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ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam — The streets of Guam were filled with celebration as service members and locals came together for the 81st Guam Liberation Day parade. Flying by in a U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, one Airman was a critical link in a multinational chain, coordinating in real time between the U.S. and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. On the ground, hundreds of feet away, another Airman was balancing sortie schedules and cross-cultural timelines, bridging the communication gap between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea Air Force. This wasn’t a day-to-day task for either of them—but it was exactly why both joined the Language Enabled Airman Program.
U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Esther Kim, Space Systems Command director of contracting, and 2nd Lt. Julie Tatemoto, 51st Operations Support Squadron airfield operations director of operations at Osan Air Base, South Korea, advanced beyond their core duties with LEAP to become mission-critical translators, strengthening U.S. engagement with the ROKAF and JASDF during the first-in-a-generation 2025 Department-Level-Exercise series at Andersen AFB, Guam, July 10-31, 2025.
Before stepping into the DLE, both lieutenants were language learners with a deep desire to contribute on a global scale.
“I went to a Department of Defense Dependents School for middle and high school in South Korea,” said Kim. “All my classmates were military or government-related dependents. That community, with a sense of belonging and shared values, stuck with me. Joining the Air Force felt like a continuation of that.”
While Kim was shaped by her upbringing and Tatemoto her curiosity, both were motivated by camaraderie to join the Air Force.
“I joined for the people,” said Tatemoto. “I'm not from a military family or background, but a lot of pilots in Hawaii recommended me to do ROTC. And what kept me through it all was the people. The Air Force is different from any other job or career field out there. It felt really special.”
While in the Air Force, both lieutenants learned, applied and were accepted into LEAP where they participated in mentorship sessions and studied advanced political, economic, and military topics in their target languages. But the program isn’t just about translation — it’s about cultural fluency, operational readiness, and embedding linguistic assets into mission environments.
Eventually, LEAP sent out a call for volunteers with Korean and Japanese fluency for the exercise — and both lieutenants raised their hand.
“LEAP provides opportunities for temporary duty assignments through Language Intensive Training Events and allows you to work with partner nations,” said Tatemoto. “This is my second LITE, and it’s been very different from the first. The scale of this exercise is larger, and I’ve been much more involved in coordination between the U.S. and JASDF teams. My last TDY had fewer JASDF participants, and they spoke English pretty well, so I wasn’t needed as much. Here, I’ve been heavily engaged.”
During the DLE, both lieutenants filled the liaison role between the U.S. and participating allies.
The DLE brought distinguished visitors to Andersen AFB to discuss the exercise and meet foreign partners, and on her first LITE, Kim found herself in the middle of a high-profile distinguished visitor dinner.
“My first LEAP LITE, it was exciting!” said Kim. “LITEs really put you on the spot, especially the advanced ones. Following a full day of tours, I was able to do real-time translation at a [distinguished visitor] dinner for the ROK major general; Dr. Troy Meink, Secretary of the Air Force; U.S. Air Force General Kevin Schneider, Pacific Air Forces commander; and Lou Leon Guerrero, Guam governor, amongst others. It was nerve-wracking but a fantastic learning experience.”
Despite working in separate domains on different teams, the two often crossed paths during mutual operations and shared intelligence on common site coordination.
“The camaraderie was the best part,” said Kim. “Even during long hours or when someone needed to go to the clinic or around base, we all looked out for each other. That teamwork made the mission feel meaningful.”
Tatemoto also shared her experience.
“Watching U.S. and JASDF forces conduct drop zone ops side by side — that’s what stuck with me,” said Tatemoto. “It was really exciting, and it’s directly relevant to my career field. Seeing both sides in action and knowing I was a part of that was an incredible learning opportunity.”
Overall, both lieutenants filled a unique role in the DLE. As a result, they return to their home stations transformed by new experiences, and with sharper skills and a deeper appreciation for what LEAP offers.
“I learned a lot that I can apply back at Osan, especially since we work with ROKAF and do similar trilateral exercises,” said Tatemoto. “This exercise gave me a better understanding of how each country operates. Any other exercise will feel easy after this.”
Kim also expressed how grateful she was for the opportunity to work with participating allies.
“When else would you be flying on an ally's aircraft, translating in real-time, while another partner nation is onboard with you?” said Kim. “The level of interoperability we achieved here was incredible.”
Furthermore, efforts like the DLE improve U.S. ability to effectively operate alongside allies and partners and keep pace with global threats. This exercise series provides unique opportunities to integrate various forces into Joint, coalition, and multinational training. At the front of that integration is LEAP, powered by bright and motivated Airmen who bring nations together.
The 2025 DLE series is a new way of conducting operations in a contested, dynamic environment to build capabilities making a stronger, more deterrent force. The DLE encompasses all branches of the Department of Defense, along with Allies and partners, employing more than 400 Joint and coalition aircraft and more than 12,000 members at more than 50 locations across 3,000 miles.
| Date Taken: | 07.31.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2025 11:57 |
| Story ID: | 544344 |
| Location: | ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, GU |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, LEAP translates strategy into action during first-in-a-generation DLE exercise series, by SrA Jade Caldwell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
