Poland, US strengthen defense ties through rotational training

by 2nd. Lt. Katrina Cheesman
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

4/14/2014 - POWIDZ AIR BASE, Poland -- After two weeks of Polish armed forces and U.S. personnel working shoulder-to-shoulder and building partner capacity as NATO allies, training has come to close April 12 here at the U.S. Air Force Aviation Detachment.

Throughout the two-week combined forces training, Polish armed forces and U.S. personnel from 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, traded techniques and tactics through personnel drops, joint precision air delivery system and container delivery system bundle drops, grass-strip tactical landings and observation flights.

"This training deployment is critical to our crews maintaining their readiness," Brig. Gen. Patrick X. Mordente, 86th Airlift Wing commander said on his first visit to his Polish sister wing here, referencing the valuable opportunity for U.S. aircrew to practice various air drops in Poland. "It is critical that we work with the Polish to be able to accomplish our mission as NATO allies."

The first week, Polish and U.S. service members trained and jumped together out of three U.S. C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. Polish land forces and special operations forces were able to jump from U.S. aircraft, under the supervision of a joint team of U.S. jumpmasters.

Polish paratroopers trained with U.S. Air Force paratroopers, along with a small contingent of U.S. Army paratroopers and a U.S. Navy jumpmaster to build understanding of each other's processes for real-world scenarios, according to U.S. Army Specialist Estevan Gonzales, 5th Quartermaster Theater Aerial Deliver Company.

The second week, both the U.S. and Polish C-130s flew to evade and escape Polish surface-to-air missiles systems in a first-ever complex training environment that challenged both NATO allies.

"The Polish Air Force has incorporated a lot of new capabilities this time around," said Maj. Raymond Bevivino, 37th Airlift Squadron deployed forces commander. "It's nice to see that every time we deploy here to work with our Polish counterparts, we both get better and grow from training together."

After training with the U.S. this rotation, Polish pilots successfully accomplished tactical landings for the first time on unimproved surfaces, such as a grass strip, which are used during combat and humanitarian operations when paved runways are not available. U.S. service members also trained their counterparts how to set-up, operate and control the landing zone.

"We will continue to exercise these [tactical landings] after the rotation," said Polish Lt Col. Kyrsztof Szymaniec, 3rd Transport Wing's C-130 squadron commander. "This aviation rotation is great because we conduct our training under the supervision of the U.S. and learn better techniques and tactics."

The Av-Det in Poland has an enduring U.S. presence, with ten U.S. Air Force members stationed at Lask Air Base, Poland. The ten Airmen plan and coordinate at least four aviation rotations a year, according to Maj. Matthew Spears, Av-Det commander.

"We have established continuity and a working relationship with our Polish counterparts that simplifies the deployment of U.S. aircraft to Poland, and increases the effectiveness of the bilateral training," Spears said. "We could not accomplish the aircraft rotations without the tremendous support of the Polish armed forces."

U.S. and Polish armed forces will continue to strengthen bilateral defense ties together in various exercises, including an upcoming aviation rotation in June, in which fighter aircraft from multiple nations will participate in three different exercises simultaneously for the first time.