Photo/Illutration Col. Paul Bartok, director of the Japan Self-Defense Force Joint Operations Command Cooperation Team (Provided by U.S. Forces Japan)

A new U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) team is seeking a closer working relationship with the Self-Defense Forces in peacetime to ensure that both countries “seamlessly coordinate in a contingency,” its director said.

“In order to respond in a time of crisis, we first need to be ready in peacetime,” Col. Paul Bartok told The Asahi Shimbun in a recent interview.

He leads the Japan Self-Defense Force Joint Operations Command Cooperation Team (JCT), which was installed at the Akasaka Press Center, a U.S. military compound in Tokyo’s Roppongi district, in April.

Bartok said his team is dedicated to enhancing operational coordination between USFJ and the Japan Self-Defense Force Joint Operations Command (JJOC), which was established to better integrate the SDF’s ground, maritime and air branches in March.

“The JCT’s mission is to streamline communication and drive interoperability with the JJOC to facilitate faster decision making and a more effective joint response in crisis,” he said.

Bartok said the team is focused on partnering with the Japanese command in peacetime, “by building those relationships with the JJOC, testing the communication systems and developing bilateral processes, so that we can seamlessly coordinate in a contingency.”

The Defense Department plans to grant operational command authority to USFJ, which is currently under the command authority of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, based in Hawaii.

The JCT’s formation is seen as the first step toward the new command-and-control structure.

“The upgrade of USFJ into a dedicated war fighting headquarters will integrate many new capabilities to enhance the alliance’s ability to deter threats and respond to crises together,” Bartok said.

“The JCT will facilitate that collaboration and synchronization with the JJOC on those capabilities.”

In Japan, doubts have been raised over whether the SDF can maintain the independence of its operational command authority in a contingency if the SDF and the U.S. military align their command-and-control functions more closely.

Bartok brushed aside those concerns.

“U.S. forces and Japanese forces will remain under their respective national commands,” he said. “Through the JCT, we’ll enhance interoperability between those separate command structures and find ways to efficiently and effectively support each other.”

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Koji Sonoda is a deputy editor at The Asahi Shimbun’s Political News Section.

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