Among the aircraft participating in the 81st iteration of Cope North, which concludes Feb. 19, are USAF B-52 bombers and F-16 aggressors, US Navy EA-6B electronic attack aircraft, and Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s and E-2s. US and Japanese forces have engaged in the annual two-week exercise, which stages out of Andersen AFB, Guam, since 1978. The B-52s are deployed to Andersen from Barksdale AFB, La., as part of a normal strategic presence rotation to the Pacific. The F-16 aggressor force is from Eielson AFB, Alaska. (From Andersen, Feb. 10 photo release, Feb. 11 photo release, and Feb. 15 photo release)
After years of describing to lawmakers and Pentagon leaders the nature of that threat and the key role spacepower plays in deterring conflict in the domain and enabling the rest of the joint force, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman told reporters during AFA’s Warfare Symposium here that the message appears to…