ANDRAVIDA, Greece – NATO’s exercise Ramstein Flag is in its second week at Andravida Airbase in Greece, and pilots and ground crews are working hard to improve their individual skills and experiences honing their skills for Allied air operations.
The main difference of 'Flag' exercises to others is the intensity of the debriefing
The role- model for the new exercise series of NATO Air Command which is hosted by the Hellenic Air Force is Red Flag, established in the 1970s in the USA. 'Flag' exercises are the gold standard in reaching maximum training effects. Ramstein Flag is the first 'Flag' exercise for NATO's air forces, providing pilots a challenging mission.
"The main difference of 'Flag' exercises to others is the intensity of the debriefing", said Shamsher Mann, a retired Lieutenant Colonel now working for the T4 company. The contractor helps transferring knowledge from the U.S. Red Flag events to the new exercise series for NATO. "The debrief is where the real learning happens", he continued to say as exercise participants file past him into the exercise “War Room” at Andravida Air Base, Greece.
After every flying day all crews gather in the main briefing facility and review recorded imagery and in- flight data of their missions. Sharing their experiences and making them transparent to the whole team helps everyone to improve. Through that intensive debriefing, pilots benefit from the exercise even more and grow as combat aviators.
Flying in the exercise alongside and “against” other NATO Allies provides additional training effects. Even though all NATO Allies work with the same procedures and tactics, the exchange with other nationalities has proven very effective further advancing the collective capability among Allied air forces.
Scheduled by Allied Air Command in Ramstein, Germany, and held in Greece, Ramstein Flag is the first exercise focusing on a Counter- Anti Access/ Area Denial scenario, reflecting the new security environment of NATO Allies.