ENJJPT Steering Committee Convenes at Sheppard

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SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program Steering Committee meets every six months to formulate policy and oversee the execution of the ENJJPT Program.

Sheppard Air Force Base will host the next Steering Committee meeting on behalf of the U.S., Mar. 9-13, 2015, for approximately 60 personnel from the 13 participating NATO countries as they gather to prepare for the upcoming fiscal year. They will also discuss the future of the program through 2026.

ENJJPT is the world's only internationally manned and managed pilot training program, established by a memorandum of understanding in 1978, with participants from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

In its 34-year history, ENJJPT has graduated more than 6,900 pilots and produced more than 2,000 pilots from the introduction to fighter fundamentals course for the NATO alliance. Graduates from ENJJPT have supported every major military operation since 1981.

The benefits of the ENJJPT program are vast; shared cost, training environment, standardization and joint interoperability.

Brig. Gen. Gunter Katz, German Air Force director of operations, graduated from ENJJPT almost 30 years ago and is the current ENJJPT Steering Committee chairman.

Col. Gregory Keeton, 80th Flying Training Wing commander, emphasized that the program is much more than an ideal way to train pilots for the NATO alliance. He also said there is a global imperative that ENJJPT fulfills. 

"ENJJPT is the groundwork for strategic partnerships and for interoperability among our partners," Keeton said. "ENJJPT builds a foundational trust among future operators and future leaders of NATO Air Forces."

The relationships developed among all participants at ENJJPT is important to the future of the program. As the mission statement suggests, student and instructor pilots of today will be the leaders of NATO's Air Forces of tomorrow. Having trained together opens the door for pilots to be better prepared to fight and win together, as one.