Yokota displays airlift proficiency during Valiant Shield 24 Published June 21, 2024 By Staff Sgt. Spencer Tobler 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- The 374th Airlift Wing leveraged tactical airlift capabilities and transported Japan Ground Self-Defense Force paratroopers during Valiant Shield 24, June 15. VS24 is a multinational, biennial field training exercise focused on integration of joint training in a multi-domain environment. As the primary airlift hub for the Indo-Pacific, the 374th AW provided crucial aerial support to joint and international partners involved in the exercise. “Our role is to execute our main mission, which is to be the primary tactical airlift for the Pacific theater,” said Capt. Trent Fleener, 36th Airlift Squadron pilot and VS24 C-130 Task Force mission commander. “We’ve been [collaborating on] all of the airlift requirements for Japan through moving personnel, cargo and equipment to all the different locations that are participating.” U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 36th AS and 115th AS from Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, California, moved over 80 JGSDF paratroopers and several tons of cargo and equipment to meet exercise objectives. Exercises like VS24 provide an opportunity for the 374th AW to showcase interoperability with joint and international partners to sustain a free and open Indo-Pacific. “The huge piece this year is that [Valiant Shield] is also multinational,” said Col. Andrew Roddan, 374th AW commander. “The training we do with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force is critical. We, together, are operating as one integrated team...[and] that’s where exercises like this make all the difference in the world.”