UAWC hosts exercise SPARTAN DAGGER
EINSIEDLERHOF AIR STATION-- The U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa Warfare Center hosted five NATO Allied Nations who participated in SPARTAN DAGGER 23-1; a simulated Close Air Support (CAS) multilateral exercise, May 18-25, 2023, at Einsiedlerhof Air Station, Germany. SPARTAN DAGGER 23-1 provided a venue for NATO partners to conduct in-person planning and then execute in an integrated virtual environment, honing CAS skills and increasing NATO readiness. Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) and Joint Forward Observers (JFOs) from Latvia, Poland, and Czech Republic, worked with U.K. Royal Air Force and U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper Aircrew, participated using JTAC and MQ-9 Reaper simulators at the USAFE-AFAFRICA Warfare Center’s 5th Combat Training Squadron. Observers from Poland and the U.S. attended as well. Allied personnel trained to CAS tactics in scenarios that challenged participants to coordinate and deliver battlefield effects in a large-scale combat operations simulated environment. U.S. National Guard State Partnership program partners, Michigan Air National Guard members and personnel from the Latvian air force, accomplished military-to-military training while strengthening enduring relationships and furthering security cooperation objectives. “These events are important training opportunities for NATO to integrate and achieve interoperability while practicing the tactics, techniques, and procedures to succeed in tomorrow’s fight,” said Lt. Col. Justin “LAR” Davis, Director or Operations, 5th Combat Training Squadron. The 5 CTS’s mission is to plan, support, and execute live, virtual, and constructive (LVC) training and exercises at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of war.