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The Military Personnel Exchange Program held its annual forum in Frankfurt, Aug. 14-17.
The conference brought together 47 exchange officers from 10 countries across the globe. During the forum, each exchange officer had face-to-face time with each other and new leadership, gathered for a commander’s call, and completed required administrative tasks.
MPEP, a special duty assignment, aims to increase interoperability and build strategic partnerships between mission partners and allies, and are vital to continue building upon the crucial partnerships with NATO partners and allies.
With a total of 87 billeted slots including 84 officers and 3 enlisted, and continuously growing, exchange officers and students are embedded in host nation organizations. In turn, a service member from that host nation is stationed in the United States.
“For example, we have German officers in the U.S. and we have U.S. officers in locations around Germany that trade off and teach,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jordan Stinson, MPEP resources advisor. “Whether it’s our airframes or our cyber technology, it elevates us and our mission partners. We are training them and they are training us.”
During the forum, each exchange officer introduced themselves with information about their exchange location and also some challenges and successes they have experienced since being part of MPEP.
“We have about 14 or 15 different airframes we are operating on to continue building the partnership agreement between us and our partners and allies,” Stinson said. “It’s a sharing of knowledge. We are helping teach them our tactics and giving them those skill sets to elevate their military forces and are able to aid us. In return, they are coming over to the United States and teaching us their tactics.”
Because the exchange officers are globally dispersed, they received required annual briefings like Sexual Assault Prevention and Reponse training. Additionally, members of the legal and TRICARE offices on Ramstein Air Base, briefed the exchange officers on information and resources they may not know about due to where they are stationed.
“We are there to help enhance our relationships, gain interoperability and improve,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Thomas, MPEP commander. “[Exchange officers’] voices are the key agents of change.”
Those interested in participating in the Military Personnel Exchange Program may visit the MPEP Office Europe at Ramstein Air Base.
