Photo By Master Sgt. Lindsey Watson | The 104th Fighter Wing hosted Kenyan Defense Force officers for a tour of operations...... read more read more
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BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Westfield, Massachusetts (Sept. 12, 2018) – The 104th Fighter Wing hosts six Kenyan Defense Force officers for a tour of operations and maintenance. The 104th Fighter Wing and Kenya exchange best practices with one another as a part of the State Partnership Program.
Present on the tour from the KDF Ministry of Defence were; Col. Geoffrey Cherotwei Simotwo, Col. Chrispin Odhiambo Ongadi, Lt. Col. Peter Musili Muthungo, Lt. Col. Michael Mutinda Ngao, Lt. Col. Issa Saidi Chochote, Maj. Joseph Mbithi Vala. Members of the 104th Fighter Wing leadership present included; Wing Commander Col. Peter T. Green III, Vice Wing Commander David Halasi-Kun, Maintenance Group Commander Lt. Col. Peter Carr, and 131st Fighter Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Jeffrey Beckel.
“We highly value the partnership between Kenya and Massachusetts,” said Ongadi.
Each of the commanders present briefed the Kenyan officers on their respective sections and answered any questions the Kenyan officers had such as implementing efficient logistics and maintenance procedures.
“The presentation showed the high capabilities of the 104th Fighter Wing and the professionalism of the people,” said Ongadi.
As part of his presentation, Beckel went over all of the flight equipment that 104th Fighter Wing pilots wear when flying the F-15C.
“It was quite an eye-opener to see the 104th Fighter Wing and the equipment you use,” said Ongadi.
Green spent time explaining the dual nature of the Air National Guard in having both federal and state missions. As well as explaining the Aerospace Control Alert mission the 104th Fighter Wing has with the F-15C defending the northeast United States.
"The 104th Fighter Wing was honored to host the delegation of senior officers from the Kenyan Ministry of Defence,” said Green.“As part of our Massachusetts National Guard State Sponsorship Program, we are working with the Kenyan Air Force and Army to determine how we can assist them with their training and operational objectives".
The 104FW leadership and Kenyan officers discussed future opportunities to continue their exchange of best practices.
“We look forward to having more engagements with the 104th Fighter Wing in the future,” said Ongadi.
The State Partnership Program promotes long-term, enduring and mutually beneficial security relationships with friendly and allied nations around the globe. SPP matches a National Guard state with a foreign partner country to exchange military skills and experience, share defense knowledge, and enhance partnership capacity and further mutual security cooperation.
The SPP began in 1993 with the establishment of security partnerships between the National Guard states of Maryland, Michigan and Pennsylvania with three Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in coordination with US European Command and has grown to over 65 partnerships today in all corners of the globe.
| Date Taken: | 09.18.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.19.2018 12:34 |
| Story ID: | 293287 |
| Location: | WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 809 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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