Our thoughts and prayers continue to blanket all of those who remain affected by the destructive earthquakes that occurred in and around the Kumamoto region. We stand with Japan at this difficult time. Along with our JSDF partners, we continue to provide direct relief support to the area.

At the same time that Alliance personnel and resources are actively supporting relief efforts, Friendship Day 2016 approaches. As a consequence of the ongoing relief efforts, the very nature of Friendship Day 2016 is evolving. First, while some Friendship Day performance personnel and assets have been redirected to support relief efforts, still others will perform on Friendship Day.

More importantly, MCAS Iwakuni is in discussions with Japanese welfare and nonprofit organizations that have expressed an interest in being present at Friendship Day, in order to both provide relief information and accept relief-designated donations for those affected by the earthquakes.

We will release the official Friendship Day 2016 Air Show lineup in the coming days. We hope you will join us in reaffirming our longstanding friendship, while also recognizing and supporting those many affected by the recent earthquakes in Kyushu.