KARUP AIR BASE, Denmark – Air Force Master Sgt. Alexander Klosterman had a brief break from his duties on the flightline at Karup Air Base, Denmark.
Ordinarily, the weather specialist with the 123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky National Guard, might have used the time to talk with other Airmen about the day-to-day operations during Ramstein Flag 2026, a large-scale NATO Allied Air Command exercise from June 8-19.
This time, however, he was talking with a Danish airman who was praising the 123rd Airlift Wing for its speed and efficiency in providing airlift support for training operations.
“It was an absolute pleasure working with you guys, and I really hope we get to work with you in the future,” the Danish air mobility personnel recovery team member told Klosterman, who later expressed a similar sentiment.
“It’s fascinating to see how they do business and for them to see how we do business with an air operations mentality,” Klosterman said. “I love working with the Danish military.”
The two then took part in a familiar military tradition of swapping unit patches – an exchange reflected in the partnership-building taking place across the exercise, which stretched from northern Norway to southern Spain, with 18 participating nations across 20 operational locations.
Now in its third year, Ramstein Flag 2026 involved more than 200 air assets – all projecting ready and decisive air combat power while positioning NATO Allies to meet the challenges of an uncertain security environment.
In the intelligence realm, the 214th Attack Group, 162nd Wing, Arizona National Guard, delivered time-critical threat assessments and battlespace situational awareness during the exercise. The 172nd Airlift Wing, Mississippi National Guard, provided a contingency response team that trained on establishing and sustaining air bases in austere environments.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Mary McMullan, an aerial post specialist, 172nd AW, summed up her flight’s training mission within the exercise as “doing it really quick and really fast, and getting out really quick and really fast.”
Providing airlift operations – by way of the C130J Super Hercules aircraft – were central to the 123rd AW’s contribution to the exercise, as well as other training events that ran concurrently, such as evacuating noncombatants in an aeromedical setting, securing an airport, facilitating aircraft interception and identifying potential hostiles on the ground.
But the exercise’s success wasn’t a given – as operating in Denmark brought challenges, Klostermann said.
The Nordic country’s coastal weather patterns created unusual conditions, from low “cloud” ceilings and reduced visibility that affect whether aircraft can safely operate under standard visual flight rules.
“As a contingency response weather guy, my job is to go in, assess the airfield and get a tactical visibility chart,” Klosterman said. “So wherever we go, our mission is to assess and establish landing or drop zones, and [having] that weather knowledge is critical to mission success.”
For U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nick Chapman, command and control operations specialist, 123rd AW, mission success meant supporting maintenance and communication requirements while successfully coordinating aircraft movement and cargo flow in a timely fashion.
Anything that deviates from that, he said, can be “disastrous” to the wider mission.
“There’s a lot of moving parts, and if there is one small delay, that can affect operations across the board,” said Chapman. “It's all about just making sure things move swiftly and smoothly.”
In an international environment, success depends on building relationships, he added.
“The biggest part when going to a different nation is maintaining the host-nation ties, and getting initial communication set up with them, understanding their rules and regulations,” and making sure that mission execution leads to integration, said Chapman.
He likened the mutually beneficial relationship to sports: wearing a different uniform, but on the same team for a wartime footing.
“You practice the game all the time before you get up to the actual competition,” said Chapman. “If we don't practice, we aren't going to know how [to operate when] we get to the field, and it'll all fall apart.”
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. James Embry, maintenance squadron commander, 123rd AW, said the exercise helped ensure that Airmen remained flexible.
“Ramstein Flag really does increase our wartime readiness, giving us the opportunity to get out of garrison with our maintenance folks and get away from what they’re normally used to,” said Embry. “Based on whatever specialty they are – maintenance wise – [Kentucky Airmen] are having to work across those specialties to become more and more multi-capable in what they're trying to do as maintainers.”
Ramstein Flag 2026 also gave the opportunity to showcase the Air Guard’s commitment to global deterrence and peace through strength while being a beacon for modernization.
“Our C130s specifically are new and [contribute to] increased situational awareness. [The plane] is longer and larger – therefore we can move more cargo and people wherever they need to go quicker,” said Air Force 2nd Lt. Sam Carter, pilot, 123rd AW.
Technology aside, the ability to intertwine with other countries – and with other Kentucky Guard members – is a testament to readiness, he said, adding that “it shows our capability to quickly change plans on the go.”
Such commitment to the exercise was not lost on a Danish Defence forces flight commander, whose name is withheld for security purposes.
Guard Airmen are “massively dedicated personnel, from ground crews to air crews – adaptable, flexible – always up for anything,” said the commander, who leads an air mobility personnel recovery team.
The ability to exchange information was a key component during the exercise, too.
“If you don't reach out, if you don't [engage in] interoperability, if you don't try your ‘standard operating procedures’ up against other nations' SOPs and close Allies, every [nation’s military] risks putting themselves into an echo chamber,” the commander said. “Every aspect of our training is important. Its value cannot be underestimated.”
In the end, Klosterman, the weather specialist, said the Air National Guard’s presence in Ramstein Flag 2026 speaks to the importance of the exercise to Allies and adversaries.
“We’re here, we’re capable, and we’re ready,” he said.