MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan - Leaders from U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command met with Japanese dignitaries April 21 during a visit here.
Brig. Gen. Kurt S. Story, deputy commander for Operations, and Col. Jeffrey Farnsworth, commander, 1st Space Brigade, represented Delta Detachment, 1st Space Company (Joint Tactical Ground Station).
The Japanese dignitaries were Lt. Gen. Eiji Kimizuka, Japanese Northeastern Army commanding general, and Maj. Gen. Masatoshi Kawase, Japanese NEA deputy commanding general for Operation, along with other members of the Joint Ground Self Defense Forces.
Capt. Erol Munir, commander, Delta Detachment, 1st Space Company (JTAGS), said this meeting was vitally important.
"U.S. Army Japan is very big on conducting bilateral relations and events between U.S. and Japanese units," he said. "This is the first of many bilateral engagements between JTAGS and units of the Japanese NEA. This meeting will set the groundwork for future training opportunities and opportunities for cooperation between the two armies.
"JGSDF, NEA, is responsible for all the 'guard and protect' operations that would keep JTAGS Japan safe in the event of an attack on the base," Munir said.
In addition to the meeting, the group toured the JTAGS shelter.
JTAGS provides continuous assured ballistic missile warning coverage in-theater to combatant commanders.
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