Thursday, September 25, 2014

Japan Air Self-Defense Force looks to Incorporate Unmanned Aerial Systems

Incorporating Unmanned Aerial Systems Into The Japan Air Self-Defense Force
This paper seeks to provide military policy makers and planners with constructive suggestions for the acquisition of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) given the regional strategic environment in East Asia and Japanese military culture. The strategic environment around Japan in particular has grown more complicated with the rapid expansion of military activity in the sea and airspace surrounding Japan, including incursions into Japanese territory.
Three key concepts related to doctrine, leadership and culture in Japan’s military:
  1. It is critical that the doctrine highlight the need to adapt to increased missions without extra cost and overloads. When formulating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) doctrine, Japan must include an operational concept for the future mission and alternative plans for delayed modernization programs. An autonomously controlled UAV, such as an unmanned combat aerial vehicle, could compensate for conventional air power.
     
  2. In order to implement UAVs effectively, leaders must be fluent in UAV capabilities and have a future vision for UAV contributions to war. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) also needs to create a new UAV culture. All JASDF members should learn about UAVs to help eliminate prejudices against them. The Japanese military should create a joint operations research team for UAVs in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, cooperate with the Joint UAS Center of Excellence to learn from U.S. military expertise and enhance interoperability.
     
  3. The JASDF should expand UAV culture outside their organization in order to execute intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions efficiently with allied forces. NATO already has similar kinds of organizations, known as the Joint Capability Group for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and the Joint Capability Group UAV.

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Authors

Colonel Ryoji Shirai, Japan Air Self Defense Force
Colonel Ryoji Shirai was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant of Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) in 1994 upon graduation from the National Defense Academy. He most recently served as supervisor of the Defense Policies and Programs Division’s Air Staff Office in the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
In 1997, Shirai took specialized undergraduate pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base (AFB) in Texas, and an introduction to fighter fundamentals course at Randolph AFB in Texas. He was later assigned to the 305th Fighter Squadron, Hyakuri AFB and transferred to the Air Development and Test Wing. In 2005, he was assigned to the 204th Fighter Squadron with Hyakuri AFB. From 2006 to 2010, he served as a staff member in the Defense Policies and Programs Division’s Air Staff Office, where he organized the 2006-2007 JASDF fiscal year annual budget plan, organizing programs focused on KC-767 tanker and C-2 cargo and jet training and personnel planning. In 2010, he became commander of the 204th Fighter Squadron.
Shirai holds a bachelor's in aerospace engineering from the National Defense Academy. He is a senior pilot with over 2,100 hours in the T-4, T-38 and F-15J, and he is qualified as a test pilot.
In this paper published September 25, 2014, Ryoji Shirai examines the acquisition of unmanned aerial systems given the regional strategic environment in East Asia and Japanese military culture. The strategic environment around Japan in particular has grown more complicated with the rapid expansion of military activity in the sea and airspace surrounding Japan, including incursions into Japanese territory.
US Air Force deploys RQ-4 Global Hawks UAV to Japan  - NY Daily News
How Japan Fell in Love With America's Drones - Defense One
“For the period 2014-2023, our forecasts show that they [Japan] are looking to build three Global Hawk drones, in addition to missile detecting UAVs, to deter possible threats of nuclear attack from North Korea and the advancing military strength of China,” the analyst, who requested anonymity to speak candidly on issues related to agency clients, told Quartz. “ They [Japan] are progressing their indigenous design and development capability at a rapid pace and could actually meet their objectives even before fiscal year 2020.”
The test program of the Unmanned Aerial Research System,
developed to study effective reconnaissance
UAV operations for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force,
was completed . 【 Test Period:FY2008-2011 】
Technical Research and Development Institute|R&D | Air Systems Research Center

Japan-based US drones to spy on China, N. Korea – report — RT News
Tokyo wants to buy several Global Hawk drones to monitor the Chinese and North Korean military, Japanese media reports. The US is deploying two of these large military drones to its base in Japan, despite protests and an absence of local air regulations.
The US Air Force plans to deploy two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Misawa Air Base as early as late May, The Yomiuri Shimbun reports. According to the bilateral agreement officially acknowledged by the Japanese Defense Ministry, the drones are to stay there until October and may also be redeployed next year.

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