Military members and units from the Air Force and Japan Air Self Defense Force are preparing to kick off the annual Cope North exercise June 11 to 22 at Andersen Air Force Base.
Cope North is a regularly scheduled joint/bilateral exercise held by the United States and Japan.
The purpose of the exercise is to provide a venue for bilateral cooperation and to improve capabilities for the defense of Japan.
This exercise will be the first for the Japanese Air Self Defense Force's F-2 to participate in an exercise outside of Japan. The first Cope North was held Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, 1978, at Misawa Air Base, Japan. Cope North exercises are scheduled up to two times each year.