RAAF in Cope North 2017

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
02/28/2017

02/28/2017: According to a story published on the Australian Ministry of Defence’s website on February 22, 2107, the RAAF is going to Cope North to hone its high end combat skills.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has deployed to Guam to participate in Exercise Cope North 2017—a high end air combat and humanitarian assistance exercise.

Up to 12 F/A-18A Hornets from Number 3 Squadron at RAAF Williamtown have all been assigned to Exercise Cope North and will be operating alongside aircraft from the United States and Japan.

The exercise aims to develop and improve combat readiness, humanitarian assistance procedures and increase the interoperability between the three forces of the United States, Australia and Japan.

Group Captain Tim Alsop is the Australian Commander for the exercise and said there are great opportunities to gain from Cope North.

“This is the sixth time Australia has participated in the exercise. Every year we gain more appreciation of how our equipment, aircraft and personnel operate together in this environment,” he said.

“Cope North gives us the opportunity to validate how effective our training is in a complex and demanding air combat scenario.”

Number 2 Squadron E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning aircraft will also deploy for the exercise and provide a command and control capability.

A C-130J Hercules is participating in Exercise Cope North as part of the humanitarian assistance scenario and will provide an air drop capability and combat search and rescue element. In addition, a combat support element and aeromedical evacuation team will deploy to enhance interoperability between Australian, United States and Japanese forces.

Cope North is held at Andersen Air Force base in Guam and hosted by the United States Pacific Air Force.

This is the fifth time the RAAF has participated in Cope North Guam, a bi-annual exercise that started 1978.

This year’s exercise will be held until the 3rd March 2017.

https://news.defence.gov.au/media/media-releases/raaf-test-skills-high-end-air-warfare-exercise

COPE NORTH 2017

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
02/26/2017

02/26/2017: According to an article published February 19, 2017 by The Guam Daily Post, Cope North 2017 has begun.

U.S. Marines, sailors and airmen are training alongside Japanese and Australian allies as part of the annual Cope North 2017 at Andersen Air Force Base on Feb. 15.

Approximately 1,700 service members from the three countries will spend the next two and a half weeks building international partnerships and increasing interoperability on the ground and in the air, according to the U.S. Air Force.

“This is an opportunity for us to fly and fight together – to get better at our craft,” said Col. Scott Hurrelbrink, 36th Wing vice commander, which is based at Andersen. “Cope North enables us to work together, to train with different tactics, and to learn how other nations fight wars.”

This year’s Cope North is the second-largest iteration of the now-annual exercise, according to the U.S. Pacific command. Participants include the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, and Royal Australian Air Force.

“I’m excited to develop my communication skills in English,” said Japanese F-2 pilot Capt. Tatsuya Takahashi, from Tsuiki Air Base, in the Air Force Press release. “The language we use in flight with Japanese controllers is English, but it’s a Japanese-English. Here we have to use proper English which is very challenging, but rewarding.”

Along with breaking down language barriers, Cope North provides valuable training opportunities.

“We’re also able to gain experience working with the other countries, increasing our overall interoperability,” Takahashi said.

This year, the Royal Australian Air Force is bringing its largest force to ever participate in a Cope North. Its participants include a combat support element and an aeromedical evacuation team.

“Cope North gives us the opportunity to validate the effectiveness of our training in a complex and demanding air combat scenario,” said Australian Air Force group Capt. Tim Alsop in the U.S. Air Force press release. (Post News Staff)

Video by Tech. Sgt. Bryan Magee:Defense Media Activity – Guam:02.24.2017

In the slideshow below, the USAF’s B2 is seen engaged in the exercise.

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron approaches the boom pod of a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 909th Aerial Refueling Squadron to receive fuel during Cope North 2017, Feb. 22, 2017.

The exercise includes 22 total flying units and more than 2,700 personnel from three countries and continues the growth of strong, interoperable relationships within the Indo-Asia-Pacific region through integration of airborne and land-based command and control assets. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Keith James)

Ocean Explorer Aero-Medical Training

Posted on | by Caroline Teames

02/26/2017: HMAS Adelaide is conducting Aero Medical Evacuation (AME) training off the West Australian coast during Exercise Ocean Explorer 2017.

AME is a vital capability to deliver best care to navy personnel, to ensure they can be retrieved from the ship to a shore facility for ongoing medical support.

Exercise OCEAN EXPLORER 17 (OE 17) is a major Fleet training activity led by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and jointly-enabled by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and other nations’ forces.

The maritime exercise is one of the largest iterations of the exercise held in the West Australian Exercise Area (WAXA) area. OE 17 will be conducted over the period 13 Feb – 10 Mar 17 with the primary aim of conducting high-end warfighting training.

Credit:Australian Ministry of Defense:2/23/17

RAAF C-130J at Exercise Red Flag

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
02/21/2017

02/21/2016: The Royal Australian Air Force has deployed a contingent of approximately 200 personnel to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada for Exercise Red Flag 17-1, taking place from 23 January to 10 February 2017.

