Dutch Wrap up 32 Years Of Flying with Fighter Unit

Members of the 162nd Wing and the Royal Netherlands Air Force, along with dignitaries from both countries, marked the end of an era July 29 as the RNLAF landed its last F-16 Fighting Falcon at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona.

The event culminated a 32-year international training relationship.

“Arizona has developed an ever-lasting relationship with the Netherlands that will continue to strengthen interoperability between the United States and foreign partner nations across the globe,” said Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Butler, the wing commander. “This has been a partnership that extends beyond any other witnessed in National Guard history.”

The Dutch were the first in a long line of foreign partners to train at Morris ANG Base, flying an average of 2,000 hours per year in the F-16 and graduating four student pilots every nine months as part of the 148th Fighter Squadron.

“I was a student in the 148th Fighter Squadron in 1991,” said Lt. Col. Joost Luijsterburg, the RNLAF detachment commander. “That was 31 years ago, and now I’m going to close this unit. … It is the end of an era.”

The RNLAF is transitioning from the F-16 to the F-35A Lightning II. Luijsterburg has already assumed command of the Dutch F-35 detachment at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, and had been acting as dual commander of both detachments. 

The international training relationship between the Guard and the Dutch is a prime example of the diplomacy that can occur at the state level, officials said. 

“The National Guard has a vested interest in growing its partnerships with foreign countries, and we do that better than anyone else, right here in Tucson, Arizona,” Butler said. “Our international training mission provides expertly trained coalition warfighting partners for the United States and our NATO allies — and that is both necessary and reassuring in today’s environment.”