374 AW, Bangladesh Airmen team up for Cope South 2010

  • Published
  • By Capt. Tania Bryan
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  More than 40 Airmen and two C-130 Hercules deployed from the 374th Airlift Wing to team with the Bangladeshi air force for Exercise Cope South 2010 at Kurmitola Air Base, Bangladesh.

During the exercise, the nations' air forces will exchange airlift, airland, and airdrop delivery techniques that will deepen military-to-military relationships between the two nations and enhance the wing's ability to respond to regional disasters.

Along with these exchanges, participants will conduct cooperative flight operations, to include aircraft generation and recovery, low-level navigation, tactical airdrop, and air-land missions as well as conduct subject matter expert exchanges in the operations, maintenance, and rigging disciplines.

"The tactical training and operational interface that our crews accomplish at exercises such as this is invaluable," said Lt. Col. Tim Rapp, 36th Airlift Squadron commander. "The techniques our two nations share and the relationships we build will significantly ease planning and execution of any future combined efforts."

Although Cope South is just one of the many exercises the 36th AS has participated in this year, the squadron's "Eagle Airlifters" continue to cultivate the common bond that brings them together with the members of the Bangladeshi Air Force.

"Seeing our personnel train together to preserve peace and stability in the region is amazing," Colonel Rapp said. "We are very fortunate to have this opportunity to share ideas and learn from each other."

This information sharing is often vital to successful contingency and disaster-response operations, making such bilateral training extremely important to maintaining a peaceful and stable Pacific region.

"As the primary airlift hub of the western Pacific, the 374th is in a prime location to respond at a moment's notice to any calls for humanitarian assistance or disaster response," said Col. Otto Feather, 374th AW commander. "These Cope-series exercises enable us to hone our capabilities and build partnerships with surrounding nations."

Exercise Cope South compliments a number of other cooperative activities designed to strengthen the close and growing partnership between the United States and Bangladesh.

"Members of our wing regularly deploy in support of building partnership capacity," the colonel said. Several Airmen recently returned from Operation Pacific Angel, a joint and combined humanitarian assistance operation also in Bangladesh.

"This is just one example of the tremendous opportunities we have to learn and grow along with our neighbors here in the Pacific," Colonel Feather said.