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Azerbaijan delegation tours Tinker, gains insight into aircraft maintenance

  • Published
  • By Darren D. Heusel
  • 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
As discussions of placing a NATO compatible air base in Azerbaijan continue to pick up steam, a 23-member delegation from the U.S. and the former Soviet Republic toured Tinker Air Force Base in November to get an inside look at what would be required to support such a facility.

The visit, which included 10 members of the Azerbaijan military and 13 representatives from the Oklahoma Army National Guard, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. European Command and the U.S. State Department, coincided with the annual Bilateral Defense Consultations between Azerbaijan and the Oklahoma Military Department.

The State Partnership Program originated in 1993 in the European theater due to the collapse of communism and the fall of the Soviet Union, but has spread to other areas to include Africa and the Middle East.

The concept of the program is to bring "Hometown America" to these partnership countries by establishing military to military relationships and assisting the partnered countries in organizing, manning and training democratic armies.

In 2003, the Oklahoma National Guard was partnered with Azerbaijan, which gained its independence from Russia in 1991.

Located in far Eastern Europe between Iran and Russia on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan remains a valuable ally to the U.S. and in the Global War on Terror because of its safe fly zone. It is also rich in oil and gas reserves.

"They are a proud people, interested in developing closer relationships with the west," said Barbara Tourville, chief of the 448th Materiel Sustainment Group's International Flight. "They have also expressed an interest in hosting a NATO compatible military base in their country."

While on their tour of Tinker, the delegation visited the various industrial shops as well as the 507th Air Refueling Wing.

"Including the 507th in this visit gave them an excellent perspective on the value of tenant units working with the host and allowed them to see a KC-135 refueling plane up close," Ms. Tourville said.

Lt. Gen. Chimgiz Mammadov, Deputy Minister of Defense for Azerbaijan, said through an interpreter he was impressed with Tinker's facilities.

"Azerbaijan has collaborated with Oklahoma state for several years now, especially with the Oklahoma National Guard," he said. "Our overall goal for this visit was to develop our partnership action program and our annual bilateral consultations we are planning to conduct next year."

During their visit to Oklahoma, various discussions centered around subject matter expert exchanges, sharing and participating in training events and exercises, military professional development, and facilitating relationship development with civilian, governmental and non-governmental personnel.

To date, the Oklahoma National Guard and Azerbaijan have participated in nearly 30 exchanges including recent exchanges with members of the Oklahoma City Police Department and the Oklahoma Departments of Commerce, Agriculture and Energy, Col. Fountain said.

Dr. Amer Latif, Azerbaijan Country Director, who works out of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense James MacDougall's office, said Azerbaijan is "tremendously important to coalition military operations in that part of the world."

"We're deeply appreciative of their assistance to us," he said. "Since 9-11 and the beginning of the Global War on Terror, Azerbaijan has been committed to the United States. They're one of the firmest partners the U.S. has in this war."