Page 4 - Desert Lightning News August 2016
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4 August 5, 2016 Desert Lightning News
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NORAD, NORTHCOM, Mexican AirFacebook.com/DesertLightningNews Force coordinate
on illicit- ight exercise
Lisa Ferdinando “Amalgam Eagle is important because it is a mechanism to build trust
and mutual confidence for the United States and Mexico,” he said.
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
“It also has served to improve our partner’s capacity and capabilities and
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AFNS) -- e early morning call came broaden their participation across their interagency and whole of govern-
through the command center here near Peterson Air Force Base on July 27 ment,” Bonnet said. “ at makes us all stronger.”
-- a simulated illicit flight was heading out of the United States to Mexico.
e exercise highlighted the importance of interagency cooperation,
“We have at least two individuals on a watch list, with cash and weapons intelligence sharing and coordination with partners in the defense of the
destined for Merida, Mexico,” the Transportation Security Administration homeland, Bonnet said. Mexico is an important partner in that mission, as
representative at North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. is Canada, he noted.
Northern Command said on the call. “Aircraft is currently south of Corpus
Christi, 10 miles heading south.” Bonnet said the Amalgam Eagle exercise, now in its third year, has grown
each time, with Mexico taking responsibility for about half of the exercise
In the command center, communications in English and Spanish wafted this year.
through the air, as U.S. officials and members of the Mexican Air Force
tracked the movement of the illicit flight. A NORAD and NORTHCOM official pointed out how interoperability
of communications systems was key in the exercise, allowing the U.S. and
e U.S. government monitored the flight over the skies of Texas before Mexico to communicate in two languages.
handing off the tracking to Mexico as the flight entered Mexican airspace.
In the afternoon, the same plane headed back from Mexico to the United ose systems are vital in exercises like this and in real-world scenarios,
States, this time with Mexico monitoring the flight and then handing off as those programs can be applied in a number of languages to allow for
the tracking to the United States. communications with other international partners, the official said.
e live-fly event was part of Amalgam Eagle 16, a tactical exercise be- Protecting the homeland
tween the U.S. and Mexico aimed at strengthening information sharing e exercise provided valuable experience in working with partners both
and response cooperation for real-life scenarios, NORAD and NORTH-
COM officials said. in the U.S and in Mexico, said Air Force Lt. Col. Chris Power, the deputy
division chief of NORAD operations support.
Cooperation critical in complex exercise
Participants were in federal agency locations in the U.S. and in “Mexico shares a border with the U.S., a very critical border, so it is im-
command centers here and in Mexico City. U.S. agency participants portant to us to keep up good relations with our partners to the south,”
included U.S. Customs and Border Protection, TSA and the Federal Power said.
Aviation Administration.
He pointed out that Mexico used some new communication tools for
e simulated real-world scenario was complex and involved many the first time during this exercise. It was a great opportunity to practice
moving parts, explained Joseph Bonnet, the director of joint training and information sharing, he said.
exercises for NORAD and NORTHCOM.
“Personally, it is good to see that our Mexican partners are just as pas-
sionate about defending the homelands as we are, as well as our partner to
the north in Canada,” he said.
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