Air Force Staff Sgt. Kevin Saelor teaches Japanese airmen about the deicer used at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Training on vehicle maintenance with their Japanese counterparts is an insurance policy for airmen at this U.S. airlift hub in western Tokyo.
From bulldozers to airfield-repair vehicles, the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron maintains approximately 1,000 government machines worth about $180 million, according to Staff Sgt. Kevin Saelor, a squadron maintenance supervisor.
“If we were to go into wartime with minimal manning, if we needed assistance from our Japanese counterparts, conducting this training with them would essentially help us out,” he said during Thursday’s training.
Saelor and his colleagues joined their counterparts in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force for their first joint training session Thursday at Yokota. They covered the fundamentals of maintenance and the regular service of government vehicles.
Saelor, Airman 1st Class Devin Downs and civilian mechanic Hitoshi Kobayakawa helped train four Japanese airmen at the Vehicle Management and Ground Transportation building. The day included shop familiarization, safety requirements and how to service aircraft deicers and snow brooms.
“Since we have our Japan Air Self-Defense Force on base, doing this training is good to build a close relationship with our counterparts here,” Saelor said.
Airman 1st Class Devin Downs gives Japanese airmen a rundown on a vehicle used to remove ice from aircraft at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)
Japanese airmen familiarize themselves with a vehicle used to remove ice from aircraft at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)
Air Force mechanics teach Japanese airmen about the Global Deicer at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)
Airmen keep government vehicles up and running on the installation year-round with extensive maintenance and seasonal rebuilds after heavy use, Master Sgt. Steffan Gray, the vehicle maintenance superintendent, said during the training.
The vehicles are mainly used to support missions at Yokota and several other Indo-Pacific locations, including in Australia, Diego Garcia and Singapore.
“We plan to conduct this training with Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force as needed,” Gray said by email Thursday. “We are also coordinating to receive training on their vehicles.”
Both services benefit from working together, said Capt. Eiichi Okubo, an Air Self-Defense Force security manager who took part in Thursday’s training.
“The partnership between Japan and U.S. is very important, so this type of opportunity is very good, and I am very happy about it,” he said.
