Partners in the air and at sea

RAAF P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft operated alongside Japanese and US maritime patrol aircraft during Exercise Keen Sword 27, strengthening the ability of the three nations to conduct combined maritime and air domain operations.

Operating from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, the Australian P-8A detachment worked with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) aircraft as well as US Navy aircraft and naval units to conduct multiple exercise training serials, culminating in a red-on-blue war phase.

CO 12SQN WGCDR James Best said the exercise provided valuable opportunities for Australian personnel to operate alongside key regional partners in the maritime and air domain, thereby building interoperability.

“We participated in complex task group activities, including theatre anti-submarine warfare and maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as providing direct support to the task groups,” WGCDR Best said.

“We flew alongside JMSDF P-1s and P-3s, and United States Navy P-8s, giving our people the opportunity to practise the way we operate together in a complex maritime environment.

“Our Air Force relationship with Japan is important because it supports the National Defence Strategy and our work with partners to sustain the rules-based order.”

The Australian detachment drew personnel from across the maritime patrol enterprise, bringing together members from 11SQN, 12SQN and supporting units.

WGCDR Best said working together at the tactical level was an important part of building relationships that could translate into more effective operations in the future.

“Our P-8A detachment benefited from exercising at the tactical level and building relationships with our JMSDF and United States Navy squadrons,” he said.

“Those relationships help us exercise and operate together more effectively in the future.”