain operational agility and synergy, which will allow us to employ, whenever is necessary, air power, across domains in the most effective way,” Kokkonis added.
Interoperability gives the opportunity for various allies to not only work together, but also allows the ability to learn from each other.
“We hope to learn that there is a commonality of purpose and tactics and that we are coming from the same kind of place and together we can move forward and increase not only the individual unit readiness but the entire readiness of the alliance,” said Camilletti.
The exercise also provides an opportunity for Airmen to enhance their professional relationships and improve overall coordination with allies and partner militaries.
“Soak it in,” Camilletti said. “An assignment at USAFE [U.S. Air Forces Europe] is like none other. We get an opportunity to go to cool places and meet cool men and women and do an important mission. That’s quite frankly, given the world events right now it is very front and center about how important it is.”
INIOCHOS will continue to help improve and adapt the U.S. Air Force ability to complete the mission in new and more efficient ways.