U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) last week traveled to U.S. military bases in Okinawa and mainland Japan to review America’s efforts there to counter Chinese military aggression.
Sen. Hoeven traveled with U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS). Both are members of the U.S. Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, which funds all U.S. military activities.
They visited Misawa Air Force Base, which is home to the U.S. Air Force’s 35th Fighter Wing, along with associated units from the U.S. Army, Navy and Space Force, as well as the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF).
At Misawa, the U.S. Air Force, with help from Northrop Grumman and its facilities at GrandSKY Technology Park in Emerado, N.D., is standing up Global Hawk operations for the JASDF, according to information provided by Sen. Hoeven’s staff.
Assistance being coordinated out of GrandSKY Technology Park includes flight planning and communications. The Test Resource Management Center at GrandSKY is developing and testing other equipment and upgrades to the Global Hawk that will further enhance assistance to the JASDF.
“The work to stand up a Japanese unit of Global Hawks has been under way for over a year now and it is now working toward its Initial Operating Capability,” said Sen. Hoeven. “Japan is a vital ally and this mission is another example of how we work together to counter Chinese military aggression.”
At Hachinohe Air Station, a Japanese Coast Guard Base near Misawa, Sens. Hoeven and Moran joined with General Atomics (GA) President Dave Alexander and others on his team to review MQ-9 Reaper flight operations that GA is conducting on behalf of Japan’s Coast Guard.
GA is also working to stand up Reaper units for the JASDF and Japanese pilots will be coming to GrandSKY Technology Park as soon as next year for MQ-9 training, the information says.
“Japan is buying the latest version of the Reaper, the MQ-9B, and we will train their pilots to fly these aircraft at GrandSKY,” Sen. Hoeven said. “Again, this is not only a win for our country by working with our ally to push back on China but a win for North Dakota, which plays a key role in helping to make it happen.”
Sen. Hoeven also visited Yokota Air Force Base, headquarters for United States Forces Japan (USFJ), where he met with Lt. General Stephen Jost, USFJ commander, as well as Col. Richard McElhaney, installation commander for Yokota, who briefed the senator on plans to forward deploy Global Hawks from the 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks AFB and provided a tour of prospective facilities at the base.
“The Global Hawks of the 319th will be better able to fulfill these missions, including tracking the Chinese military, with the new forward basing plan,” said Sen. Hoeven. “There is more work we need to do to make it happen, but I believe we will get it done.”
Sen. Hoeven also met with Brig. Gen. Nicholas Evans at Kadena AFB in Okinawa, the largest U.S. Air Force Base in the Pacific, and at Camp Hansen, he met with Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, commander of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force, which includes more than 20,000 Marines on Okinawa.
“We not only had a chance to see Camp Hansen but also an active military exercise being conducted by U.S. and Japanese forces in the region to counteract simulated aggression by the PRC military,” said Sen. Hoeven. “The professionalism and capabilities of our Marines are truly impressive. Another highlight was meeting some outstanding young marines from North Dakota.”
Sens. Hoeven and Moran also met with Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya to further strengthen joint military operations between the U.S. and Japan.
“Defense Minister Nakatani and Foreign Minister Iwaya expressed strong support for the U.S. military and their desire to continue to increase our joint operations to push back on China,” Sen. Hoeven said. “Also, Defense Minister Nakatani in particular emphasized his support for the work we are doing to help Japan develop UAS capabilities.
“Our work in North Dakota with the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, as well as General Atomics, Northrop Grumman and other leading aerospace companies, is vitally important to building U.S. defense capabilities,” he added. “Not only are we stronger together as allies, but Japan has the technology and capability to help us build and pay for the advanced systems we need to stay ahead of adversaries like China.”