Photo By Senior Airman Jacob Wood | U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Cameron Williams, 374th Communications Squadron cable...... read more read more
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YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan–U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 374th Communications Squadron recently completed their third iteration of the Samurai Relay on February 6th, 2026.
The Samurai Relay is a 374 CS exercise designed to provide its expeditionary communication team with hands-on training needed to set up communications capabilities in austere locations. During the exercise, Airmen utilize Communications Fly-away Kits, which are portable satellite communications packages that can establish networks in locations without infrastructure. In this iteration of the Samurai Relay, two teams of Airmen deployed two CFK’s and additional equipment to establish network connection in simulated austere conditions.
“There are a lot of different capabilities that they're using and this is an opportunity for them to do some proof of concept,” said Capt. Jeff Louis, 374 CS Special Missions flight commander, “They have two kits sending messages and making sure that they can receive and transmit on different fronts.”
In addition to the communication equipment included in the CFK’s, the teams also brought a tent and gasoline-powered generators, enabling continued operations in the event of power-loss or remote conditions. This can enable the capability in locations where electricity and communications infrastructure isn’t present.
“We're building up coalition networks, which are similar to normal Secure Internet Protocol Router networks, but they allow coalition force access,” said Senior Airman Gibson Chomphuthip, XCOMM section technician and situation controller, “The one we're focusing on is called the INDOPACOM Mission Network, which provides accessibility for all of our partner nations within the Indo-Pacific region.”
The exercise intends to train new members of the 374 CS’s XCOMM team, promoting continuity of the home-grown capability and providing immediate feedback for their efforts. Through continued training, the 374 CS aims to maintain the readiness of its communication professionals in an expeditionary capacity.
“In essence, what we have here is a mini comm squadron,” said Louis, “We use these different mediums to transmit and transfer depending on the needs of our customers. As a part of the Log-QRF, it’s our responsibility to provide the communication support the warfighters need in order to carry out the mission.”
| Date Taken: | 02.12.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.13.2026 01:14 |
| Story ID: | 558099 |
| Location: | YOKOTA AIR BASE, TOKYO, JP |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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