Fifth Air Force and Koku Jieitai leaders tour RQ-4 detachment Published July 2, 2020 By Maj. AnnMarie Annicelli Fifth Air Force YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Lt. Gen. Kevin B. Schneider, U.S. Forces Japan and Fifth Air Force commander, Air Defense Command commander, Lt. Gen. Shunji Izutsu, and approximately 20 additional senior leaders from Fifth Air Force, Air Staff Office, and Air Defense Command visited the 319th Operations Group Det. 1, Yokota Air Base, Japan, Jul. 2, 2020. The intent of the visit was to familiarize the Koku Jieitai with how the U.S. Air Force conducts RQ-4 Global Hawk air and ground operations. “The United States continues to forward position some of its most advanced capabilities as a part of our commitment to the defense of Japan and to the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region,” said Schneider. “As the U.S. Air Force and Koku Jieitai continue to strengthen interoperability across multiple mission areas and domains, the visit to 319th Operations Group Det. 1 demonstrated our commitment to advancing the U.S.-Japan alliance and further deterring rising threats in the region.” During the tour, the Koku Jieitai were provided demonstrations on maintenance processes and equipment, simulated aircraft takeoff operations from within the Launch and Recovery Element, and aircraft command and control link capabilities. In addition, the detachment provided information on how the U.S. Air Force organizes, trains, and equips its reconnaissance forces. “It was truly our pleasure to host the senior leaders from Fifth Air Force and the Koku Jieitai today. This visit was a great first step in establishing additional operator-level exchanges to assist the Koku Jieitai in preparing for the extremely challenging and unique construct of the Remotely Piloted Aircraft,” Lt. Col. Ben Craycraft, 319th Operations Group Det. 1 commander, explained. “When the Koku Jieitai begin operational flying of their RQ-4s, our U.S. Air Force RQ-4 operations at Yokota offer the ideal opportunity to provide expertise and experience to ensure mutual-support and synergy.” The Global Hawk serves as a high-altitude, long-endurance, remotely piloted and unarmed, aerial reconnaissance system. The aircraft is designed to provide persistent, day and night, high-resolution, all-weather imagery of large geographic areas with an array of integrated sensors and cameras. The Global Hawk's mission is to support a broad spectrum of U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) collection capabilities for joint combatant forces in worldwide peacetime, contingency and crisis operations. In addition to supporting ISR requirements, the Global Hawk has been used for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, such as Operation TOMODACHI and in support of multiple Search and Rescue missions in the vicinity of Japan. “Since our arrival last month, our squadron of Global Hawks has safely and flawlessly executed each mission daily, virtually unnoticed, without incident. This is all thanks to the extensive and outstanding support from the Samurai Warrior Team at the 374th Airlift Wing,” added Craycraft. “Yokota Air Base continues to prove the most ideal location for our operations due to the Kanto Plain’s favorable weather and our ability to conduct operations without causing impacts to Yokota’s flight operations or the local communities surrounding the base.”