Exercise Salitre Concludes, Setting the Stage for Tapio 2026

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Exercise Salitre Concludes, Setting the Stage for Tapio 2026

ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE

12.31.1969

Story by Master Sgt. Ceaira Tinsley 

Air Forces Southern

For two weeks, Cerro Moreno Air Base in Antofagasta, Chile, was a hub of activity as aircraft launched and recovered, medics prepared for missions, and multinational teams moved throughout the installation to support training operations

From the flight line to the planning rooms, air forces from across the Americas worked side-by-side, exchanging expertise and building the interoperability needed to operate together

That steady rhythm began to slow as the final foreign aircraft and personnel departed, marking the conclusion of Exercise Salitre 2026 and the culmination of a training event built on partnership and trust

“Together, we flew more than 600 hours and conducted 380 sorties and that’s a great goal to achieve,” said Chilean air force Lt. Gen. Maximo “Vudu” Raggio, Exercise Salitre director. “We shared our experience, and working together we made the region, our forces and our countries stronger.”

Hosted by the Chilean Air Force, the fifth iteration of Salitre’s training extended well beyond flight operations. Security forces exchanged ground defense tactics and conducted group ruck marchers, medical personnel strengthened lifesaving skills through Tactical Combat Casualty Care training, and Airmen and Guardians from the space and intelligence cells shared techniques that each nation will carry home to improve future operations

“It was a team effort for our maintainers, pilots, defenders, medics, and support personnel, ” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ryan Clisset, 8th Fighter Squadron commander. “When we left the states, I told my team that the number one objective coming here was to integrate and practice interoperability. I wanted to share, learn and grow with our partner nations here and we did just that.”

When Exercise Resolute Sentinel – Salitre 2026 began, success was defined not by the number of sorties generated, but by what participating nations learned from one another. Two weeks later, Airmen departed Chile with new tactics, stronger professional networks and a deeper understanding of how coalition partners fight, communicate and solve problems together

“As the exercise comes to a close, I asked the team to reflect on the amazing work that we accomplished but more importantly the strong partnerships and relationships we made here,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Steven Cabrera, U.S. commander for Exercise Salitre. “We are grateful for every interaction we’ve had here. I know these connections are going to extend long after the exercise ends because of the genuine engagements and exchanges of information each of our countries are going to be stronger and ready to take on future challenges together.”

As Exercise Salitre 2026 concludes as the first phase of Resolute Sentinel 2026, participating nations will carry forward key lessons learned and strengthened partnerships into Phase 2, Exercise Tápio, in Brazil later this year

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