For the first time, a U.S. Air Force RC-135, a manned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, flew a mission over Finland on March 23, as a demonstration of U.S. European Command’s shared commitment to enhancing readiness and providing training opportunities to improve interoperability with Finland.

Flying at the invitation of the Finnish Defense Forces, the aim of the flight was to further defense cooperation between Finland, the U.S. and NATO. These types of sorties support agile combat employment concepts and enable participation in regional exercises that ensure interoperability of NATO Allies and partners in the region.

The operational readiness of U.S. forces across all domains is critical to building partnerships, responding to crisis, providing deterrence and supporting Allies and partners. Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance is one of the U.S. Air Force's core missions. Along with Finland and NATO Allies, the ISR mission is integral to global vigilance and enables the operational agility needed in a dynamic security environment.