Keen Sword 2005, the eighth joint bilateral training exercise since 1986 involving the U.S. military and the Japan Self-Defense Forces, is now in progress.

A segment held at Iwakuni Marine Corps Air Station was to start Wednesday, even as the base prepares for the upcoming Active Shield exercise beginning Nov. 30, military officials said Tuesday.

Iwakuni’s segment of Keen Sword 2005, which ends Nov. 19, involves the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force and units from the Okinawa-based III Marine Expeditionary Force, said Capt. Stewart Upton, base spokesman.

“Keen Sword 2005 is to increase the defensive readiness of Japanese and American forces in the air, land and at sea, and to improve skills needed to operate together,” he said.

Keen Sword 2005 training also is taking place at other facilities in Japan, said Capt. Richelle Dowdell, U.S. Forces Japan spokeswoman.

“It’s a joint bilateral training held biennially at both United States and Japan Self-Defense Force facilities,” she said. A joint exercise involves two or more services from one country, while bilateral refers to the participation of two nations.

The annual Keen Edge/Keen Sword drills alternate between Keen Sword, a field-training exercise staged in odd fiscal years, and Keen Edge, a command-post exercise held in even fiscal years, according to a previous USFJ report. Fiscal year 2005 began Oct. 1.

Some of the exercise training deals with dissimilar aircraft, noncombatant evacuations, base and force security, search-and-seizure and tactical airdrops using C-130 airplanes.

“Keen Sword is the name of the overarching exercise” and each service has its own component and exercises with its JSDF counterpart, Dowdell said.

“Search-and-recovery training is planned at Iwakuni,” Dowdell said. “And there will be some flying at Yokota and Misawa air bases and Japan’s Hiyakuri Air Base, a NEO (noncombatant evacuation) from Atsugi Naval Air Facility to Japan’s Tsuiki Air Base and ground training involving the U.S. Army and Japan at Iwate JGSDF base.”

Lt. Gen. Thomas Waskow, the USFJ and 5th Air Force commander, and Gen. Hajime Massaki, chairman of the Japan Joint Staff Council, will direct the exercise.

Meanwhile, starting Nov. 30 Iwakuni is host to Active Shield, an exercise in its second year. It will involve about 100 servicemembers from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and “about 90 U.S. Marines from Iwakuni’s Provost Marshal’s Office and Explosive Ordnance Division,” Iwakuni spokesman Upton said.

“It will also involve the JGSDF 13th Brigade and 46th Infantry Regiment,” he said. Active Shield is a series of exercises designed to support the Japan Self-Defense Law.

“The individual bases participate at various times during the year in Active Shield,” Dowdell said.

A similar exercise was held in Hiroshima Prefecture in September and involved about 70 members of the JGSDF 13th Brigade based in Kaita, in Hiroshima Prefecture, and about 20 U.S. military personnel. They trained to guard three U.S. military facilities, including an ammunition depot in Edajima, said JGSDF officials.

“We are not releasing specific training scenarios at this time, but it will involve practice in patrolling and general guard and protect requirements using blank ammunition,” Upton said. Iwakuni’s Active Shield training ends Dec. 2.

“We are looking forward to it,” Upton said. “We’re happy about doing it because it makes everyone involved feel more confident in carrying out these types of operations if needed.”

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