Airmen Help Build Japan’s Base Defenders

Airmen of the 374th Security Forces Squadron at Yokota AB, Japan, are helping Japan Air Self Defense Force personnel establish a base defense development and training squadron, or BDDTS. Limited to law-enforcement duties until recently, the JASDF seeks to transform its security forces to more closely resemble their US counterparts. “This world is facing new threats, and we have to be prepared,” said JASDF Maj. Ryuji Yamawaki, BDDTS concept development chief. The Yokota airmen have been training the JASDF personnel who will serve as instructors in the new squadron. They have been teaching them skills such as team movement tactics, challenging suspicious vehicles, building entry procedures, and ambush response. When the training is complete, the newly minted JASDF instructors will travel between bases around Japan to certify base defense teams. (Yokota release by Capt. Will Powell)