JECC members bolster US-Japan relations during Keen Edge 14

YOKOTA AIR BASE, AICHI, JAPAN

02.21.2014

Courtesy Story

Joint Planning Support Element - Public Affairs

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – Members of U.S. Transportation Command’s Joint Enabling Capabilities Command participated in Keen Edge 2014, a bilateral command post exercise held Jan. 21 – 31 between U.S. and Japanese forces. The exercise tested each nation’s military readiness and interoperability.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Sam Angelella, commander, U.S. Forces, Japan (USFJ), and Japan Air Self-Defense Force Gen. Shigeru Iwasaki, chief of staff, Joint Staff, directed the exercise. Nearly 2,000 personnel participated.

The U.S.-Japan security alliance has served as one of the region's most important military relationships since post-World War II and is an anchor of the U.S. security role in East Asia.

“Through bilateral exercises such as Keen Edge,” Angelella said, “the United States demonstrates its enduring commitment to the defense of Japan and U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific.”

The exercise reaffirmed the importance and multi-dimensional relationship between the U.S. and Japan. Held every two years, Keen Edge provides U.S. and Japanese headquarters opportunities to practice steps they would take in the event of a crisis.

“Keen Edge provides a valuable training opportunity to practice our ability to work together, and upgrade our operational skills, procedures and interoperability,” Angelella said.

These skills were showcased in March 2011, following the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan’s Tohoku region. U.S. support to Japanese forces, under Operation Tomodachi, was the largest bilateral mission in the history of the alliance.

“The purpose and real value of this training has always been to facilitate the interaction and the flow of information between U.S. forces and the Jieitai,” Angelella said.

During the exercise, personnel responded to computer-generated scenarios that tested reaction capabilities in real time. Past exercises have focused on multiple scenarios in which U.S. forces could be called on to support U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) operations and the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF).

Approximately 400 U.S. personnel from outside Japan participated in the exercise at locations throughout Japan and Hawaii. The primary operating locations were at USFJ headquarters, Yokota Air Base, Japan, and USPACOM headquarters at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. Nearly 1,400 Japanese personnel operated out of Yokota AB and Camp Ichigaya in Tokyo, the JSDF headquarters.

“I am continually impressed with the dedication and commitment of the Jieitai toward improving their skills,” Angelella said. “I’m also impressed with our own efforts. We brought in a large contingent of people who, in a short time frame, came together as a team and successfully tackled the difficult challenges thrown at them throughout the exercise. Keen Edge was truly an outstanding training opportunity for everyone involved.”

• Date Taken: 02.21.2014
• Date Posted: 02.21.2014 13:36
• Story ID: 120971
• Location: YOKOTA AIR BASE, AICHI, JP