Slovenian government official tours ADA exercise sites Astral Knight 19

Photo By Spc. Ethan Valetski | Klemen Groselj (right), State Secretary at the Slovenian Ministry of Defense, receives a tour of 174th Air Defense Artillery Brigade’s Astral Knight 19 exercise site from Lt. Col. James McCandless (left), deputy brigade commander of the 174th ADA Bde., in the vicinity of Divaca, Slovenia, May 31, 2019. AK19 is a joint and multinational exercise that will involve Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors from the United States and service members from the Croatian, Italian, and Slovenian armed forces. The exercise is an integrated air and missile defense exercise where training will focus on conducting integrated air and missile defense of various terrains. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Valetski)  

SLOVENIA

05.31.2019

Story by Spc. Ethan Valetski 

5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

KOPER, Slovenia— The Slovenian State Secretary at the Ministry of Defense, Klemen Groselj, visited U.S. Soldiers of the 5th Battalion 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment near Koper, Slovenia, May 31, 2019 to tour the site and the equipment, including the Patriot Missile Defense Systems.
Groselj also visited the 174th ADA Brigade of the Ohio National Guard at their site in Divaca, Slovenia.

Both units, along with the U.S. Air Force and the Slovenian and Italian Armed Forces, are preparing to work together in the joint exercise Astral Knight 19.

Astral Knight 19 is a multinational combined exercise designed to test integrated air and missile defense capabilities. The exercise involves a combination of flight operations and computer-assisted scenarios.

Lt. Col. James McCandless, deputy brigade commander for the 174th ADA, said bringing capabilities together and working with a common operating picture is key for strengthening relationships with our allies.

“What we really hope to get out of the exercise is an opportunity to work together with one purpose and understand each other’s capabilities,” McCandless said.

• Date Taken: 05.31.2019
• Date Posted: 05.31.2019 12:48
• Story ID: 324805
• Location: SI