Photo By Staff Sgt. Spencer Tobler | U.S. Air Force Gen. Kevin Schneider, right, Pacific Air Forces commander, shakes hands...... read more read more
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Pacific Air Force Public Affairs
Tech. Sgt. Andrea Posey
RAAF Tindal, Australia –
U.S. Air Force Gen. Kevin Schneider, Pacific Air Forces commander, and Royal Australian Air Force Air Marshal Stephen Chappell, Chief of the Air Force, signed the Enhanced Air Cooperation letter at RAAF Base Tindal, July 29.
The letter comes after the first agreement in 2017, under the U.S. Force Posture Initiatives, built a broad range of long-standing air exercises and training activities between the partner nations.
“When I first came to the Pacific Air Force headquarters, the EAC was fairly new and I remember some of the original goals, objectives and designs,” Schneider said. “Those have all changed for good reasons because we continue to respond to the environment in which we operate and stay ahead of the challenges. It's not just our collective strength and teamwork that grows, but also the Partners and allies around the region who are enabled because of it.”
The EAC provides opportunities to enhance Australia and U.S. engagement with other regional partner air forces through exercises like Cope North and Pitch Black. All focus on enhancing collective capability, interoperability and the ability to respond to regional crises.
“What really makes the difference is the relationships we build every single day, particularly when we do these exercises and multinational coalition activities,” Chappell said. “It's investing in the actual relationships, getting to know each other that's going to make the difference. And if deterrence fails and winter comes, then this is what will turn deterrence into disrupt, degrade, defeat, destroy and win to turn winter back into spring.”
The EAC initiative includes a program of engagement that aims to deepen air-to-air integration for seamless operations and deliver security and stability across the Indo-Pacific region.
“The fact that some of the smaller players in the region continue to do more, stand up a little bit more in the face of aggression, a lot of that is based on the strength of our relationship and our collective ability to bring others along,” Schneider said.
| Date Taken: | 07.31.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2024 03:01 |
| Story ID: | 477406 |
| Location: | ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE TINDAL, AU |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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