RAMSTEIN, Germany - Exercise Ramstein Ambition 2023 (RAAM23), held for the first time in Italy, ended on April 25, 2023 at the Poggio Renatico base, Italy, home to NATO’s Deployable Air Command Centre (DACCC). The exercise was conducted from Headquarters Allied Air Command in Ramstein.
Training and exercises play a critical role in strengthening mutual trust and commitment between Allied nations
Traditionally a Computer-Assisted Exercise (CAX) designed to provide participants an environment to test command and control tactics, techniques and procedures during NATO Air Operations, the entire event was conducted exclusively using digital information systems. “In such cases, a solid and diverse professionalism of those ‘thinking’ the missions is essential to propose particularly challenging scenarios for the personnel to be trained,” said DACCC Commander Major General Denny Traas, Royal Netherlands Air Force who acted as the RAAM23 Joint Force Air Component Commander. “This is the tried and tested CAX format which is cost-saving compared to exercises with real aircraft and effective in terms of the breadth and depth of personnel involvement,” he concluded.
Allied Air Command in Ramstein's annual command post exercise Ramstein Ambition 2023 was held for the first time in Italy. It wrapped up on April 25, 2023 at the NATO’s Deployable Air Command Centre (DACCC). Photo courtesy DACCC.
"Training and exercises play a critical role in strengthening mutual trust and commitment between Allied nations,” said Major General Traas, DACCC Commander and RAAM23 Joint Force Air Component Commander. Photo courtesy DACCC.
One objective during exercise RAAM22 was to integrate 5th generation aircraft into the Air Tasking Order (ATO) planning cycle, and this requires a thorough understanding of their capabilities. Archive photo by Arnaud Chamberlin.
The Ramstein Ambition exercise objective was to test NATO’s capabilities to plan and control air operations and deter and defend its territory against potential threats. Photo courtesy DACCC.
“Training and exercises play a critical role in strengthening mutual trust and commitment between Allied nations. The Deterrence and Defence Concept provides a unified, coherent framework to counter, deter and defend against key threats to the Alliance,” said Major General Traas. “Overcoming the vestiges of past confrontation and competition and strengthening mutual trust and cooperation is a shared goal of Allied nations,” he added.
The exercise objective was to test NATO’s capabilities to deter and defend its territory against potential threats. The simulations included an immediate response under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty - so-called collective defence - and involved all domains such as land, air, sea, space and cyberspace, as dictated by the latest doctrine and evolving geopolitical events.
“Another objective during RAAM22 was to integrate 5th generation aircraft into the Air Tasking Order (ATO) planning cycle, and this requires a thorough understanding of their capabilities,” said DACCC Deputy Commander Brigadier General Davide Morpurgo, Italian Air Force who acted as Director Joint Force Air Component.
“These aircraft are designed to operate effectively in a highly contested combat environment where they can provide superior situational awareness and engage targets with precision and stealth. To fully exploit their capabilities, pilots of 5th generation aircraft must be trained to operate with a higher degree of autonomy, which is a significant departure from traditional training methods. By understanding and exploiting the unique capabilities of 5th generation aircraft, they can be effectively integrated into the ATO to achieve mission objectives," Brigadier General Morpurgo concluded. .