USAFE, Bosnia and Herzegovina build partnerships through force development.

Airmen from U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa conducted a force development program to enhance relations and share ideas of building better air forces with the Bosnia and Herzegovina air force Feb. 10-14 in Sarajevo.

“The force development program is a means to do defense intuition building,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Ricardo Trimillos, USAFE - AFAFRICA deputy director of plans, programs and analysis. “At the end of the day, the entire focus is on interoperability, whether they are a NATO partner, an aspiring NATO partner or someone that potentially is part of a coalition of the willing. The idea is that if we all understand how each other operates, then we will be able to have an ease of communication and will be able to understand how we want to be able to work together.”

The force development program provides an opportunity for the U.S. Air Force to enhance relations, share ideas and build partnership capability in the region.

“Through open discussions with (the Bosnia and Herzegovina air force), we’re able to talk about our common interests and challenges, and we also use the opportunity to brainstorm together about ways to improve our organizations and ways to cooperate,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. David Max, Inter-European Air Forces Academy commandant. “We, as the U.S. Air Force, learned that our challenges — ranging from manpower to education and training — are not unique, and the (Bosnia and Herzegovina air force) learned that they’re not alone when it comes to developing proposals to improve their air force.”

Sharing thoughts and ideas from both the U.S. Air Force and the Bosnia and Herzegovina air force strengthen current partner ties.

“Whenever you talk about a partnership, you have to continually engage,” Trimillos said. “The U.S. Air Force continually engages with our partners through different functions — through training, medical, personnel, operations, flight training and force development programs — all of those are touchpoints in order to be able to continue a relationship with another country.”

One of the ways the U.S. Air Force engages with partner countries is providing the opportunity for joint training.

“The IEAFA conducts education and training courses for NATO and Partnership for Peace members, and our vision is to develop lifelong ties among allies and partners,” Max said. “IEAFA had its first students from (the Bosnia and Herzegovina air force) in a course last year. Since we had worked together before, our existing relationship made it easier to hit the ground running here."