JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – A new partnership between the Texas National Guard and the Egyptian Armed Forces led to a historic visit at the Inter-American Air Forces Academy here Sept. 27, when an Egyptian delegation visited the academy.
Nearly a dozen military Egyptian leaders met with George Gagnon, Air Education and Training Command director of International Training and Education, Col. Rockie Wilson, 37th Training Wing commander, and Col. José Jiménez, Jr., IAAFA commandant, as well as other leaders.
The Egyptian Armed Forces members met at IAAFA Training Center for a familiarization briefing and learned about the professional military education and technical training it provides to 21 partner nations across the Western Hemisphere.
“This engagement grants us the opportunity to showcase our security cooperation education and training footprint with our Middle Eastern partner nations,” Jiménez said.
The Egyptian delegation visited the 837th Training Squadron’s material management warehouse and security forces’ virtual active shooter simulator that teaches students how to approach an active shooter situation.
Across campus at the 318th Training Squadron, Egyptian leaders toured the aircraft hangars and the newest pilot training simulators that train partner nation students to fly by instrument.
Aside from the level of training students earn at academy, the relationships created here are much like this new partnership aims to achieve.
“Even though this is still an evolving partnership we are moving fast and positively and that’s evidence of the willingness of both sides to support this partnership and its goals,” said Col. Mahmoud Aly Abdou Helal, Egyptian Armed Forces.
Egypt joined the state partnership program with the Texas National Guard last year. The State Partnership Program helps strengthen strategic partnership and build partner capacity and interoperability.