A JOINT exercise is currently underway at the Shaikh Isa Air Base where the Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF) and the US Air Force are testing their air power and tactical integration.
The US Ninth Air Force’s (Air Forces Central) 378th Air Expeditionary Wing and 379th Air Expeditionary Wing are executing Ballast Cannon 24.3 alongside their Bahrain counterparts as part of the training that started on Saturday and ends on Friday.
As a routine exercise occurring nearly quarterly with the RBAF, this iteration supports the US Air Force’s rapid expeditionary capabilities by integrating Agile Combat Employment objectives for F-16 Fighting Falcon, KC-135 Stratotanker, and operational support personnel.
Exercises like Ballast Cannon allow the US and partner nations to improve interoperability, the ability to address adversaries and provide stability in the region.
The bilateral training focuses on strengthening the bonds between coalition forces and building a foundation for future engagements in support of the Combined Defence of the Arabian Peninsula.
The training objectives benefiting both nations include aerial refuelling, coalition command and control, and tactical integration.
“Through decades of collaboration and co-operation with our wonderful partners in the region, we have developed key relationships, bolstering our ability to integrate and employ air power across the coalition,” said 378th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander Brigadier General Quaid Quadri.
“Together with our allies and partners, we continue to maintain and propel forward enduring institutions and networks necessary to remain agile and effective,” he continued.
“By constantly integrating with our partners at the tactical edge, while still testing our expeditionary capabilities, we are building readiness and developing operational approaches that complicate the adversary’s problem as well as maintains our strategic advantage.”
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