Japanese fighters join Cooperative Cope Thunder Exercise
PACAF News
Release Date: 5/28/2003
By Master Sgt. Jon K. Scudder 3rd Wing Public Affairs ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska - Fighters from the Japanese Air Self Defense Force touched down May 27 on North American soil for the first time for an exercise as they prepare for Cooperative Cope Thunder, a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored air combat training exercise set for June 5-20.
Cope Thunder exercises normally are held four times a year; however, this training exercise will mark a substantial increase in Japanese participation.
"The Japanese involvement is very significant in the fact that of all the foreign participants, they bring the biggest contingent of people and different missions to this exercise," said Lt. Col. David Ennis, Detachment 1, 353rd Combat Training Squadron commander, here.
More than 1,675 people will participate at Elmendorf and Eielson Air Force Bases, including approximately 980 U.S. service members and 695 service members from Thailand, Singapore, Republic of Korea, India and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. About 275 people from the JASDF will participate.
JASDF Lt. Col. Kazuhiko Murakami, Headquarters Air Defense Command, said he is looking forward to the exercise.
"Cope Thunder will provide a very good training environment," said Colonel Murakami. "We have a very limited area (in Japan) and here we can conduct more actual training," referring to Alaska's vast 66,000 square miles of military airspace.
The Japanese are bringing three separate airframes with three different missions to Elmendorf--command and control with the E-767, airlift with three C-130s, and defensive counter air with six F-15Js--as well as a short range air defense ground unit to Eielson AFB.
He added that the experience of deploying the F-15Js, C-130s, E-767 and interacting with a U.S. Air Force tanker would be good training.
Colonel Ennis echoed the benefits of integrating the two air forces. "All of these platforms will be working hand-in-hand with counterparts from the United States in both the blue (friendly) force and the red (opposition) force roles, so they will be affecting every piece of the exercise--that is significant," said Colonel Ennis.
Japan will participate together with U.S. forces in "defensive counter air" missions as a bilateral partner. Japan will not directly participate with forces of other nations, which will all be flying "offensive counter air" missions during the exercise, according to Colonel Ennis.
Some of the goals Cope Thunder participants hope to gain include sharpening air combat skills, exchanging air operations tactics, and promoting closer relations with U.S. personnel and with other participating countries.
The mock battles are taped, and during a daily debrief, technicians from the 353rd CTS point out tactics the pilots performed well, along with those that could get them killed in a real war.
"We give the participants, including the U.S., the opportunity to work together as if a coalition was set up to counter a common threat with a common military objective," said Colonel Ennis. "Any experience gained before having to be tested with real bullets flying is beneficial to all participants."
He added that the experience gained working with coalition partners in a training environment honing skills would be critical to a successful real-world operation, particularly the logistics involved in deploying to and operating out of a foreign base.
Although this exercise marks the first time Japanese fighters have participated, Cope Thunder has been around for several years.
They were first held in 1976 at Clark Air Base, Philippines, but moved to Alaska in 1992 when Mount Pinatubo erupted, forcing curtailment of operations at Clark.
Since then, thousands of people from all four military services, as well as the armed services from around the world, have taken part in the training to make a more formidable war-fighting force. (Courtesy of Pacific Air Forces News Service)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
