U.S. Air National Guard Airlift Wing from Kentucky Supporting Large-Scale NATO Exercise

Airmen with the U.S. Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing are supporting a major NATO Allied Air Command exercise here through June 19, providing tactical airlift for an event spanning three operational areas from Norway to Spain.

Ramstein Flag 2026 will test warfighters with challenging combat scenarios in a complex operational environment. Key areas of focus include integrated air and missile defense capabilities, rapid information-sharing, anti-access/area denial operations and Agile Combat Employment frameworks.

Built on interoperability and mutual trust among Allied nations, the exercise aims to demonstrate NATO’s commitment to countering modern threats in highly contested environments. Operations, which began June 8, include over 200 aircraft and personnel from 18 partner nations.

More than 50 Airmen and three C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from the 123rd Airlift Wing arrived at Karup Air Base here in late May in preparation for the event. The unit, based in Louisville, Kentucky, has already flown several training missions with Danish forces, including aeromedical evacuation scenarios in support of Air Mobility Personnel Recovery teams.

“As the combat-ready, combat-proven reserve of the United States Air Force, the Air National Guard continues to focus on wartime readiness,” said Lt. Col. Josh Ketterer, a C-130J pilot and commander of the 123rd Airlift Wing’s operations group.

“By participating in Ramstein Flag 2026, we demonstrate our commitment to global deterrence, retooling for combat and defending the homeland. Partnering with NATO Allies ensures U.S. and Allied forces stand ready to defeat threats against the homeland and global American interests.

“The integration of our versatile, modern C-130Js into Ramstein Flag further demonstrates the Air National Guard’s integral role in projecting U.S. and Allied power and responding to contingencies worldwide.”

In addition to aircrews and aircraft maintenance troops, the 123rd arrived with a team of contingency response Airmen who specialize in establishing airfield capability at austere locations which may otherwise be inoperable. Fully self-contained and self-sufficient, the scalable group can provide everything from communications and air traffic control to base security and cargo handling services.

Other U.S. Air National Guard units participating in Ramstein Flag 2026 include the 172nd Airlift Wing from Mississippi and the 162nd Wing from Arizona.