BAF BASE BANGABANDHU, Bangladesh –
U.S. Air Force and Bangladesh air force personnel took to the sky Jan. 24 for
the launch of Exercise COPE SOUTH 15, a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored, bilateral
tactical airlift exercise at BAF Base Bangabandhu, Bangladesh.
Eighty
U.S. Airmen along with three U.S. Air Force C-130H Hercules aircraft from the
36th Airlift Squadron, 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan, integrated
with approximately 200 Bangladesh Air Force Airmen and one Bangladeshi C-130B
during the exercise, which is scheduled through Jan. 30.
"COPE SOUTH
provides valuable training for U.S. and Bangladeshi Airmen in air-land and
airdrop delivery," said U.S. Air Force Lt Col Andrew Campbell, 36th Airlift
Squadron commander. "Our work here is vital in contingency and disaster-response
operations. We build the personal relationships that, at a tactical level,
enable us to help when disaster strikes and people are in need, not just in
Bangladesh, but across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region."
Campbell said COPE
SOUTH, and his squadron's activity with Indo-Asia-Pacific partners throughout
the year, builds bonds that enable the region's forces to rapidly respond and
operate shoulder-to-shoulder during any crisis.
The first day's
operations built on previous COPE South exercises. U.S. Air Force crews safely
airdropped Bangladeshi commandos using their host nation's airdrop
procedures.
"My crews arrived in Bangladesh only 18 hours ago, and today,
we airdropped supplies and personnel using our host's procedures," Campbell
noted. "That's an uncommon capability made possible by our regular and enduring
engagement that builds trust between my crews and our joint Bangladeshi
partners. It's a capability unique to PACOM's assigned forces."
BAF
Group Captain Awal Hossain said exercises such as COPE SOUTH are particularly
important to BAF response capabilities.
"Bangladesh is a flood-prone
country, and we have been enhancing our capability, so we can drop men and
materials in a disaster zone quickly and easily to support locals," Hossain
said.
In addition to cooperative flight operations, during the exercise
U.S. and BAF Airmen will conduct several subject matter expert exchanges focused
on aircraft generation and recovery, day and night low-level navigation, airdrop
and air-land tactics, aircraft maintenance procedures and rigging
techniques.
"Already, it's clear this year's exercise is further
advancing our mutual understanding of each other's capabilities and enhancing
our ability to operate together," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Adam Staubach, COPE
SOUTH 15 mission commander.