“We’re out here working with NATO allies and partner nations such as the Norwegians and the Hungarians,” Jones said. “We’re working on interoperability and learning their techniques and procedures while sharing ours with them.”
According to Jones, there are a lot of moving pieces in an exercise of this magnitude. The mission cannot be accomplished without other agencies, such as maintenance personnel, aviation resource managers, communications technicians and aircrew flight equipment specialists.

“These personnel are essential to making sure this exercise is executed safely and efficiently,” Jones said.

Jolly Vihar aims to advance and support rescue capability in U.S. European Command and NATO. Training with NATO allies and partners in exercises like Jolly Vihar strengthens partnerships, reduces tensions between nations and helps address potential conflicts before they start.

“We’re trying to build this network to increase our partner building capabilities,” Jones said. “We can’t do this alone.”