American, Japanese airmen join forces in Keen Edge '07

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo
  • Air Force News Agency
Approximately 300 Airmen and six Japan Air Self Defense Force liaison officers are participating in the bilateral command post Exercise Keen Edge '07 here.

Officials from 13th Air Force are conducting their part of the annual weeklong joint bilateral exercise to increase combat readiness and interoperability with the JASDF.

The U.S. Forces Japan-led exercise is designed to deter aggression, ensure the defense of Japan and protect common interests within the Pacific Region.

"This is a bilateral exercise to test and evaluate the treaty obligations that we have with our partners in Japan," said Col. Steven Ruehl, the 13th AF chief of staff and acting commander for Air Force forces for Keen Edge. "One of the big things we get out of Keen Edge is the opportunity to think about operations in Japan supporting those bilateral treaty obligations," he said.

Exercises such as Keen Edge develop a close working relationship between the U.S. and Japan that can be used in peace and during increased operational requirements.

"The U.S. and Japan bilateral coordination is very important," said Lt. Col. Yoshihiro Nakatani, a Japan Air Self Defense Force liaison officer. "We cannot each keep peace by ourselves, so the international treaty (1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security) is very important," he said.

Positioned to serve as a theater Joint Force Air Component Command, the exercise allows the 13th Air Force to test and refine processes in that role. Because the exercise is a command post exercise using computer simulation of force employment much of the air component work is handled at the 613th Air and Space Operation Center here.

"A command post exercise is very economical in today's day of financial constraints that we have. We can't just fly planes whenever we want," said Col. Michael Boera, the 613th AOC commander and acting Joint Force Air Component commander.

Activated as the 613th AOC Oct. 6, the AOC is the heart of the exercise. It is the execution arm of the fight, exercising the command and control and command post piece of the air defense of Japan. It is responsible for developing the air tasking orders that will tell pilots and Airmen in the region what they need to do.

Working with the Japanese liaison officers on integration and interoperability, AOC members will also learn how to integrate each country's forces to respond to contingency operations, natural disasters and humanitarian efforts.

"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 use here in the AOC," Colonel Boera said.

"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," Colonel Ruehl said.

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