On June 2, Forward Defense Senior US Air Force Fellow Lt Col Christopher P. Mulder published an article in the National Interest titled “Strategic training advantage: How US foreign training programs enhance national defense.” As part of Forward Defense’s Seizing the advantage: The next US National Defense Strategy, Lt Col Mulder considers the value of training opportunities with allies in building a formidable military force.
Imagine a world where a British student pilot can strap into a German-owned jet aircraft and be instructed by a Greek instructor pilot on an American base in the United States. While that may sound far-fetched or utopian, it is the reality of the ENJJPT program at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.
Forward Defense, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, generates ideas and connects stakeholders in the defense ecosystem to promote an enduring military advantage for the United States, its allies, and partners. Our work identifies the defense strategies, capabilities, and resources the United States needs to deter and, if necessary, prevail in future conflict.
Image: Bulgarian paratroopers board a C-130J Super Hercules prior to a wing exchange jump July 17, 2013, in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. American and Bulgarian paratroopers exchanged parachutes for the opportunity to conduct a wing exchange at the end of FTD Thracian Summer. (US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Trevor Rhynes, US Air Force flickr)