SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The 52nd Fighter Wing hosted an information forum meeting for local German leadership on Nov. 15, 2019, at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.
Base leadership conducts the event twice a year and continues to host the forum in order to establish a platform that facilitates the mutual exchange of Spangdahlem Air Base related information between local leadership and the wing in an informal atmosphere.
“This meeting is a great opportunity for the 52nd FW and German leaders to get together face-to-face, talk and get updates on what is going on with the installation,” said. U.S. Air Force Col. David Epperson, 52nd FW commander. “This meeting is also a chance for us to answer any questions that might be in the air.”
Topics discussed included the wing’s mission, operational updates, F-16 crash site updates, and news on future construction on the installation.
Epperson also remarked on the future intentions of the air base, and reflected on the importance of strength in the relationship between U.S. and German communities.
“Spangdahlem is proud to have its Airmen in over 200 different towns, communities, and cities across Germany,” said Epperson. “The wing will continue to support Germany in any way we can and continue to get our Airmen to enjoy all that Germany has to offer to build that partnership.”
One important topic Epperson drove was that leadership will aim to continue to keep 20 percent of the installation’s Airmen living on base and 80 percent of Airmen living off base.
In addition to the forum, the wing and communities interact on a regular basis, including events such as Fasching and the annual Explore the Eifel fair. The wing continues to plan events and will be holding a New Year reception on Jan. 10, 2020 and the annual Explore the Eifel fair is projected for spring 2020.
“We really enjoy events like this and we are grateful to be able to have them so often,” said Michael Billen, German deputy county commissioner. “Thank you for clearing up a lot of information. This information is important and Germany will continue to support any future endeavors whenever we can.”