KUMAMOTO, JAPAN -- The Western Army, Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF), and U.S. Task Force 76/3 (TF 76/3) completed simulated operations in a bilateral coordination node here as a part of exercise Keen Edge 24, February 8.
Keen Edge is a biennial Japan Joint Staff and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command-level exercise conducted this year by the combined-joint force in various locations throughout Japan and Hawaii. III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) and Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet, employed TF 76/3 forward from Okinawa, Japan, for the first time during this year’s iteration of the exercise.
More than 300 JGSDF service members and U.S. Marines and Sailors worked together during the regularly scheduled command post exercise to build upon professional relationships, increase readiness, and strengthen bilateral coordination procedures, according to Col. Bill Matory, 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) operations officer.
“Working shoulder-to-shoulder alongside our Japanese partners has been a great experience, and we thrived on the opportunity to work with our counterparts,” said Matory. “Through exercises like Keen Edge, we bring our diverse viewpoints together to positively expand our capabilities. We exchanged best practices and put forth our best efforts to hone U.S. and Japanese operational excellence in support of peace and security in the region.”
TF 76/3 is composited from the staffs of 3D MEB as a major subordinate command of III MEF, and Expeditionary Strike Group Seven (ESG-7) with U.S. 7th Fleet during an ongoing campaign of learning and naval integration. Task force personnel concurrently rehearsed command and control over assigned forces from a forward-deployed Integrated Littoral Warfare Center during Keen Edge 24, according to Navy Capt. Emily Royse, ESG-7 operations officer.
“Task Force 76/3 is postured to support real-world crises or contingencies in the Indo-Pacific region, and this exercise gave us the opportunity to rehearse our quick-deployment flexibility,” said Royse. “Our Sailors and Marines working together in the same organization to practice naval integration is an exciting opportunity to refine concepts for the entire Navy and Marine Corps.”
For more information regarding exercise Keen Edge, contact the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command public affairs office at pacom.pao.duty@navy.mil.