Aircraft, crews and support personnel from across the Americas converged at Cerro Moreno Air Base in Antofagasta, Chile, for the kickoff of Exercise Resolute Sentinel - Salitre 2026, June 28.
This year marks the fifth iteration of the multinational air combat exercise hosted by the Chilean Air Force. The two-week exercise reinforces a hemispherewide 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.
The air component of U.S. Southern Command, 12th Air Force, Air Forces Southern, is leading U.S. participation.
"Exercises like Resolute Sentinel - Salitre are when partnership becomes capability," said U.S. Air Force Col. Steven Cabrera, 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 is 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. The three exercises collectively advance regional integration and combined readiness across the Western Hemisphere.
This year, Salitre features airmen from across the enterprise, representing multiple Air Force specialty codes and Texas Air National Guard personnel, as well as various aircraft, including F-16 Fighting Falcons, MQ-9 Reapers and U-28A Dracos, 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, Salitre general coordinator.
Throughout the 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," Noce said. "This area is ideal for the exercise because it provides the dedicated airspace we need to train and challenge our combined combat forces."
Since its launch in 2004, Salitre has steadily expanded to include operational scenarios that enable partner nations to improve interoperability and strengthen hemispheric command and control.
"The first iteration was held in Iquique, [Chile], and focused primarily on air-to-air missions, but now it has evolved into a multidomain exercise, featuring a complex crisis scenario that also includes a humanitarian component," Noce said.
In the coming weeks, participants will work together to execute training scenarios that demonstrate 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," Cabrera said. "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."