Although work still needs to be done, U.S. Air Forces in Europe's 3rd Air Force commander is confident American forces can continue to respond effectively to crises like Operations Allied Force and Shining Hope. Gen. Joseph H. Wehrle Jr. made the comment during Trailblazer 2000, a joint task force training exercise held annually at Einseidlerhof Air Base, Germany. Members of all four military services participated in the purely academic training that prepared potential staff members of a 3rd Air Force-led joint task force that could be established to respond to a contingency. These are the folks we're going to work with in the future and at Trailblazer 2000 we got to know each other.
Every service brings certain capabilities to the effort.
This training lets us recognize what they offer so we can maximize them in a joint environment. In addition to the academics, Trailblazer 2000 gave JTF members realistic command and control training at a fraction of the cost associated with a full-scale live field exercise. We want to make sure we're prepared. If he got a phone call tomorrow, Wehrle said he's confident his JTF would respond effectively. Our goal is to pre-plan as much as we can so that when we do get that phone call, we'll be a lot more comfortable with our ability to respond.