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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress flies over Adazi Military Training Base, Latvia, June 13, 2016.  U.S. forces and NATO partners are in Europe participating in Saber Strike 16; a long-standing, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed, U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative-training exercise, which has been conducted annually since 2010.  Our presence in Europe and the relationships built over the past 70 years provide the U.S. strategic access critical to meet our NATO commitment to respond to threats against our allies and partners. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Nicole Keim)Airmen kick off Saber Strike with European partners
                        
                        
                        A B-52 Stratofortress flies over Adazi Military Training Base, Latvia, June 13, 2016. U.S. forces and NATO partners are in Europe participating in Saber Strike 16, a U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed and U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative training exercise, which has been conducted annually since 2010. Presence in Europe and the relationships built over the past 70 years provide the U.S. strategic access critical to meet its NATO commitment to respond to threats against its allies and partners. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Nicole Keim)
                
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        A Norwegian soldier attacks opposing forces during a training exercise June 13, 2016, at Adazi Military Training Base, Latvia.  U.S. forces and NATO partners are in Europe participating in Saber Strike 16; a long-standing, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed, U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative-training exercise, which has been conducted annually since 2010.  Our presence in Europe and the relationships built over the past 70 years provide the U.S. strategic access critical to meet our NATO commitment to respond to threats against our allies and partners. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Nicole Keim)Airmen kick off Saber Strike with European partners
                        
                        
                        A Norwegian soldier attacks opposing forces during a training exercise June 13, 2016, at Adazi Military Training Base, Latvia. U.S. forces and NATO partners are in Europe participating in Saber Strike 16, a U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed and U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative training exercise, which has been conducted annually since 2010. Presence in Europe and the relationships built over the past 70 years provide the U.S. strategic access critical to meet its NATO commitment to respond to threats against its allies and partners. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Nicole Keim)
                
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        An A-10C Thunderbolt II from the 107 th Fighter Squadron, flies over Adazi Military Training Base, Latvia, June 13, 2016.  U.S. forces and NATO partners are in Europe participating in Saber Strike 16; a long-standing, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed, U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative-training exercise, which has been conducted annually since 2010.  The U.S. presence in Europe and the relationships built over the past 70 years provide the U.S. strategic access critical to meet our NATO commitment to respond to threats against our allies and partners. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Nicole Keim)Airmen kick off Saber Strike with European partners
                        
                        
                        An A-10C Thunderbolt II, from the 107th Fighter Squadron, flies over Adazi Military Training Base, Latvia, June 13, 2016. U.S. forces and NATO partners are in Europe participating in Saber Strike 16, a U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed and U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative-training exercise, which has been conducted annually since 2010. Presence in Europe and the relationships built over the past 70 years provide the U.S. strategic access critical to meet its NATO commitment to respond to threats against its allies and partners. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Nicole Keim)
                
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Airmen kick off Saber Strike with European partnersPublished June 14, 2016
                    
                    By Senior Airman Nicole Keim
                    
                    
                    U.S. Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa Public Affairs
            **RIGA, Latvia (AFNS) --**U.S. Airmen joined more than 4,500 military members from 13 different NATO countries June 12 as they kicked off exercise Saber Strike 16, which will last through June 21.Saber Strike is a U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed, U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative training exercise, which has been conducted annually since 2010. This year’s exercise focuses on promoting interoperability with allies and regional partners and improving joint operational capability in a variety of missions to prepare for the future.The exercise features the integration of close air support with allied and partnered nation ground forces as well as testing of air deployment of forces and equipment.Capt. Douglas Mabe, a 37th Airlift Squadron pilot and Saber Strike 16 C-130 mission commander, explained the importance of training for real-world situations.“Participating in Saber Strike allows the U.S. to accurately simulate supporting our NATO partners in a large-scale conflict spanning several countries,” Mabe said. “As tactical airlifters, we must always be prepared to execute any of our various mission sets and capabilities at a moment's notice, anywhere in the world at any time. This exercise will test our ability to successfully communicate across multiple branches of the military from various countries in order to achieve our mutual objectives and defeat the opposing force.”This year’s exercise will include participation from U.S. Air Forces in Europe, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, USAREUR, the U.S. National Guard, and air national guard and military forces from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and the U.K.Although not a NATO exercise, Saber Strike trains NATO allies and partners to be ready with a credible capability to assure, deter, and respond quickly and effectively as a team to threats throughout the region.“It’s important to understand we are going to train like we fight, and that means a total force fight,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Loeben, the Headquarters U.S. European Command, J-7 director of exercises and assessments. “We are getting a lot of U.S.-only joint training objectives accomplished in this exercise, but at the same time we’re building the partnerships with our NATO allies. We build relationships, but we also assure our partners of the U.S. commitment to the NATO alliance.”By conducting training that focuses on a wide variety of scenarios, Saber Strike ensures that participating nations are trained and proficient in their ability to shoot, move, and communicate together.Europe 



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