48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
3/7/2014 - ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- The
48th Fighter Wing has sent additional aircraft and personnel to support
NATO's air policing mission in Lithuania, at the request of U.S. allies
in the Baltics.
Six F-15C Eagles departed RAF Lakenheath and two KC-135 Stratotankers
carrying more than 60 Airmen departed RAF Mildenhall March 6.
Nearly 150 Airmen and four F-15C Eagles from the 48th FW have been
supporting the Baltic Air Policing mission out of Siauliai Air Base,
Lithuania, since January as the 48th Air Expeditionary Group.
"This is the advantage of being forward-based," said Col. Mark Ciero,
48th Fighter Wing vice commander. "If called upon, we can quickly
respond to support our allies and partners."
Air policing is part of NATO's "Smart Defense" model that incorporates
allied nations conducting operations through shared capabilities and
coordinated efforts to effectively accomplish missions. NATO countries
rotate to provide Airmen and aircraft for the BAP mission, which is
slated to continue through 2018.
In the last decade, 14 NATO nations have participated in this mission.
This deployment marks the fourth rotation for U.S. forces.
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