NO(^32) THE MAGAZINE 01 33
SCANDINAVIAN
AVIATION MAGAZINE
Eleven nations
All the positions in the program, besides the
wing commander, can be empowered by the
participating nations. Each nation contributes
with both students and instructors, where the
costs are shared between the nations, depending
on how many students they have in the program.
As Lt. Col. Lars “Slug” Roeine, Norwegian Senior
National Representative (SNR) and Instructor
Pilot (IP), illustrates: “The program works on a
cost-share basis, whereby you put in students,
(and depending on how many students you put
in the program), you need to put in a required
number of instructor pilots.
Currently, pilots from eleven nations run the
program. All the positions of the program rotate
between the nations, with exception of the wing
commander, which is always an American. The
Operations Group Commander rotates between
the U.S., Germany and Italy, but besides that, all
the positions are up for grabs by any nation that
is involved in the program.”
The students that are sent to ENJJPT are selected
by the air force of their nation, where they have
already conducted the initial basic flying training.
They’ve passed the required, challenging tests to
ensure that they are the ones that will succeed in
becoming the next fighter pilot of their nation. The
shared cost theme adds efficiency to the program;
as Lt. Col. Roeine says: “Great success rate, very
efficient, and cost wise – yes, it’s expensive, but
if you look around in the world, you cannot get
anything near this program at the same cost, with
the same result.
For us it’s a great success. We have been a part
of it since it started in 1981, and this is our sole
fighter pilot providing community. We don’t have
anywhere else in the world to produce our pilots
up to required standards.
We outsource everything and totally rely on
ENJJPT as being our basic fighter training
program - and it works. 36 years and we’re
still going to continue doing it.”
The program today
Today, the program consists of fourteen nations:
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece,
Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania,
Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the
United States, with Romania as the latest nation
to join the program back in 2016. A continuous
development of the program has led to a shared
governing structure.
All the participating nations have a say as to
what the program should contain and what
direction it should move in. This gives this unique
program a mission, not only to train NATO’s best
fighter pilots, but also to strengthen the NATO
partnerships, as U.S. Air Force Colonel Andrea E.
Themely, commander of the 80th FTW, explains:
“The unique part about it, is that all fourteen
participating nations all have a say in what the
syllabus is, and how the program is run. That’s
because we’re governed by a steering committee
made up of all fourteen participating nations,
and representatives of their respective Ministry
of Defense. That allows that body to provide
direction as to what their nation’s needs are for
the end product, and the end result.”