Japan launches new Joint Operations Command to unify SDF branches
Japan on Monday formally established a permanent Joint Operations Command that will centrally oversee the three branches of the Self-Defense Forces, allowing for the smoother integration of operations across domains to prepare for and respond to possible emergencies — including over democratic Taiwan.
Known as JJOC, the new Joint Operations Command will be located at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo's Ichigaya area, and will be made up of an initial staff of 240 personnel and headed by Gen. Kenichiro Nagumo, who was previously vice chief of staff for the SDF's Joint Staff Office.
Nagumo is also expected to serve as a counterpart to the head of the U.S. military's Indo-Pacific Command when it comes to coordinating joint operations, while acting as a coordinator with an upgraded U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ).
The Pentagon announced last July plans to enhance USFJ that would 'expand its missions and operational responsibilities' — a move Washington said would 'facilitate deeper interoperability and cooperation on joint bilateral operations in peacetime and during contingencies.'
Though the plan to reconstitute USFJ has been labeled 'the most significant change' to the U.S. military in Japan since its creation, media reports last week said those plans could be put on ice as the U.S. Defense Department looks to slash its more than $800 billion budget.
Regardless, JJOC is a significant reform for the SDF, one that was long debated and long delayed, and represents a victory for advocates of boosted integration as a key aspect of bolstering Japan's deterrence and response capabilities.
Nagumo, who has the same rank as the chiefs of staff of each of the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces, will command the Ground Component Command, the Self-Defense Fleet, the Air Defense Command, the Cyber Defense Command and the Space Operations Group.
Until JJOC's formation, the SDF's top uniformed officer, the chief of the Joint Staff, had overseen joint operations. But the chief of staff was simultaneously also tasked with advising the defense minister, a workload that could prove unmanageable during large-scale crises.
The new joint command will relieve the Joint Staff chief of this duty, allowing the person in that post to focus on advising the defense minister.
The SDF had long followed a policy of responding to crises as they arose by organizing temporary joint task forces, such as the one established after the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
But, taking into account the risks of similar major disasters, including of a massive earthquake hitting the Tokyo area — as well as rising fears of a military clash over Taiwan, on the Korean Peninsula or near the Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed Senkaku Islands — the need grew for a permanent post that could prepare and be ready to respond immediately to crises.
Another closely watched aspect of the new joint command will be how it oversees Japan's implementation of its 'counterstrike capability,' which enables the ostensibly pacifist country to strike enemy territory but is also intended to act as a deterrent to attacks.
Nagumo, who was in charge of Japan's response to North Korean ballistic missile launches and airspace incursions among other duties as vice chief of the Joint Staff, brings a deep well of knowledge about the new counterstrike capability to the post.
For now, though, much attention will also be focused on how U.S. plans for the American military presence in Japan are impacted by President Donald Trump's administration.
If the planned USFJ joint operations change is nixed, this could potentially mean that progress toward a more integrated U.S.-Japan alliance will also falter. It would also mean that the JJOC commander's counterpart would continue to be with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which is headquartered some 6,200 kilometers away in Hawaii and has responsibility over not just Japan, but the region as a whole.
While this type of cooperation would be a step in the right direction, advocates of closer ties say the distance alone could complicate any attempts to work together in a timely fashion.
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