The pilots of the US Air Force and the Israeli Air Force are the best in the world

The pilots of the US Air Force and the Israeli Air Force are the best in the world- and have a lot to learn from one another.
In another example of the unshakeable Israel-US alliance, a joint training exercise was held aimed at preparing pilots for the ever-changing realities in the Middle East.

Israel's 68 years of independence have partly come about because of the Jewish state's military and its brave men and women. But much help has been given by those who stand for Israel - both individuals and international allies. The Jerusalem Post's Noam Amir and Maariv Hashavua report on the latest Israeli Air Force (IAF) exercise that demonstrates how international cooperation helps make Israel great:

The Greek Air Force base was split between three squadrons: on the right stood a Greek squadron; on the left a typically impressive delegation from the US Air Force - tens of jets and hundreds of ground and air crew with the latest equipment.

Lastly, parked in a field to the side were the Israeli Air Force's 12 F-16 jets taking part in the exercise, along with a small number of technicians working quietly and thoroughly on the aircraft.

The international exercise between the three air forces, taking place over two weeks in April, also included participation from Israeli transport and refueling planes, as well as an intelligence gathering aircraft.

Its goal was both simple and complex: to transform the performance of the IAF pilots, and to prepare them, as best as possible, for the unknown and ever-changing realities in the region.

"Air power needs to be adaptable, and needs to be suited for new threats," said IAF Brig.-Gen. Nir Barkan. "For example, on our home front we have threats - Hezbollah and Gaza - but go back a decade and you will see that this has changed a great deal."

"This is an unstable region, and we need to prepare for every possible threat and situation. The exercises are not necessarily training for scenarios we expect to face. Rather, my ability to train these pilots to cope with the unexpected is a huge asset."

Describing the advantage of training in a foreign country, Barkan said "You take a young pilot, who knows the skies above Israel like the palm of his hand, and you bring him to a place where he doesn't know the terrain, and doesn't know what challenges to expect within a matter of minutes of being in the air. He's dealing with threats that he has never experienced before."