Airmen assigned to the 1st Air Operations Group participated in exercise Yama Sakura 87 in locations spanning the Indo-Pacific including Alaska, Japan and Hawaii, from Dec. 1-14, 2024.
This year marked the 43 iteration of the multinational exercise and was the first-time during Yama Sakura the U.S. Air Force was incorporated into the Army Joint Air-Ground Integration Cell.
“[The] 11 Airborne just stood up as a new division. So, this was their first exercise using fires and incorporating the Air Force component in their Army Joint Air-Ground Integration Cell,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. William Lambert, 5 Air Support Operations Squadron command and control flight commander.
This year was also the first time YS was executed alongside a U.S. computer-based simulation known as exercise Warfighter. Warfighter simulates a dynamic, multi-day scenario that tests the readiness of units focused on the Indo-Pacific region.
“The exercise saw many firsts, including the first-ever U.S. Army Warfighter held in Japan, and the first Warfighter concurrent with Yama Sakura,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Schonbachler, 1 ASOG deputy commander.
Together, YS and Warfighter aim to build operational readiness, enhance interoperability, and strengthen deployment capabilities among allied forces.
YS 87 brought the U.S., Japan, and Australia together to participate in simulated scenarios refining their abilities to communicate effectively, coordinate operations and navigate complex challenges.
“The importance of U.S., Japan and Australia working together lies in our shared common resolve and mutual trust in each other’s ability as an allied force, which enables us to provide cross-boundary, multi domain capabilities to each other in times of crisis or conflict,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Daniel Adams, 3 ASOS director of operations.
YS 87 is a demonstration of U.S., Japan, and Australian dedication to fortifying a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The exercise honed skills and emphasized the crucial role of interoperability among the participating nations.
“Exercising interoperability among Japanese, Australian and U.S. forces helps to identify our similarities and overcome our differences across our three countries’ warfighting concepts and strategies in the Pacific. We demonstrated that we can share common networks and communication methods to synchronize and integrate diverse weapon systems into a common operational approach,” Adams said.
