Not every NATO mission begins with aircraft in the air. Some begin with relationships.
In this episode of The Allied Airpower Podcast, ‘Houdini’ spoke with Major Joseph Plata of NATO Allied Air Command’s A9 Military Partnership Branch about one of the Alliance’s less visible but strategically important missions: building and sustaining relationships with partner nations. It is work that happens largely behind the scenes, but it plays a direct role in strengthening trust, improving understanding, and expanding cooperation across the air domain.
Major Plata helps coordinate one of NATO’s most practical partnership tools: Mobile Training Teams (MTT). These teams deliver tailored, unclassified training to partner nations on subjects such as air operational planning, force protection, airspace management, space operations, and public affairs. But as Major Plata explained, the value of these missions goes beyond instruction. They help open lines of communication, reduce misconceptions, and create the kind of professional trust that cannot be built through policy documents alone.
This episode offers a useful reminder that Allied Air and Space Power are not only about platforms and operations. It is also about people, partnerships, and the steady work of building trust before it is needed most.
Recorded Wednesday, 18 March 2026.
