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Key Resolve Airpower !

  • Published
  • By Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Key Resolve 2013 [KR 13] will soon begin, and once again we will have the opportunity to demonstrate our nation's commitment to the Republic of Korea (ROK). We have an important role to ensure a successful exercise, and in supporting the ROK - U.S. Alliance that has deterred aggression on the Korean Peninsula for 60 years.

The Department of Defense focus on the Asia-Pacific region and exercises such as KR 13 sends an important message to our allies, partners, and potential adversaries, and will be more important than ever as we face the fiscal restraints of sequestration. KR 13 will showcase our commitment to maintaining peace in North East Asia, improve ROK-U.S. combat readiness, and further enhance joint and combined interoperability.

KR 13 provides the combined team an opportunity to develop improved organizational structures and enhance our command and control relationships. This is the first year the Key Resolve exercise is being led by the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and not the Combined Forces Command. However, as the lead for Air Component Command, the U.S. will direct the conduct of the air campaign with our ROK Air Force counterparts. This teamwork will improve ROK command and control capabilities and establish a basis for the transfer of operational control to the ROK JCS in 2015.

I am committed to achieving our training objectives for KR 13 in a safe manner. With Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen throughout Korea, at Pacific Command, and operating from locations across the U.S., KR 13 is one of the largest Joint Staff directed theater exercises in the world. Therefore, leaders at all levels must manage operational risk by identifying hazards, taking appropriate safety measures, and reducing overall risk to our personnel and equipment.

The 7 AF mission is to employ Airpower to DETER aggression and preserve the Armistice, DEFEND the Republic of Korea, and DEFEAT any attack against the Alliance. Together, we will prove during KR 13 that we remain an agile, adaptive force that is capable of overcoming any challenge. Katchi Kapshida! Airpower!