Load Diffuser 17
Master Sgt. Joe Ray, a weapons loader assigned to the 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio Air National Guard, salutes as Capt. Justin Kreischer, an 180th FW F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot, prepares to take off for a training sortie at Kecskemet Air Base, Hungary. Approximately 150 Airmen and eight F-16 fighter jets from the 180th FW traveled to the air base to participate in Load Diffuser 17, a two-week Hungarian-led multinational exercise focused on enhancing interoperability capabilities and skills among NATO allied and European partner air forces by conducting joint operations and air defenses to maintain joint readiness, while also bolstering relationships within the U.S. Air National Guard’s State Partnership Program initiatives. Ohio became state partners with Hungary in 1993. (U.S. Air National Guard photo/Senior Master Sgt. Beth Holliker.)