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Members of the 435th Contingency Response Group traveled to Sliac Air Base in Slovakia to participate in a seven-day C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules cargo on- and off-load familiarization event from Aug.11 through 16.
This event provided an opportunity for U.S. and Slovak forces to observe one another’s capabilities and procedures while building new partnerships as well as strengthening ones already in place.
During the event, Slovak Capts. Peter Fedors and Lubomir Panacek, along with 14 other members of the Slovak military from multiple units throughout Slovakia, participated in cargo pallet building and tie down exercises. They also attended port and loadmaster operations briefings specific to the C-17s and C-130s provided by Tech. Sgts. Aaron Allen, command and control air adviser, and Amber Mitchell, contingency response loadmaster, and Staff Sgt. Jon Lane, mobile aerial port supervisor, who are all from the 435th Air Advisor Branch.
The mutual exchange of ideas and information during this event were paramount to the continued operations and interoperability between U.S. and Slovak forces. Participating Slovak members conducted briefings on a broad spectrum of topics to include the structure of their military, enlistments and career progression as well as an overview of specific equipment and vehicles.
During a base orientation tour, participating members from the 435th CRG were allowed an opportunity to sit inside a Mikoyan, or MiG-29. Minutes later, they watched the MiG-29 take off into a vertical climb and fly inverted. The display was in preparation for an upcoming air show that will be hosted by Sliac AB.
“I get the feeling that we are leaving close friends, and the relations and exchanges we were able to build with the Slovak military will strengthen our future cooperation events,” said Capt. Matthew Tempia, 435th CRG air adviser and mission commander. “I truly look forward to future military engagement opportunities with Slovakia.”
