A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft assigned to the 555th Fighter Squadron takes off from Lask Air Base, Poland, for a training mission March 18, 2014. In October 2012, the U.S. Air Force established the first permanent U.S. military presence in Poland. Together with a rotational deployment of U.S. military aircraft, the Air Force supported Poland's continued defense modernization and standardization with the U.S. and NATO.