Conducted by the United States Air Force, the exercise also involves participants from the United Kingdom, and provides a highly-complex environment for Coalition partners from all three nations to fly missions into the 31,000-square-kilometre Nevada Test and Training Range.

Exposure to this environment, and to the technologies utilized in a modern battlespace, enables the RAAF to develop its people and techniques as it introduces more advanced air power capabilities under Plan Jericho.

Credit: Australian Ministry of Defense:2/13/17

Sec Def Mattis at Munich Security Conference

Posted on | by Caroline Teames
02/20/2017

02/20/2016: Opening Statement Munich Security Conference
Friday February 17, 2017

Good afternoon and thank you Madam Minister. Your words remind me of the legacy now shared on both sides of the Atlantic – a legacy of freedom, of friendship, and a trusted Alliance.

With the ingrained respect that two democracies share for each other, and the trust we share with 26 other democracies in the NATO Alliance, your words highlight an enduring transatlantic bond. I’m grateful to be among so many leaders in our democracies as we forge our path ahead.

This is how we build approaches to working together for a peaceful and prosperous future. When it comes to security, no one goes their own way in this world; security is always best when provided by a team.

So it’s a particular honor for me to be here with Minister von der Leyen. She and I met last week in Washington, where we had an excellent, in-depth discussion about the security situation facing our nations, the Alliance, and the broader global community.

In this regard I have great respect for Germany’s leadership in Europe – and for the ethical performance of your troops on the battlefield, Madam Minister.

Like many of us, we’ve just come from Brussels, where we participated in the NATO Defense Ministerial. There I found the transatlantic bonds strong and my fellow Defense Ministers under no illusions about the threats our nations face together. Transatlantic unity buttresses European unity, a fact we recognize in the context of cooperation between NATO and the European Union.

The United States welcomes improvements to defense cooperation in Europe that increase capabilities and make European defense investment more efficient, without lessening NATO interoperability. The NATO-EU Joint Declaration signed in Warsaw reflects the reality that American security is permanently tied to the security of Europe.

Done correctly, EU initiatives and NATO unity are mutually reinforcing. Standing upon the bedrock of our NATO Alliance, 28 democracies help preserve the rules-based international order, serving to keep the peace and defend shared values that grew out of the Enlightenment.

I was heartened by the appreciation of our European Allies for the increased threats we face – an appreciation that was consistent around the table: the Allies recognize 2014 was a watershed year and we can no longer deny reality.

As guardians for our nations and sentinels alert to new threats, we all see our community of nations under threat on multiple fronts as the arc of instability builds on NATO’s periphery and beyond. Unified by these growing threats to our democracies, we possess strong resolve to adapt the Alliance. But now comes the hard part: as prudence dictates, we must move forward together, reinforcing deterrence and defense, and more directly addressing terrorist threats along NATO’s southern flank, from the Mediterranean to Turkey’s border. NATO has only two Supreme Allied Commanders.

Such is the importance NATO places on adaptation that one of those two commanders is assigned the sole mission of charting NATO’s constant transformation. Supreme Allied Command for Transformation is the only NATO headquarters in the United States.

Commanded by a four star French General who leads some of the best strategic thinkers, drawn from all NATO nations, this demonstrates the level of importance we place on adapting the Alliance to terrorism, cyber threats, and hybrid war.

We are engaged as we speak to ensure the Alliance is relevant and fit for its time. The United States is moving units into the Baltic States, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria under Operation Atlantic Resolve.

And we join the UK, Germany, and Canada, nations leading our combined Forward Presence forces in Poland and the Baltic States, a wholly defensive deployment to maintain deterrence.

To confront the threats facing our Alliance we must recognize not just strategic realities, but also political realities. President Trump came into office and has thrown his full support to NATO.

He too espouses NATO’s need to adapt to today’s strategic situation for it to remain credible, capable, and relevant.

Further, as Minister von der Leyen noted last week, it is a fair demand that all who benefit from the best defense in the world carry their proportionate share of the necessary costs to defend our freedoms.

We commit to passing those freedoms intact to the next generation. The message I delivered in Brussels was expected, well received by my fellow Defense Ministers, and aligned with the message of Secretary General Stoltenberg. I stand here confident that our Alliance will be unified in meeting today’s security challenges.

And I am also confident that the Alliance will adopt a plan this year, including milestone dates, to make steady progress toward meeting Warsaw and Wales commitments to carry our fair shares of the security burden. Ladies and Gentlemen, the transatlantic bond remains our strongest bulwark against instability and violence.

NATO exists to protect our way of life, to include the free exchange of ideas that characterizes this annual conference in one of the world’s great cities. Here I am confident that we will strengthen our partnerships, confronting those who choose to attack innocent people or our democratic processes and freedoms. Thank you.

MUNICH, BY, GERMANY
02.17.2017
Video by Laurens Vermeire
U.S. Department of State