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NATO air chiefs and senior officers from 25 Allied Air Forces arrived at Ramstein April 7 to convene for the NATO Air Chiefs Symposium 2014. Gen. Frank Gorenc, commander of Allied Air Command, invited his national colleagues to discuss current air-related issues April 8.
“I thank you for your leadership in organizing, training and equipping your respective air forces, which will continue to fuel our Alliance’s asymmetric advantage,” Gorenc said during his welcome remarks.
The commander of AIRCOM hosts gatherings of NATO air chiefs annually. This year’s meeting took the form of a working symposium.
One item of discussion was the current situation around Ukraine. The participants discussed what Air can do in support of the North Atlantic Council-approved crisis response measures, how to coordinate recent force offerings for NATO’s Baltic Air Policing and Air activities under the NATO military partnership and cooperation with Ukraine.
The symposium agenda focused primarily on capability development, enhancing training and exercises, reinforcing the NATO command structure and NATO force structure relationship, and strengthening NATO’s air policing policies. Other discussions covered the future of the Alliance’s Ballistic Missile Defense mission and the Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance project. Updates were provided on the Air Command and Control System as a facilitator and the NATO Tactical Evaluation Program as a quality assurance tool. The Joint Air Power Competence Center in Kalkar, Germany, of which Gorenc is the director, presented its latest research on the future vector for NATO air forces.
“I am unbelievably optimistic about our future,” Gorenc said as he bade farewell to his fellow Airmen in the late afternoon of April 8. “Today’s meaningful discussions continue to reinforce my confidence in our ability to provide precise combat power from the air.”
In the margins of the symposium, some of the air chiefs used their stay at Ramstein to meet with their national elements to discuss administrative matters.
In total, 25 Allied air forces contribute to AIRCOM by sending their personnel. Sweden and Finland, both members of NATO’s Partnership for Peace program, also provide staff member support to the headquarters.
AIRCOM is in the lead for all NATO air and missile defense activities, including 24/7 air policing, monitoring of the Alliance airspace across Europe and standing up a Joint Force Air Component to control Allied air forces during a NATO operation. AIRCOM is comprised of the Headquarters in Ramstein; two Combined Air Operation Centers in Uedem, Germany, and Torrejon, Spain; and the Deployable Air Command and Control Center at Poggio Renatico, Italy.
