Kadena Airmen, F-15s spend week with Japanese counterparts

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Bryan Bouchard
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
HYAKURI AIR BASE, Japan --  Four F-15Cs and over 30 Airmen from the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base arrived today to Hyakuri Air Base about 70 miles northeast of Tokyo as part of the wing's latest aviation training relocation.

Two more aircraft and another 70 Airmen will arrive by the weekend to round out the American contingent for a total of six F-15Cs and 100 Airmen.

"This is a great chance for us to exercise our key expeditionary skills to deploy and generate sorties away from home," said Lt Col James Sukenik, 67th Fighter Squadron Director of Operations and the detachment commander for this trip. "An important aspect of this deployment is the opportunity to work alongside our Japan Air Self Defense Force partners and hosts who have been outstanding in supporting this effort."

The aviation training relocation, or ATR, is designed to provide an opportunity for the two nations' air forces to work side-by-side, while reducing the overall number of sorties flown around Okinawa. It's a win-win situation, according to Lt. Col. Sukenik.

"Working with our JASDF partners at different locations on the mainland is a great learning experience for both sides and improves our interoperability for the common defense of Japan," he said. "And all the while, it reduces some of the noise we create at Kadena, which we hope our neighbors in Okinawa can appreciate."

This is not the first ATR to Hyakuri for Kadena. Airmen and aircraft from the 18th Wing were also here in October. A change for this trip to Hyakuri is that a few U.S. Airmen are immersing themselves within their Japanese counterparts' squadrons. These Airmen will each get a chance to not only learn from their hosts, but to also further the bond between the two nation's militaries, which are celebrating their 50th anniversary of their cooperation this year.