U.S. Airmen Join Fifth Iteration of Chilean-hosted Exercise Salitre

Aircraft, crews, and support personnel from across the Americas are converging in northern Chile as Exercise Resolute Sentinel - Saltire 2026, a premier multinational air combat exercise hosted by the Chilean Air Force, kicked off June 28, 2026, at Cerro Moreno Air Base in Antofagasta, Chile.

U.S. participation in the fifth iteration of Salitre is led by 12th Air Force, Air Forces Southern, the air component of U.S. Southern Command, and reinforces a hemisphere-wide effort to strengthen interoperability, sharpen combat readiness and deepen trusted military relationships that allow allied air forces to operate together when regional security demands it.

"Exercises like Resolute Sentinel - Salitre are when partnership becomes capability,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Steven Cabrera, U.S. Exercise Commander. "Every mission we fly together is an opportunity to remove barriers and learn from one another, laying the foundation for faster decisions as a combined force when our nations need us most.”

Salitre marks the first of three major multinational exercises conducted under Resolute Sentinel 2026, and will be followed by two phases in Brazil this fall during Exercise Tapio, collectively advancing regional integration and combined readiness across the Western hemisphere.

This year’s Salitre exercise features Airmen from across the enterprise, representing multiple Air Force specialty codes, including F-16 Fighting Falcons from Holloman Air Force Base, MQ-9 Reapers, U-28A Draco aircrews, Texas Air National Guard personnel and additional support members, reflecting the integrated capabilities required for modern combat.

“We believe this is one of our most important exercises, and we are proud to welcome every participating nation,” said Chilean air force Col. Juan Carlos Noce, Exercise Salitre General Coordinator.

Throughout the two-week exercise, U.S. Airmen will train alongside personnel from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay in and around the Atacama Desert.

“We are ready to work together and learn from one another,” said Noce. “This area is ideal for the exercise because it provides the dedicated airspace we need to train and challenge our combined combat forces.”

Since launching its first iteration in 2004, Exercise Salitre has steadily expanded to include operational scenarios that prepare partner nations to improve interoperability and strengthen hemispheric command and control.

“The first iteration was held in Iquique and focused primarily on air-to-air missions, but now it has evolved into a multi-domain exercise featuring a complex crisis scenario that also includes a humanitarian component,” said Noce.

In the coming weeks, participants will work together to execute training scenarios demonstrating combined air operations, airspace control, air superiority, ground force protection, civil support, and combat search and rescue.

“At the end of this exercise, success won’t be measured by the number of sorties we fly,” said Cabrera. “Success will be measured by what we’ve learned from one another. In two weeks, if every nation leaves stronger because we’ve integrated the best ideas, tactics and capabilities from our partners into our own, then we’ve succeeded.”