adequate training airspace, sufficient
existing facilities and growth potential
to accommodate proposed annual
requirements. The selection of Sheppard
and the 80th FTW came as an extension
of existing undergraduate pilot courses
here, which had already been established
for the German and Dutch air forces.
The Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training
(ENJJPT) program was duly launched
in 1978. A planned 10-year agreement
was seen as a short-term measure
while studies regarding relocation to a
European base continued.In June 1980, the then US Secretary
of Defense Harold Brown announced
that Sheppard had been formally
selected for ENJJPT. It officially opened
on October 23, 1981. Due to its success
over the ensuing years, combined with
a number of stalled attempts to bring
more training to Europe, the initial
10-year hosting period at Sheppard has
been extended multiple times. It is now
extended through 2026, with no current
plans of moving elsewhere.
Today, ENJJPT includes 14 nations:
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany,Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the UK
and the US. Romania was the latest to
join, doing so during 2016. Despite the
availability of training courses with types
such as the T-346 Master in Italy, and a
well-established training pipeline in the
UK with the Hawk, these nations have
continued their ENJJPT participation,
such is the value of the partnership.
Col Andrea Themely is the current
commander of the 80th FTW. She says,
‘All 14 participating nations all have a
say in what the syllabus is, and how theA sharp echelon
of T-38Cs from
the 88th FTS
‘Lucky Devils’
during a formation
training flight
from Sheppard
AFB. They carry
the stylized NATO
emblem on the fin.http://www.combataircraft.net // March 2018 31
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