News

US Marines, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Look to Sky for Forest Light's Culminating Event
December 16, 2014 — U.S. Marines and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force troops simulated a movement to contact and assault on an objective Dec. 9-10 while participating in Forest Light 15-1 at the Oyanohara Training Area in... MORE

YAMATO,Japan (Dec. 9, 2014) - Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members discuss a plan of attack during Forest Light 15-1 at the Oyanohara Training Area. Forest Light is a routine, semi-annual exercise designed to enhance the U.S. and Japan military partnership, solidify regional security agreements and improve individual and unit-level skills. The JGSDF members are with 42nd Regiment, 8th Division, Western Army. 141209-M-GX711-108

Visit of USAID Official to Reinforce U.S. Commitment to Partnership for Growth
December 16, 2014 — The U.S. Embassy in Manila will host a top official from the United StatesAgency for International Development (USAID) next week. Eric G. Postel, USAID’sAssistant Administrator and Partnership for... MORE

Load Out and Fly away; Validation Exercise
December 16, 2014 — Soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division and airmen from the 535th Airlift Squadron, 15th Wing conduct a load out and fly away... MORE

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (Dec. 10, 2014) - Airman 1st Class Sean Bannan (middle right), from Seattle, Wash., a load master assigned to 535th Airlift Squadron, 15th Wing, ground guides a M1126 Stryker onto a C-17 aircraft to support of the 25th ID Contingency Response Force mission (CRF). The CRF mission is designed to rapidly deploy Soldiers within the Pacific's area of responsibility to provide humanitarian assistance and or combat operations. 141210-A-ZZZ00-695

Naval Leaders Discuss Bilateral Logistics Partnership between US, Japan
December 16, 2014 — Naval logistics leaders from the United States and Japan met Dec. 4 at the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) Maritime Staff Office (MSO) in Tokyo for the 7th annual N4-N4 Talks to discuss... MORE

US-UK Navies Build Alliance in the 7th Fleet
December 15, 2014 — The U.S. 7th Fleet welcomed the United Kingdom's first Royal Navy Personnel Exchange Program officer Dec. 15, joining 7th Fleet in fiscal year 2015 to strengthen the alliance between the two... MORE

U.S. Government Launches 2nd Grant Cycle of Phil-Am Fund in Manila
December 15, 2014 — U.S. Embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID)today launched the 2nd Grant Cycle of the Philippine-American (Phil-Am) Fund atthe InterContinental Hotel in Makati... MORE

613th Air and Space Operations Center Provides Command and Control for Yama Sakura 67
December 15, 2014 — U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army members from the 613th Air and Space Operations Center collaborated with members from the Japan Air Self Defense Force here Dec. 8 through 13 on exercise Yama Sakura 67,... MORE

Soldiers Building Valuable Relationships with Japan during Training
December 15, 2014 — "The trust you build here is important because in times of crisis you can't surge trust," said Lt. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza, referring to Yama Sakura 67, the joint, bi-lateral exercise with Japan that... MORE

Naval Leaders Discuss Bilateral Logistics Partnership between US, Japan
December 15, 2014 — Naval logistics leaders from the United States and Japan met Dec. 4 at the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) Maritime Staff Office (MSO) in Tokyo for the 7th annual N4-N4 Talks to discuss... MORE

1st Air Support Operations Group Supports Yama Sakura 67
December 12, 2014 — When fighting a simulated war, sometimes a planner needs simulated air support. The planners at Yama Sakura 67 have one man to turn to between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. – Tech. Sgt. Casey... MORE

US, Japanese Sergeants Major Discuss Leadership at Yama Sakura Forum
December 12, 2014 — Among dozens of cultural encounters during this year’s Yama Sakura was an ongoing exchange between the most senior noncommissioned officers participating in the exercise at Camp Asaka, Japan Dec... MORE

