Air Force, the Loser

As a helicopter fell down on a hill in Okinawa, the reputation of U.S. Air Force also descended to the ground. What Air Force has lost is not only one Air Force man and an expensive HH-60 Pave Hawk, but also the credibility to the skill and technology of U.S. Force. Losing credit with long-time effort is easy, but rebuilding it is not easy.

HH-60 crashed in the forest of hillside in Ginoza Village, Okinawa, within the area of Camp Hansen of U.S. Force on Monday. While most crew had evacuated before the helicopter fell down, one body was found after the fire caused by the crash was ceased. There was no civilian victim. Right before the accident, the helicopter supposed to be in a training flight with another one, although there is no detailed official announcement of U.S. Force in Japan on the event.

Even if it was an accident inside a U.S. base area, the timing was too bad. U.S. Marine Corps was in the process of increasing MV-22 Osprey from Iwakuni U.S. Air Base in Yamaguchi, to Futenma in Okinawa, to which growing number of the residents in Okinawa had been protesting it, appealing the air craft to be dangerous. U.S. Force in Okinawa, not only Marine but as a whole, must have been very careful in the operations to preserve safety. In this crucial timing, Air Force made a serious mistake. Actually, the protests gained power after the accident.

This was not an accident Air Force made this year. In May, a F-15 Eagle fighter jet crashed in the sea forty miles off the coast of Okinawa island. Every time U.S. Force had a trouble in Okinawa, it made the people frustrated with delay of information. This time, the point helicopter fell down was only 1.3 miles away from the area civilian houses were densely populated. Urged by furious people in Okinawa, the political leaders in Japan expressed their concern against U.S. Force. Both governments are having a consultation meeting for reviewing the operations.

The accident reminded of the problems of having drill in Okinawa, where military and civilians were closely get together. After the crash, there were a number of reports about witnesses who saw unusual operations of U.S. Force. One resident living close to a U.S. base saw extremely low cruising of an aircraft that flew just over the roof of his house. It shows how U.S. Force is serious about security of East Asia. As long as the exercises are done in populated area, the seriousness is open to other countries, too, which is not wise from a viewpoint of military secretiveness. In terms of keeping good reputation, maintaining the alliance to be stable, and enhancing skills effectively, Air Force learned many lessons with a great cost.