Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, and U.S. fourth and fifth generation aircrafts have come together to fly in formation over the Pacific Ocean and complete exercises to prepare for any possible circumstances.
Chief of Command Information Ariana Wilkinson from the U-S Air Force explained the benefits of doing these exercises together.
"We're honing in on those tactics and capabilities and seeing how much more ready we can get and just get better everyday."
Australian Wing Commander, Andrew Nilson, shared his perspective on what it means for him to participate within Cope North.
"It's really important for Australia to strengthen our relationships that we have with Japan and the U.S.. One of the things that I take away from all of these exercises, though, is that personal relationships you build matter a lot. I would say we were able to seamlessly integrate from a tactical execution perspective. We're all on the same page for tactics, which sounds easy, but it isn't that easy to get that level."
Cope North also holds a community event on the last day of their affair called “Pet the Jet”. At the event, they display aircrafts and have service members available for the community to engage with.
"This is the only day that the public can come out here because it is a non-flying day. We hope that they're able to connect with some pilots."
With goals to strengthen community and allied partnerships, The U.S. Pacific Air Force utilizes the Cope North event to display what they have to offer. This marks the 47th year of the annual multinational military exercise.
