MANSFIELD — Approximately 60 members of the Ohio Air National Guard’s 179th Airlift Wing (AW) departs Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017 for nearly a month to Africa to support Flintlock, an annual regional exercise among African, allied and U.S. counterterrorism forces.
A majority of the members are from the 164th Airlift Squadron and will be flying C-130H aircraft as part of the exercise.
The Ohio unit is joining multiple nations across the Sahel region of Africa. Last year’s exercise saw more than 30 nations participating in the exercise.
Flintlock is directed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) and sponsored by the U.S. Africa Command.
The exercise develops capacity and collaboration among African security forces to protect civilian populations.
According to the Airlift Wing, Exercise Flintlock is designed to foster regional cooperation to enable America’s African partners to stabilize regions of North and West Africa. In addition the goal is to reduce sanctuary and support for violent extremist organizations (VEOs). FL17 provides increased interoperability, counterterrorism, and combat skills training while creating a venue for regional engagement among partner nations.
The primary mission for the 179th AW will be to assist with the transferring equipment, supplies and personnel throughout the area.
The 179th AW said it’s always on mission to be the first choice to respond to community, state and federal missions with a trusted team of highly qualified Airmen.
