MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Military instructors of the Japanese Joint Staff College located in Tokyo, Japan, visited Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni to learn about Marine Air-Ground Task Force operations May 9, 2016.
The visit included a welcome brief, tour of the Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242 and a Joint Command and Control professional military education course taught from the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff non-resident program here.
“The intent was for them to come down and discuss amphibious operations, basic Marine Corps operations, how we integrate our functions and operate as a MAGTF,” said Maj. Andre Jonckheere, current operations officer with Marine Aviation Group 12 and coordinator of the visit.
A MAGTF is structured under one commander and is a balanced air-to-ground body of Marine Corps forces working together to complete specific missions across the range of military operations.
The course covered joint functions case studies specific to MAGTF operations that highlight historic military events such as Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Discussions also involved the two nations’ tactics regarding close air support and service specific joint functions in aviation. Visitors specifically saw this while visiting VMFA(AW)-242 in which they viewed how the Marine Corps integrates its assets into the MAGTF and how important fire support is to maneuver elements.
“The Japanese are looking to become more engaged in the Pacific theater with combined and joint arms,” said Lt. Col. Gary W. Thomason, executive officer of MCAS Iwakuni and instructor of the course. “So as they’re doing that, they’re looking at some of the alliance partners such as the United States to work out how we do business and how we educate our Marines to execute their missions.”
Furthermore, the command and staff non-resident course offered to the Japanese instructors gave insight into this intermediate-level school required for Marine Corps chief warrant officers, majors and lieutenant colonels.
“As service members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force who take part in national defense, we deeply regret that we have had very poor knowledge about the Marine Corps,” said JMSDF Capt. Atsushi Tanaka, chief instructor, first instructor’s office from the Joint Staff College.
This opportunity broadened the perspective for the U.S. and Japanese service members, allowing these instructors to take what they’ve learned and educate their students on the interchangeable military operations.
The Japanese are a strong alliance partner and the bilateral relationship is one of the keys to stability in the Western Pacific, said Thomason.
“If you do not communicate, you’re never going to share the same message,” said Thomason. “You’re never going to understand each other, and we truly want to get to a level of understanding so that we can all move out with a unity of effort.”
Marines and instructors expressed their appreciation after the informative day, and they discussed more educational visits for both forces in the future.
“Having the ability to come to MCAS Iwakuni and participate in this lesson about the Marines and how they deal with joint operations was a wonderful opportunity. The Joint Staff College instructors now have a better understanding of the Marine’s situation in the Pacific,” said Tanaka. “This gave me, as one of the instructors of the Joint Staff College, an inspirational and unforgettable experience.”