Cope North

(left) Petty Officer 3rd class Curtis Chambers aviation technician, (center) Airman 1st Class Charles Robar, fuels specialist 36th Logistics Readiness Squadron and Petty Officer 3rd Jason Chadderton, aviation machinist mate remove a fuel hose Feb. 3 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam prior to a EA-6B Prowler local area mission during exercise Cope North 09-1. Prowlers from VAQ-136 Carrier Air Wing Five, Atsugi, Japan along with Japan Air Self Defense Force F-2s from the 6th Squadron, Tsuiki Air Base and E-2Cs from the 601st Squadron, Misawa Air Base will join forward deployed USAF F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 18th Aggressor Squadron, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, B-52 Stratofortress' currently deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam from the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron will participate in this year's Cope North exercise Feb. 2-13. Cope North 09-1 is the first iteration of a regularly scheduled joint and bilateral exercise and is part of the on-going series of exercises designed to enhance air operations in defense of Japan. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald)