Asia Pacific Defense Forum ::

1st Lt. Stephen Legarski, USA, assigned to 94th Army Air and Missile Defense; TSgt. Shane A. Cuomo, USAF, assigned to Air Force News Agency; Sgt. Isolda McClelland, USA, assigned to Mobile Public Affairs Detachment Command; and Cpl. Guillermo E. Vargas, USA, assigned to YAMA SAKURA 51 Public Affairs.

"Exercises such as KEEN EDGE and YAMA SAKURA improve interoperability between U.S. and Japanese forces across the spectrum of operations – from regional disaster relief to ballistic missile defense – and help ensure stability in the Pacific."

Lt. Gen. Bruce A. Wright, USAF
Commander, U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force

Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) and U.S. forces conducted KEEN EDGE/YAMA SAKURA 2007 (KE/YS-07) a bilateral command post exercise (CPX) in February 2007. The two exercises merged for the first time to allow participants to focus on the defense of Japan from both ground and air threats.

KEEN EDGE is part of an annual series of exercises that alternates between field training and CPXs. Established over 50 years ago, YAMA SAKURA is a well- established computer-simulated exercise between Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF), U.S. Marines and U.S. Army personnel stationed in Japan.

Approximately 1,350 JSDF and 3,100 U.S. sailors, soldiers, Marines, airmen and Coast Guardsmen participated in the exercise at several locations in Japan and in the Air and Space Center (AOC) at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, USA. Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Admiral Takashi Saito, Chairman of the Joint Staff Office, and U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Bruce A. Wright, Commander, U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force, co-directed KE/YS-07.

Designed to deter aggression, ensure the defense of Japan, and protect common interests in the Pacific through increased combat readiness and interoperability, KE/YS-07 had two phases. The focus of Phase A was bilateral coordination, force protection, host-nation support, ballistic missile defense, and non-combatant evacuation operations. Phase B was designed to strengthen military operations and ties among the JGSDF and U.S. Army and Marine Corps personnel.

“This is a bilateral exercise to test and evaluate the treaty obligations that we have with our partners in Japan,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Steven Ruehl. “One of the big things we get out of [KE/YS-07] is the opportunity to think about operations in Japan supporting bilateral treaty obligations.”

“U.S. and Japan bilateral coordination is very important,” said JASDF Lt. Col. Yoshihiro Nakatani, one of the six JASDF officers at the AOC. “We cannot each keep peace by ourselves, so the international treaty [1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security] is very important.”

Before the start of KE/YS-07, JGSDF and U.S. ground forces laid 6,000 meters of wire at Camp Itami and connected cables to workstations to optimize communications for the exercise. “We were able to do a lot of cross-training with switches, laying cables, establishing a connection, and so on,” said U.S. Army SSgt. Joshua Cruz.

During the exercise, bilateral coordination centers located at Japan’s Ministry of Defense and at Yokota Air Base employed computer simulation to practice response measures they would take in the event of a contingency. A computer program called the Joint Theater Level Simulation System and Core Battle Simulation was used in the exercise to simulate terrain and contingency scenarios. The program provided commanders and staffs from Joint Headquarters down to maneuver units with valuable training in the absence of field training.

While most participants were in Japan, six JASDF liaison officers, 300 U.S. airmen, and 20 U.S. soldiers participated in the exercise in the AOC on Hickam Air Force Base. Because the exercise is a CPX using computer simulation of force employment, much of the command and control for Japan’s air defense was handled at the AOC where air tasking orders are developed.

“A command post exercise is very economical in today’s ... financial constraints,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Boera. “We are able to get through that command and control piece and many of the procedures by exercises such as this. It is very valuable to both the bilateral partner that we are working with and to us here in the AOC.”

Working with the JASDF liaison officers, AOC members developed a bilateral ballistic missile defense design that incorporated both JSDF and U.S. weapons systems. They also learned how to integrate each country’s forces to respond to contingency operations, natural disasters, and humanitarian efforts. “Any time we can bring two members of the region together, it increases everyone’s confidence and it displays a capability that meets both the Commander Pacific Air Forces and Commander U.S. Pacific Command’s objectives with regard to theater security cooperation,” noted Col. Ruehl.

“These joint exercises were useful for training with [U.S. soldiers] and the Japan Air Self-Defense Forces,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joseph Wicker. “[KE/YS-07] allowed for the integration of the Surface-to-Air Missile Tactical Order reports into the Airspace Tasking Order and the coordination of air activity below the Airspace Coordination Line.”

During both exercise phases, participants refined standard operating procedures for command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence; ballistic missile defense interoperability; and liaison support. The exercise cemented the need for a trusting U.S.-Japan relationship to make Bilateral Ballistic Missile Defense a dependable tool in protecting the common interests within the Pacific Region.

“Exercises such as KEEN EDGE and YAMA SAKURA improve interoperability between U.S. and Japanese forces across the spectrum of operations – from regional disaster relief to ballistic missile defense – and help ensure stability in the Pacific,” said Lt. Gen. Wright. “To be committed partners, we can’t wait for a catastrophe to think through our bilateral response options.”

Overall, the bilateral exercise strengthened the partnership between the United States and its ally in the Pacific. Friendships that came from sharing stories and participating in cultural events helped strengthen the professional relationships established during the exercise that will last for many years to come.

E-mail: apdforum@apan-info.net

KEEN EDGE/YAMA SAKURA 2007, a bilateral command post exercise held in Japan and Hawaii, focused on increasing combat readiness and interoperability to deter aggression, ensure the defense of Japan, and protect common interests in the Pacific. Here, a member of Japan’s Federal Fire Department and a U.S. sailor discuss tactics during a mass casualty drill at Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan.
Photo by PO2 Ryan McGinley, USN

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) members lift a simulated casualty during a demonstration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques.
Photo by LCpl. Warren Peace,USMC

Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) personnel share a traditional Japanese meal with U.S. Army soldiers during a dinner at Camp Itami, Japan.
Photo by MSgt. Anne W. Trainer, USAF

JSDF and U.S. soldiers render a salute during the opening ceremony for KE/YS-07 at Camp Itami, Japan.
Photo by MSgt. Anne W. Trainer, USAF

Japan Air Self-Defense Force liaison officers work with U.S. airmen and soldiers inside the Air and Space Operations Center at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.
Photo by TSgt. Shane A. Cuomo, USAF

Japanese samurai re-enactors and U.S. military personnel participate in a ceremony at Osaka Castle in Osaka, Japan, as part of a cultural exchange program during KE/YS-07.
Photo by SPC Loni Kingston, USAF