TACTICAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME 2022

In September African Pilot was invited to cover the TLP 2022 course at Albacete Airbase in Spain. This course is similar to the Red Flag exercise in the USA, but of course takes place in Europe.

- MICHEL BOSHUIZEN

A LITTLE HISTORY 

During the cold war seven NATO nations shared West German airspace in a defensive cold war posture, ready to act at any time. They recognised the need for joint operations, the need to train together and the need to generate leaders for challenging multinational air defence and air strike missions. With this in mind, in January 1978, the signatory nations Belgium, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States formed the AAFCE TLP at the German Air Force base of Fürstenfeldbruck. Early TLP courses took the form of a two-week seminar where aircrew discussed and formulated NATO tactics, techniques and procedures.

In September 1979 TLP moved to Jever AB in Northern Germany where the course length was extended to four weeks in order to include a flying phase. TLP, part of the NATO organisation took the task to train flight leads to be qualified to plan, brief and conduct multinational air combat patrol missions employing mixed force fighter formations and to lead multinational counter air operation strike packages. When TLP ceased the operation in Jever at the end of 1988, 71 flying courses had been completed and nearly 2000 NATO aircrew had graduated.

By the end of the cold war TLP staff had been selected from the most experienced and respected airborne leaders in their own air forces. TLP had grown to be the European center of excellence in all matters related to coalition force air operations. Therefore, it was unquestionable to the TLP nations that the Tactical Leadership Programme would play an important role after the cold war.