Six US Air Force F-16s and approximately 300 personnel arrived 9 August 2015 at Incirlik AB in Turkey to support Operation Inherent Resolve missions into Iraq and Syria. The F-16 pilots, deployed from 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano AB, Italy, began flying missions against ISIL targets a few days after arrival. The primary strategic benefit of operating from Turkey is that it gives US forces greater proximity to ISIL operations. The US and Turkey are members of a more than sixty-nation coalition fighting ISIL. Many of the deployed Airmen, support equipment, spares, and supplies were flown from Aviano to Incirlik by US aircrews flying a pair of C-5M Super Galaxys based at Dover AFB, Delaware.
