ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Strategic advantage in Great Power Competition (GPC) relies on having strong relationships with our allies and partners. The Department of the Air Force is focused on sustaining and deepening close strategic partnerships, supporting integration and interoperability with mutual capabilities and encouraging increased exercise engagement in the Indo-Pacific.
These efforts support shared regional and global challenges. Last year, I directed my staff to develop the Reserve Allies and Partners Program (RAPP) to promote International Reserve Force interoperability and hone operational skillsets to advance our nations’ strategic objectives. RAPP is designed to identify common interests and capabilities with partner nations to facilitate opportunities to train and exercise together. The four lines of effort within RAPP include exercises and other military-to-military engagements along with force development opportunities and senior leader engagements.
Under RAPP, and as part of reoptimizing for GPC, we are working to increase the quality and quantity of our international engagements to strengthen interoperability and forge enduring partnerships. To maximize this potential, a primary goal of RAPP is to develop a deliberate framework to align and prioritize AFR efforts with Air Force and Department of Defense security cooperation objectives.
This includes establishing a regular exercise battle rhythm to ensure our forces remain connected and proficient. The execution of exercises and other joint and multinational training sharpens skillsets critical to our readiness and that of our partners. RAPP will serve to synchronize these engagements to make them more consistent and deliberately focused.
Strong relationships aren’t just about shared exercise and war-gaming experiences. Within the arena of smaller military-to-military engagements, AFRC hosts the Port Dawg Challenge at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia every two years. This aerial port competition focuses on honing logistical military operations in any theater. This year, teams from Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom joined our Reservists in competing for the trophy. Unit-level collaboration in essential capabilities hones our technical skillsets, while opportunities to exchange best practices leads to a greater comfort level in working in a coalition environment.
Another line of effort within RAPP is working to refine programs that already exist within our Force Development structure. The Military Reserve Exchange Program is one opportunity for our Reservists to experience an immersion with a partner nation.
In 2024 we sent our Reservists to Germany, Denmark, Estonia and the United Kingdom, and hosted Reserve members from those countries. The participants experienced diverse methods of training and conducting operations. In some cases, these initial interactions have been parlayed into annual events to share tactics, techniques and procedures. Other opportunities include courses like International NCO Leadership Development, International Junior Officer Leadership Development and the NATO Reserve Forces Integration Course. We are looking at new ways to target our educational programs to deepen knowledge and partnerships in other strategically important areas, like the Pacific.
Finally, I am working to have more senior leader discussions with my foreign counterparts on the challenges and opportunities of our respective forces. At the 2024 Global Air and Space Chiefs Conference and Royal International Air Tattoo in England, I spoke with many of our partner nations’ air chiefs, and two themes were consistent throughout our conversations. First, there is a strong desire to partner with us to identify Reserve-to-Reserve capability alignment with the goal of enhancing interoperability and readiness through exercises and exchanges. Second, we have a shared interest in building stronger Reserve forces that will prove critical in augmenting active-duty capabilities in a conflict with a peer competitor.
I envision regular forums at the senior leader and action officer levels to share knowledge and discuss solutions to our common challenges.
The global security environment and strategic landscape demands investment in strategic depth. Our partners around the globe are recognizing the need to develop that depth by bolstering their Reserve capabilities.
RAPP marks a significant step forward in international defense security cooperation, creating a more cohesive and prepared global Reserve community. These efforts will help ensure the readiness of allied and partner nations to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Together, we will be successful in Great Power Competition should it evolve into Great Power Conflict.