Video

Video by Staff Sgt. Tory Patterson

This is REAL THAW

86th Airlift Wing

March 15, 2017 | 1:25

In this video, C-130J Super Hercules pilot, Captain Matt Coffey of the 37th Airlift Squadron (Ramstein Air Base), talks about REAL THAW 17. REAL THAW is a Portuguese-led, large joint and combined forces exercise in Beja, Portugal. Participants include military forces from the United States and Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, and the Netherlands.

The exercise, which occurred March 5th to 17th, 2017, consisted of training missions aimed to merge and employ different platforms toward a major objective, covering a vast range of activities to include air-to-air and air-to-ground training, tactical air transport operations, and close air support.

U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) participated with two C-130J “Super Hercules” and approximately 70 personnel from the 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

Other U.S. military unit participants included: paratrooper support personnel from the 435th Contingency Response Group, 435th Air Ground Operations Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany; a small airdrop support team (of 6 personnel) from the United States Army in Europe’s (USAREUR) 5th Quartermaster Company, 21st Special Troops Battalion, 21st Theater Sustainment Command (21 TSC), Kaiserslautern, Germany; and approximately 120 paratroopers from the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy. Also participating are two MV-22s, one KC-130 and 60 U.S. Marines from the Special Purpose Marine Air and Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) staged from Moron, Spain.

Multinational training engagements such as this one strengthen military-to- military relationships, increase NATO interoperability, and demonstrate our commitment to the safety and security of the Alliance.