2023-10-13 10:01:04
The United States Army recently joined the Colombian Aerospace Force, to show bilateral cooperation and commitment to improving military readiness in the Ángel de los Andes and Relámpago VIII exercises, organized in Colombia in August and September 2023. Teams from the US Air Force, Army, Space Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps, trained alongside their Colombian counterparts to reinforce the prosperous partnership between both nations.
U.S. Air Force Col. Matthew Vollkommer, commander of the 612th Air Operations Center, was the director of the Angel of the Andes and Lightning VIII exercises. He said holding the exercises simultaneously gave units the opportunity to practice executing multiple missions at the same time, better aligning with how the military must operate in the real world.
“We developed a strong bond,” he said. “Whenever you think regarding responding to a crisis, it helps you get to know the people you work with. You develop a deeper sense of confidence that will lead you to success.”
Col. Vollkommer said the exercise was successful largely because most of the combined forces were together in Palenquero, Bolívar department, allowing them to develop relationships of trust. He pointed to the hospitality of the Colombian hosts as a force multiplier in creating the camaraderie the teams needed to have a good workout together.
“The most valuable thing regarding interoperability did not happen during execution,” said Col. Vollkommer. “It was actually during the planning and reporting of what was executed,” where both nations shared valuable lessons learned.
Although the two maneuvers were carried out simultaneously, they had different missions. The Angel of the Andes focused on joint humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and combat search and rescue training; while exercise Relámpago VIII focused on training in defensive counteroperations and air sovereignty. It is one of the largest and most complex air combat exercises in Latin America, said Florida Air National Guard Lt. Col. Daniel Schiller, F-15 pilot and chief of security for the 125th Fighter Wing.
U.S. Air Force Col. Mathew Volkommer (left), commander of the 612th Air Operations Center, helps load a stretcher with members of the air medical evacuation team, during exercise Angel of the Andes, the August 14, 2023 in Palanquero, Colombia. (Photo: US Air Force Airman 1st Class Juliana Londono)
“It’s good for us to share tactics and techniques to learn from each other,” said Lt. Col. Schiller. “We have very different mission sets the F-15 and the KFIR, but there are still many commonalities and similarities between the two airframes (…), making it easy for us to fly in the same airspace and operate as a cohesive team to achieve a common goal.”
As an aeromedical evacuation training exercise, the Angel of the Andes was intended to save lives. During an earthquake drill, U.S. C-17 and HH-60 aircraft flew alongside Colombian helicopters, transporting and treating 50 patients in a large-scale recovery effort.
In another exercise scenario, combined special forces teams parachuted into simulated enemy territory to rescue friendly troops from danger. Flying aboard an HH-60 helicopter, a Colombian and an American crew worked side by side, carrying out river rescues, overcoming difficult terrain and breaking the language barrier to succeed in their mission, said Maj. Colombian Aerospace Force César Trivino, UH-60 helicopter pilot, who participated in the Ángel de los Andes.
With scenarios that took place in multiple locations in Colombia, aerial imagery was key to ensuring the safety and accuracy of the exercise missions. The Southern Air Forces space team partnered with the U.S. Space Command’s Space Defense Commercial Operations cell to provide aerial imagery of helicopter landing zones, satellite flyover information and weather forecasts. spatial, to assist in decision making, planning and execution.
Col. Vollkommer congratulated the Colombian Aerospace Force for making a “great strategic statement” by recognizing the importance of space for all aspects of military operations and national sovereignty. “Space is not an followingthought,” he added.
Major General of the Colombian Aerospace Force Carlos Silva Rueda, second commander of the Colombian Aerospace Force, said that by integrating capabilities the two nations strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation.
“We have a 200-year tradition of mutual support [con los EE. UU.], and here we are at the forefront of military technology and operational capabilities,” said Maj. General Rueda.
U.S. Air Force Col. John B. Creel, deputy commander, Air Forces Southern/U.S. 12th Air Force, expressed how critical this partnership is to our future success.
“Our partnership is great,” said Col. Creel. “If we are great partners in peacetime, when a security problem arises later we will be prepared to help each other immediately.”
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