Latvian Prime Minister Flies with 127th Wing
Valdis Dombrovskis, prime minister of Latvia, talks with U.S. and Latvian officials shortly after observing an air-to-air refueling operation from a KC-135 Stratotanker. With the prime minister are, from left, Lt. Col. Andrew Roberts, bilateral affairs officer, Michigan Air National Guard; Judith Garber, U.S. ambassador to Latvia; and Gen. Andis Dilans, chief of the Joint Headquarters, Latvia. The receiving aircraft was an A-10 Thunderbolt II. Both types of aircraft are operated by the Michigan Air National Guard’s 127th Wing, and were in Latvia to participate in Saber Strike 2012 is a multinational, tactical field training exercise that involves more than 2,000 personnel from the U.S. Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, the 4th U.S. Marine Division, the127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian armed forces, with contingents from Canada, Finland, France and the U.K. The exercise, led by U.S. Army Europe, is designed to enhance joint and combined interoperability between the U.S. Army and partner nations, and will help prepare participants to operate successfully in a joint, multinational, interagency, integrated environment. (Air National Guard photo by TSgt. Dan Heaton)