{"id":23033,"date":"2018-10-30T18:12:33","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T18:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/10\/30\/rearming-europe-us-air-force-receives-largest-ordnance-shipment-in-decades\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:42:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:42:13","slug":"rearming-europe-us-air-force-receives-largest-ordnance-shipment-in-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2018\/10\/30\/rearming-europe-us-air-force-receives-largest-ordnance-shipment-in-decades\/","title":{"rendered":"Rearming Europe: US Air Force receives largest ordnance shipment in decades"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In mid-October, the U.S. Air Force received its largest shipment of ordnance since the bombing of Yugoslavia<\/a> in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The measure is part of a lockstep approach by U.S. Air Forces in Europe<\/a> and U.S. European Command<\/a> to rearm the continent and bolster its deterrence posture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roughly 100 containers filled with munitions rolled into Ramstein Air Base<\/a> in Germany this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA variety of munitions in approximately 100 containers were received,\u201d Auburn Davis, an Air Forces in Europe spokeswoman, said. \u201cFor operational security reasons, we cannot discuss specific numbers of items, nor the specifics of the items.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Davis added that she could not get into the specifics regarding container size, or any other shipment details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless, the shipment is reportedly very large.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Master Sgt. David Head, a section chief with the 86th Munitions Squadron at Ramstein, said in a press release that a delivery of this magnitude has not taken place since the late 20th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
U.S. Airmen assigned to the 86th Munitions Squadron unpack a fresh shipment of munitions on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Oct. 19, 2018. The 86th MUNS recently received what its leaders call the largest shipment of ordnance in many years. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Magbanua)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the largest shipment of its kind since Operation Allied Force, which took place in 1999,\u201d he said, referring to a two-month NATO campaign bombing Serbian forces to prevent ethnic cleansing during the Kosovo War<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe munitions that we received will be used for future theater operations and the evolving U.S. European Command presence,\u201d Head added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stockpile will be used to support NATO\u2019s European Deterrence Initiative and augment the Air Force\u2019s war reserve materiel in Europe, according to a Ramstein Air Base statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The European Deterrence Initiative<\/a>, or EDI, began in 2014 \u2014 several months after Russia\u2019s annexation of Crimea<\/a> \u2014 to deter Russian aggression against its neighboring countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EDI aims to increase the U.S. military\u2019s responsiveness to a crisis on the continent by stockpiling ammunition, fuel and equipment at strategic locations. War reserve materiel, meanwhile, are munitions stockpiles designed to last for a theater of operations until resupply at wartime rates is established.<\/p>\n\n\n\t