Australian, Japanese and United States forces united to enhance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance cooperation through shared exchanges and improved regional awareness.
Collaborating through a subject-matter expert exchange at Kadena Air Base in Japan in mid-October, the three nations came together to better understand each other, the spaces in which they operate and how they can work together in the future.
Representatives from five services - the United States Air Force, United States Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) - took part in the discussions, sharing their unique perspectives and expertise.
The discussions included areas of common focus among nations, challenges and limitations faced by each service, and ways to overcome these limitations collaboratively.
RAAF exchange officer Squadron Leader Lachlan Adam said the exchange focused on improving how partner nations shared and interpreted information.
"Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance is about collecting information about the environment - what's in the air, what's on the surface and what's below the surface of the water," Squadron Leader Adam said.
"By understanding what's happening in the world, we're able to help uphold international law and help other nations better understand their own environment here in the Indo-Pacific."
'At the end of the day, being able to pick up the phone or send a message to someone you know and trust - that's irreplaceable.'
A JASDF officer said the exchange provided a valuable opportunity to identify and resolve real-world coordination challenges.
"This was a very great opportunity to discuss and to clear our problems about how we are operating in real activities and real operations to collect and share information," the JASDF officer said.
"We have to talk it through and solve these problems, so we can be aware of them. This is very good progress."
From a United States perspective, the exchange highlighted the importance of aligning training, tactics and technology across partner nations.
Lieutenant Colonel Sean Batson, United States Air Force 390th Intelligence Squadron Commander, said the trilateral relationship between the nations was vital because of their shared equipment and tactics.
"Meetings like this are a really important way for us to make sure we're all aligned - how we train, how we purchase equipment and how we integrate across nations," Lieutenant Colonel Batson said.
"At the end of the day, being able to pick up the phone or send a message to someone you know and trust - that's irreplaceable."
