Higher leadership of defence sector to meet with the Commander of Allied Air Command

On 14 September, Defence Minister of Latvia Raimonds Bergmanis, Chief of Defence Lieutenant General Leonids Kalnins and Commander of Aviation Base Colonel Armands Saltups will meet with the Commander of Allied Air Command General Tod D. Wolters who arrives on a working visit in Latvia.

It is planned that the officials will discuss the support of the Allied Air Command to the NATO enhanced Forward Presence battle groups which strengthens Allied deterrence and collective defence.

General T. Wolters will also visit Lielvarde Air Base where the NATO’s Allied Air Command exercise Ramstein Dust II-17 is being conducted to observe the exercise.

As reported earlier, Latvia hosts the exercise Ramstein Dust II-17 from 26 August to 6 October. During RADT-II 17, elements of the Deployable Air Command and Control Centre (DACCC) of NATO are moved to Lielvarde Air Base, Latvia, for a deployment and readiness exercise in order to train procedures and arrangements for setting up its remote control units outside the permanent base in Italy, as well as enhance air command integration of the Baltic States and Poland.

In scope of Ramstein Dust II-17, DACCC specialist teams provide air command and control training at Baltic Combined Control and Reporting Centre Karmelava and with the Polish Air Operations Centre in Warsaw.

Baltic enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroups and the Polish Battlegroup contribute to training by enhancing air-land integration and liaison. 

RADT-II 17 is hosted and supported by Latvia as a host nation through Latvian Armed Forces.

Commander of the Allied Air Command General T. Wolters is also Commander of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and U.S. Air Forces in Africa.

Information prepared by:
Media Relations Section
MILITARY PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia
Phone: (+371)6 7335045
E-mail: prese@mod.gov.lv