AZRAQ, JORDAN: Falcon Air Meet 2010, held at Azraq Royal Jordanian Air Base, Jordan, brought men and women from various countries together to share their different cultures, reinforce standards, and build relationships, trust and respect.
A friendly competition was a highlight that provided a training experience for members of the U.S. Air Force and Navy, the Royal Jordanian Air Force, the United Arab Emirates air force and the Pakistan air force.
“Falcon Air Meet exercises modern warfare tactics and enforces international relationships,” said RJAF Brig. Gen. Yousef Al-Hnaity, the Azraq Air Base commander. “The competition simply provides a framework for this and helps to inspire excellence. Through the Falcon Air Meet, I have seen the sharing of knowledge and the formation of many valuable relationships. This warms my heart and gives me great hope for the future. Thank you very much for coming to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with peace in your heart.”
Jordanian officials have invited the U.S. and other partners to this location for several years, but about four years ago, the event became a more formal exercise and competition, with more nations participating each year.
The event previously was an F-16 flying competition, but recently has evolved into an exercise with a concentration on modern warfare tactics and close-air support operations. This involves deploying not just the aircraft and aviators to fly them, but a larger contingent of those on the ground to support the jets.
“One thing I can tell you as a wing commander is it’s all about maintenance,” said Col. Bob Bolton, the commander of Air Force forces during the exercise. “You’ve got to have strong areas everywhere, but if you don’t have strong maintenance, you don’t meet your taskings. When you’re in a strange environment, it’s that much more stressful if things aren’t working right. But the airplanes have been pretty much perfect here, and that’s made it easier for us to just concentrate on getting our mission done and getting the training done. Strong maintenance is a critical part of that.”
The maintainers involved said it was a “dream come true” to hear such kudos for their work on the flightline.
“To hear everyone involved, including (Jordan’s Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein), recognize us at an event like FAM is just a dream come true,” said Senior Master Sgt. Richard Barbee, the maintenance superintendent for the 80 maintainers deployed to the event. “It’s definitely something us ‘behind-the-scene guys’ will be taking back and spreading the word about.”
The event’s grand finale included a special forces hostage rescue demonstration and bombing competition featuring jets from all involved countries and two B-52 Stratofortresses from the U.S. Air Force.
The closing ceremonies Nov. 2 were the culmination of the entire exercise, with the presentation of awards and comments from senior leaders.
RJAF officials earned the overall FAM award and overall maintenance award, after securing a first place finish in the air-to-air intercept and air-to-ground competition categories. UAE officials took first place in the weapons load competition.
Colonel Bolton said the air meet should be renamed the ‘Brothers for Life’ competition because it seemed to be more about building relationships with those that had been so kind and generous in their hospitality.
And “the key to peace” is getting those people together face-to-face, working side-by-side, he said.
