Japan Air Self Defense Force arrives for Exercise Cope North 09-1

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- A C-130 pilot from the Japan Air Self Defense Force taxis his aircraft on Andersen's flightline Jan. 27 for participation in Exercise Cope North 09-1. More than 60 JASDF members arrived in three C-130s to participate in Exercise Cope North 09-1, a regularly scheduled exercise scheduled for Feb. 2-13. Cope North is designed to enhance U.S. and Japanese air operations in defense of Japan. The Cope North exercise is one of the longest-running series of exercises in the Pacific theater. Since the first Cope North exercise in 1978, thousands of American and Japanese personnel have honed skills that are vital to maintaining a high level of readiness. The exercise has been in the planning stages for several months and bears no connection to any real-world events. This will be the tenth time the United States and Japan have held a Cope North exercise on Guam, and it will be the fourth time that the JASDF will use live ordnance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ryan Whitney)