Partnership in the Pacific

Signal, Jun 2008 by Boland, Rita

Alliance grows stronger with major relocation.

The U.S. and Japanese militaries are reaffirming their commitment to collaboration with the construction of a Japanese air defense command on a U.S. Air Force base in the Asian country. The move further enhances the bilateral relationship the two nations share and will increase command and control through persistent personal interaction.

The Japan Ak Self-Defense Force (JASDF) is relocating its Air Defense Command (ADC) Headquarters from Fuchu Air Station to Yokota Ak Base as a result of the Defense Policy Review Initiative. The move was also directed by the JapanU.S. security Consultative Committee's Japan-U.S. Roadmap for Realignment Implementation in May 2006. The ADC relocation, and subsequent training, will strengthen interoperability, and it will create a tighter partnership between two key allies through information sharing and coordination.

The command headquarters and associated units-a total of approximately 1,200 personnel-will transfer to the new location, considerably improving Japanese and U.S. military-to-military relations. "We have solid relationships already due to significant bilateral efforts to travel between these locations, but having the ADC right next door will help shore up our relationships due to an increase in the daily faceto-face interaction," explains Col. Michael A. Mac William, USAF, commander of 13th Air Force Detachment 1 at Yokota.

Thirteenth Air Force, based in Hawaii, is the Air Force organization responsible for the execution of air operations in the Pacific. Detachment 1 was established as part of 13th Air Force in January 2007 to engage with the JASDF on all operational issues. "Essentially we are 13th Air Force liaisons to the JASDF and will sit side by side with the ADC during exercises and contingencies to coordinate operations," Col. MacWilliam says.

The two nations' militaries are not organized as a coalition or as a combined force. Rather, they support a bilateral relationship with separate and distinct command and control and chains of command. "The key to success in the execution of operations in this type of relationship is daily, persistent coordination at all levels," the colonel says. "The move to Yokota will significantly enhance our command and control coordination." Though U.S. command and control is not directly affected, the improved coordination of bilateral air and missile defense in the region made possible by the ADC headquarters move is expected to increase effectiveness.

The JASDF and the Air Force already work together regularly. From training exercises to daily interaction between the joint staff and the headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan, some type of communication is a constant While the exact number of U.S. personnel who will work in the headquarters is still undecided, the personal interactions among members of the two nations are expected to increase and build upon the strong relationships fostered from the current relations.

Because of the two-pronged nature of the alliance, coordination is a key aspect as forces prepare to execute all types of missions such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as operations in defense of Japan. "In a sense, the main benefit of the ADC move is a strengthening of the alliance-a stabilizing force in the Pacific," Col. Mac William says.

In addition to the ADC relocation, the Defense Policy Review Initiative directed several other efforts to realign forces in Japan to enhance coordination and information sharing and to improve U.S. and Japanese interoperability. The ADC Headquarters move to Yokota achieves all the objectives and provides U.S. troops in Japan and the Pacific with improved Air Force-JASDF command and control operations during the planning and execution of all bilateral air operations. "This project is vitally important to the continued strengthening of the Japan-U.S. bilateral security relationship," explains Maj. Hiroaki Akiguchi, assistant of the spokesperson of the JASDF.

The ADC Headquarters is the supreme Self-Defense Force command authority for Japanese air defense and serves as the headquarters for ballistic missile defense as well. An air defense system called the Japan Aerospace Ground Environment and advanced communication systems will be used by the command when the relocation is complete.

The ADC move is totally funded by the government of Japan at a cost of approximately $400 million. However, the United States will assist in the planning force and facility laydown at Yokota. The new headquarters facility will house an operations center designed for bilateral coordination. Last year, the JASDF approached the Air Force regarding appropriate bilateral interaction and operations center layout. The ADC incorporated U.S. recommendations regarding connectivity and facility design to ensure timely and accurate coordination between it and the 613th Ak and Space Operations Center (AOC) at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. U.S. personnel have a role in assisting in that design and ensuring that the center has adequate connectivity with the 613th AOC.