OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea  -- The U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Marines, and the ROK Air Force will team up together Oct. 13-24 to participate in a joint, combined combat search and rescue exercise titled Pacific Thunder 15-02, which focuses on enhancing the interoperability and combat readiness of the military alliance through combined combat search and rescue training.

Exercise Pacific Thunder will replicate scenarios designed to train crews to execute and validate tactics, techniques and procedures, as well as integrate with combined air and command and control assets.  Aircraft scheduled to participate include U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from the 51st Fighter Wing here, U-2 Dragon Lady, E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System, RC-135 Rivet Joint, E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters, and U.S. Marine EA-6B Prowler aircraft.  ROKAF aircraft scheduled to participate include the HH-60 Black Hawk, HH-32 Helix-C, KF-16 Peace Bridge, and F-15K Slam Eagle.

The exercise is one of many combined exercises and operations each year that focuses on enhancing military interoperability between U.S. and ROK forces, and is not tied to any real world or specific threats. These exercises highlight the longstanding military partnership, commitment and enduring friendship between the two nations, help to ensure peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to stability in the Northeast Asia-Pacific region.