Navy Tests New Unmanned Underwater Vehicle at JEBLC-FS
December 12, 2014 — The U.S. Navy completed tests on the GhostSwimmer unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story (JEBLC-FS), Dec. 11.GhostSwimmer is the latest in a series of... MORE

7th Fleet Builds Maritime Relationships in Sri Lanka, Maldives
December 12, 2014 — Senior leaders from U.S. 7th Fleet visited Colombo, Sri Lanka and Male, Maldives and attended the Galle Dialogues international Maritime Conference Dec. 1-6, building relationships to improve maritime... MORE

Wolf Pack Charges through Beverly Bulldog 15-1
December 12, 2014 — The sound of snow plows filled the streets of Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. Dec. 3, as operational readiness exercise Beverly Bulldog 15-1 kicked off.For the past week, the Wolf Pack has been... MORE

KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea (Dec 8, 2014) - U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 8th Comptroller Squadron conduct a post attack reconnaissance sweep after a simulated ground attack during Exercise Beverly Bulldog 15-1. The eight-day exercise took place in an austere environment that tested the Wolf Pack’s ability to respond to wartime and armistice conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Katrina Heikkinen) 141206-F-ES731-038

Sustainment Proves Crucial in Exercise
December 11, 2014 — The Army isn't quite known for its fleet of watercraft, but during a computer-simulated exercise like Yama Sakura that occurs in a country comprised of thousands of islands, leaders say they are... MORE

CAMP ASAKA, Japan (Dec. 11, 2014) - Chief Warrant Officer 3 Onix Vazquez, a petroleum system technician with the 593rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, works with members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force during Yama Sakura, an annual bilateral command post exercise between Japan and the U.S. The exercise ran from Dec. 2-14 on Camp Asaka.

Close Bilateral Cooperation Before, During and After Typhoon Ruby/Hagupit Enables Faster U.S. Government Emergency Response
December 11, 2014 — The United States Embassy in Manila commends the Government of the Philippineson its extensive preparations leading up to Typhoon Ruby/Hagupit and itssuccessful response in the wake of the storm. The... MORE

USS Fort Worth Refuels in Guam En Route to Southeast Asia
December 11, 2014 — Littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) stopped in Guam to refuel before continuing on to Southeast Asia, Dec. 11.Fort Worth is on her maiden 16-month rotational deployment in support of the... MORE

SANTA RITA, Guam (Dec. 11, 2014) - The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) enters Apra Harbor for a port visit on U.S. Naval Base Guam. This is Fort Worth's first visit to the island during its 16-month rotational deployment in support of the Indo-Asia Pacific rebalance. 141211-N-ZI019-058

USS Bonhomme Richard: Warfighting first, Part 2 - Sailors That Are Getting Her Ready to Take to the Seas
December 11, 2014 — In the second part of our series, we turn our attention from the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) to the Sailors that are getting her ready to take to the seas... MORE

Yama Sakura 67 Blossoms, Strengthens Bilateral Readiness
December 11, 2014 — A myriad of service members spanning multiple branches of military service and nationalities gathered in areas around Tokyo, Japan with one common goal in mind: to defend Japan from simulated... MORE

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (Dec. 8, 2014) - A U.S. Army Soldier and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Soldier prepare for the Yama Sakura 67 exercise. Yama Sakura is an annual bilateral exercise between the U.S. Army and JGSDF that is aimed at increasing combat readiness between the two nations.

Marines, 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade Team Up for Exercise Valiant Mark 14.2
December 11, 2014 — Over a dozen U.S. Marines and Singapore soldiers stood outside the walls of a combat simulation town and devised a reaction strategy in case of Improvised Explosive Device attacks. Inside the... MORE

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, California (Dec. 6, 2014) - Soldiers with 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade and Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment devise a reaction strategy in case of simulated Improvised Explosive Device attacks during exercise Valiant Mark aboard Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. Valiant Mark enhances U.S. and Singaporean forces’ combined combat readiness through live-fire and urban terrain training as well as amphibious operations familiarization.