Idaho County Free Press:

Forces from 21 nations, located in Europe and North America, practiced collective defense in NATO’s 2020 biggest command post and computer-assisted exercise Loyal Leda, held Nov. 10-19. One of the participants included Grangeville native, U.S. Air Force Major, Luke Reardon, operating with the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) located in Gloucester, United Kingdom.

“Participation for the U.S. at Loyal Leda is not that different from any other nation, and that is showing a commitment for collective defense,” Reardon said in a Nov. 19 video interview. “For U.S. soldiers and airmen, we had them participating at every level of this exercise. As an American, I’m proud to be here, but also as an airman, I’m proud to be integrated with the ground and in the field, and work amongst the deployed command posts. This is a unique experience for me, and after two exercises with the Army, I fully appreciate what they do to make it happen from the ground perspective.”

According to a news release, military personnel from various headquarters and NATO institutions were engaged in the event to create a simulated operational environment for the training and, ultimately, Combat Readiness Evaluation (CREVAL) of ARRC. CREVAL ensures that the corps war-fighting headquarters adheres to NATO standards and that it can work smoothly along NATO nations. The exercise certified ARRC’s capability to command international forces in all domains – land, air, sea, cyber, and space, whilst ensuring the interoperability and compatibility of Command and Control (C2) systems…

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