Guard, Reserve Airmen provide ready, agile airlift capability during Silver Arrow 19

C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 700th Airlift Squadron, 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., await a mission during Silver Arrow 19, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 23, 2019. Silver Arrow 19 is a six-month surge of airlift capability in the U.S. European Command theater of operations, supported by Airmen from the U.S. Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard. At any time, Silver Arrow 19 allows for two C-130H aircraft to augment U.S. combatant command requirements, support readiness events under the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) exercise program, and enables other unique mission and unit training requirements as needed. Silver Arrow 19 is underwritten by the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI), a Department of Defense fund that enhances responsiveness and readiness by pre-positioning assets and equipment, as well as by improving infrastructure to support day-to-day activities within the U.S. European Command area of responsibility. The EDI also enhances the U.S.’s ability to provide a rapid response against threats made by aggressive regional actors.