Subscribe
ANSBACH, Germany – For the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, training is about more than logging flight hours. The brigade’s strategic advantage lies in its location within the landscape of European security: 12th CAB trains where it is expected to fight.
By operating alongside NATO allies in the same environments it would defend, 12th CAB builds a level of combat credibility that can’t be replicated. This was on full display during the recent Aviation Maneuver Training Exercise Center (AMTEC) 26-01, where aircrews trained alongside Dutch allies from the Royal Netherlands Army’s 11th Airmobile Brigade against the weather conditions and demanding terrain.
AMTEC provides a specialized venue for 12th CAB to hone its aviation-specific mission essential tasks. While large-scale Combat Training Center (CTC) rotations focus on broader warfare, AMTEC allows for a dedicated aviation-focused training scenario. This is essential to prepare the brigade to support larger exercises or respond to real-world scenarios.
The importance of this training was also underscored during a visit to Katterbach Army Airfield by Brig. Gen. John Mountford, V Corps Deputy Commanding General for Readiness. During the visit, Mountford received a CH-47F Chinook orientation flight, observing firsthand the 12th CAB’s need to integrate with its partners and utilize NATO training space.
“The great part about exercises like AMTEC is that it’s solely focused on air assault operations which helps us achieve our training objectives,” said Capt. David Bindon, commander of Bravo Company, 1-214th General Support Aviation Battalion. “The opportunity to have a NATO ground force spend two weeks training specifically on aviation maneuvers ensures we are ready to respond to any real-world scenario.”
The NATO alliance remains the bedrock of European security. The 12th CAB’s forward-position in Germany is a tactical necessity, and the training it conducts is both a message to adversaries and a commitment to allies.
The 12th Combat Aviation Brigade provides V Corps with a ready and lethal combat aviation force capable of rapidly projecting combat power across the European and African areas of responsibility in support of designated plans to assure Allies and Partners, deter aggression, and, if necessary, defeat near-peer adversaries.
| Date Taken: | 02.19.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2026 07:37 |
| Story ID: | 558441 |
| Location: | DE |
| Web Views: | 18 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 12th CAB sharpens lethality through NATO training, by CPT Lydia LaRue, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
