BOISE, Idaho — Idaho's National Air Guard, from June 1-5, departed Gowen Field to take part in international exercises in Africa and Germany.
The 124th Fighter Wing and the 116th Cavalry Brigade, which included over 250 service members, traveled to take part in operations Air Defender 2023 and African Lion.
"There is deterrence through strength and when they [aggressive nations] see we are committed to that, and we are committed to deterring aggression against peaceful nations, then they say that maybe that's not such a great idea. That they [targeted nations] are going to have support from others from around the world," said Colonel Chad Kornberg, Fighter Wing Commander.
Air Defender 2023 is a German-led, multinational, live-fly exercise being held June 12-23 and will be NATO’s largest exercise since the organization's foundation. The exercise involves more than 20 countries and over 85 aircraft from 44 Air National Guard units and 35 states, including six 124th Fighter Wing A-10 Thunderbolt IIs.
"Our allies are extremely important to the strategic strategy of the national defense. So any opportunity that we have to work with them, and train with them, allows us to be more ready and more prepared," said Kornberg.
African Lion is U.S. African Command’s largest exercise and has occurred annually since 2008. The exercise began in May and involves nearly 4,000 U.S. service members training alongside 4,000 service members from 19 African, European, and South American armed forces groups.
"It's really just a test of the ability to work together as a force. I mean, this exercise is a transnational globally focused, multi-domain, multinational exercise," said Colonel Eric Orcutt, Combat Team Commander.
Both exercises test the U.S. military’s strategic readiness to deploy, fight and win in complex, multi-domain environments.
The Idaho Air National Guard has anticipated and planned its participation in Air Defender for roughly two years, while the Idaho Army National Guard will participate in African Lion for the second year in a row.
