JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- More than 30 students from the Royal Belgian Military Academy located in Brussels, Belgium, toured Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst June 19-20.
The tour was part of a nine-day visit to the U.S., which is the culminating event for graduates of year-long Belgian Defense Staff College for field grade officers. The aim of the visit was to provide students the firsthand knowledge of defense establishment in the U.S.
“We’re here to take a look at our biggest NATO partner, both militarily and non-militarily,” said Belgian Army Col. Marc Alexander, who led the visit.
The students’ itinerary included an overall brief about the installation, visits to the Air Advisory Academy and the 621st Contingency Response Wing’s Global Rapid Deployment Center and a tour of a C-17 Globemaster III.
The visiting class consisted of students from 12 nations, including Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, the U.S., Tunisia, Gabon, Lebanon, Morocco, and Burkina Faso.
“The Belgian Staff College visit was an incredible opportunity to build and maintain alliances with NATO partners and other European and African nations,” said Col. Neil Richardson, 87th Air Base Wing commander and Joint Base MDL commander.
The students’ U.S. visit also included the United Nations in New York, the Pentagon, the NATO Allied Transformation Command in Norfolk, Va., an international think tank and a major defense contractor.