554th RED HORSE Squadron Develops Partnerships; Hosts India Armed Forces
By MSgt. Caleb Schauder, 554th RED HORSE Squadron / Published December 15, 2016
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --
According to the National Military Strategy, Security Cooperation activities are at the heart of our efforts to provide a stabilizing presence in forward theaters. These activities build relationships that serve mutual security interests and develop partner military capabilities for self-defense and support to multinational operations. Through such activities, we coordinate with other U.S. agencies and mission partners to build cultural awareness and affirm relationships that increase regional stability.
On 24-26 Oct 2016, the 554th RED HORSE Squadron hosted three senior leaders from the India Armed Forces (IAF); Group Capt Narinder Pal Singh Taprial, Wing Commander Janardhana Reddy Neelam from the Indian Air Force, and Col Manmohan Singh Deol from the Indian Army, as part of the strategic security cooperation initiative. India is one of the world’s largest democracies, sharing many values and interests with the United States. Cooperation with India is vital to promoting strategic stability, combating terrorism, and advancing regional economic integration in South and Central Asia.
The subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) focused on Airfield Damage Repair (ADR) using Folded Fiberglass Matting (FFM) in which the IAF was especially interested in. This was significant as the IAF is looking to incorporate a temporary runway repair solution in order to generate sorties faster compared to their current permanent repair process.
The event was held at the Pacific Air Force Regional Training Center located on North West Field, Guam. Members of the demonstration team were comprised of experts from the 554 RHS as well as the Force Support communities. The IAF leaders were very impressed with the speed and agility the team possessed which further aligned with the objective of their visit.
The SMEE security cooperation event was a total team effort and an overall success. The expertise, professionalism, and teamwork of all RED HORSE Airmen involved showcased the unrivaled USAF Civil Engineer ADR capabilities to the IAF delegation. The distinguished visitors walked away with the knowledge they sought to obtain shaping their decisions to pursue a faster, more resilient ADR solution. The 554th RED HORSE team is eager to train alongside the IAF counterparts in the future on ADR to enhance each other’s capabilities, improve interoperability and fundamentally provide highly skilled coalition engineers for operations in the Pacific Command and Central Command area of responsibility.
The 554th RED HORSE Squadron will continue to bridge relationships with U.S. allies and partner nations to fortify the Asia-Pacific bond. Ultimately, these efforts seek to bolster the capabilities and capacity of our partners, thereby improving our combined capability to deter hostility and defeat extremists throughout the world.