Major aviation exercises involving U.S. and allies started in Pacific Ocean
Aviation exercises involving the U.S. and allies have started in the Pacific Ocean (photo: Getty Images)
In the Pacific Ocean, aviation exercises involving the U.S. and its allies have begun, with more than 80 aircraft participating. The training center is located on the island of Guam, according to Yonhap.
The annual Cope North exercise has been taking place at the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam since Monday, involving more than 80 military aircraft and some 3,000 troops from six countries, including the U.S., Japan, Australia, France, Canada, and South Korea.
On the first day, the coalition of 33 aircraft performed an elephant walk, a tightly spaced taxiing formation of aircraft preparing for takeoff.
"Throughout the exercise, we aim to aggressively practice combat air forces and mobility air forces dispersal activities in concert with all six participating nations. Our network of alliances and partnerships remains the backbone of global security," said Lt. Col. David Overstreet, a member of the Indo-Pacific Command of the US Air Force.
During the exercise that runs through Feb. 23, the South Korean troops will take part in an aerial medical evacuation, personnel and cargo drop drills, and stage joint formation flights with French troops, according to the Air Force.
What preceded this
On February 4, the U.S. and Japan for the first time named China as a hypothetical enemy during their joint command and staff exercises. The military exercises involving computer modeling, which began on February 1 and will continue until Thursday, envisage an emergency situation in Taiwan.
Previously, a conditional name was used for the enemy, but this time, as government sources reported, China was chosen as the adversary. Additionally, in previous exercises, maps that somewhat differed from the topography of real countries were used to avoid negative reactions in case of plan leaks, but this time unchanged versions were used.
