YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- In response to recent North Korean provocations, Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, Pacific Air Forces commander, made an unscheduled stop to meet with his Japanese counterparts Aug. 30 to reaffirm the strength of the U.S. military partnership and validate the readiness of the alliance.
O'Shaughnessy traveled to the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo to meet with Gen. Yoshiyuki Sugiyama, Japanese Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) chief of staff, as well as U.S. And Japanese leadership at U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force, headquartered at Yokota Air Base.
"Now more than ever, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our Japanese allies," O'Shaughnessy said. "The threats we face from North Korea are significant but so is our capability and resolve to tackle them together."
On Aug. 29, North Korea launched an intermediate range ballistic missile which flew directly over northern Japan amid rising tensions regarding North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile development program.
While at Yokota, O'Shaughnessy met with Lt. Gen. Jerry Martinez, USFJ and 5th AF commander, and Lt. Gen. Hiroaki Maehara, JASDF Air Defense Command commander.
He received a current intelligence assessment as well as spoke with U.S. and Japanese Airmen regarding the seamless transfer of information and intelligence required for interoperability and integration between the two nations.
"I could not be more confident in our ability and our preparedness to defend ourselves and our allies against the growing threat of North Korea," O'Shaughnessy said. "This visit validated the fact that our alliance rests on an unshakable foundation of shared interests and values, backed by unquestionable integration and lethal capability."