Exercise Ramstein Dynamo 2011 postponed

Headquarters Allied Air Command Ramstein Public Affairs Office

Ramstein, 29 March 2011

Exercise Ramstein Dynamo, scheduled to take place in Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia in the Uedem, Kalkar, Weeze and Mönchengladbach areas from 4 to 15 April is going to be postponed. This was what Lieutenant General Dieter Naskrent, Commander of NATO’s Combined Air OperationsC entre (CAOC) Uedem, announced during a press conference at Weeze airport on 28 March.

Owing to the NATO’s taking on the military operations to enforce the no-fly zone and the arms embargo against Libya under the United Nations mandate – named "Unified Protector" (OUP)" – "it is no longer possible to ensure unlimited availability of personnel for the successful conduct of exercise Ramstein Dynamo 2011," stated Lieutenant General Naskrent. Since the exercise support committed by the US Air Force, too, are no longer available with limitation, he had decided to put in a request for the postponement of the exercise to a later date. "My request to NATO’s Allied Air Command Ramstein (AC Ramstein) was granted last Friday," said the General, "a new date for the exercise has not been set as yet."

"Given the fact that training objectives could no longer," the General added, "I think I owe this to both my soldiers and the tax payer."

During the press conference at Weeze Airport, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Dillschneider from NATO‘s HQ AC Ramstein, reiterated the goals for exercise Ramstein Dynamo. "Under a UN mandate, based on international agreements and at the request of a Host Nation, NATO was supposed to deploy forces," said Lieutenant Colonel Dillschneider, "in the first part, from 4 to 7 April, the US 435th Air Ground Operation Wing was to "open the base" with C-130J „Hercules" transport aircraft at Weeze Airport and ensure the deployment of the so-called Air Operations Liaison and Reconnaissanc Team (AOLRT) into the theatre. The AOLRT was to set up an operational capability and liaise with local authorities, conduct reconnaissance in the region and coordinate Humanitarian Assistance operations in support of the Host Nation – similar to relief operations during natural disasters like the ones in Pakistan or Haiti."

According to Lieutenant Colonel Dillschneider exercise participants included his own command at Ramstein, CAOC Uedem as well as elements of 1st NATO Signal Battalion at Wesel, the German Air Force Command as well as 86th Airlift Wing, 435th Air Ground Operation Wing and 603rd Air Operation Command – all three based at Ramstein Air Base. On the civilian side, the management of the Weeze Airport as well as the mayors in the region were involved. Lieutenant General Naskrent thanked the airport manager, Mr. Ludger van Bebber, for the willingness to make the Weeze facilities available. Mr. van Bebber offered to support the event again when it would happen at a later date.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Dillschneider exercise participants included his own command at Ramstein, CAOC Uedem as well as elements of 1st NATO Signal Battalion at Wesel, the German Air Force Command as well as 86th Airlift Wing, 435th Air Ground Operation Wing and 603rd Air Operation Command – all three based at Ramstein Air Base. On the civilian side, the management of the Weeze Airport as well as the mayors in the region were involved. Lieutenant General Naskrent thanked the airport manager, Mr. Ludger van Bebber, for the willingness to make the Weeze facilities available. Mr. van Bebber offered to support the event again when it would happen at a later date.

The second part of the exercise, originally scheduled from 11 to 15 April, included seting up and testing communications and information equipment in a remote command post at the German "Von-Seydlitz-Kaserne" in Kalkar. According to Dillschneider, "this part, i.e. the demonstration and validation of a deployable connectivity, will be completely cancelled for the same reasons."

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