Florida Air National Guard travels to Eastern Europe for 3-month deployment

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Close to 200 Florida Air National Guard airmen are making their way to Eastern Europe on deployment.

This comes at a time when tension is high overseas after the United States shot down an aircraft in air-to-air combat for the first time in nearly 20 years.

For three months, the airmen will be away from loved ones on a mission overseas.

"My little girl is old enough to understand now what's going on and that's the hardest part," airman Lance Bennett said.

The mission is called “Operation Atlantic Resolve” and they will be working with NATO allies. Right now, the details of the mission are slim.

This mission comes at a time when tension is high in Eastern Europe.

“Obviously with all that's going on in that part of the world and Syria, we have our eye on it," Commander Brian Simpler said.

This past weekend, a U.S. jet shot down a Syrian aircraft after it dropped bombs near American partner forces taking on ISIS.

And Russian officials are threatening to treat American led planes as targets.

"Our team is well trained and we've got very capable F-15 fighters that we fly, so I have no doubt that we are up to any challenge we face," Simpler said.

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Bennett said he is confident heading overseas.

"We have the best maintainers throughout the Guard and Air Force nationwide. I’ll put them up against anybody all day long," Bennett said.

The deployment is set to last three months, but that could change.

"Anything is possible with the very uncertain role we live in," Simpler said.

The Air National Guard had its last deployment to Europe two years ago and this isn’t a classified mission.