About 40 U.S. Air Force members deployed with three F-16 fighters from Aviano's 510th Fighter Squadron for the combined exercise. Aviano's role is to mirror real-world missions NATO forces have faced in the recent past.

According to exercise officials, this is the first time that NATO aircraft and aircraft from Partnership For Peace nations are being used together for this type of training environment. In addition to the flying component, Cooperative Chance '98 also incorporates a joint military and civilian command post element.

"The primary focus for us is air defense, with an emphasis on peace support operations and enforcement of a 'no-fly zone'. It's similar to what we had over Bosnia during Operation Deny Flight in the early '90's," said Lt. Col. Steven Schrader, 510th FS operations officer.

"This exercise has given our F-16 drivers a chance to do missions similar to what we have at Aviano, but with a larger variety of multinational players and targets," said Brig Gen. Timothy Peppe, 31st FW commander. "Once again, the 510th operations-maintenance team and other participating 31st FW personnel have done an outstanding job of representing America in a major international exercise."

Operations such as Cooperative Chance '98 provide participants with several benefits, including hands-on training for contingencies in a multinational environment and a chance for people from different countries and backgrounds to work together and learn from each other.

"The most valuable thing you can get out of something like this is to get to know the people you're going to work with in a foreign country," said Schrader. "If we ever need to do the real thing with these countries, this type of training will ensure we're ready." (Courtesy U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service)