On August 27, 2021, the U.S. military stationed in Japan held a handover ceremony at Yokota Air Force Base in Tokyo, Japan. Major General Ricky Rupp replaced Lieutenant General Kevin Schneider as the new commander of the U.S. military stationed in Japan and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General. In addition, in accordance with established practice, Rupp also serves as the commander of the U.S. 5th Air Force and serves as the U.S. senior military representative in Japan.

Lieutenant General Rich Rupp, commander of the US military in Japan

The U.S. military stationed in Japan is the largest overseas garrison in the United States, with 66000 military and Defense Department civilian personnel. It is the main combat force of the U.S. military on the western Pacific frontier. The U.S. Army Command in Japan is located at Yokota Air Force Base northwest of Tokyo. It was established in 1957 and is responsible for transactional negotiations with the Japanese government and the Self-Defense Forces, coordination at the application level of the Japan-US Status Agreement, etc. The operation and operational command of the troops in Japan are controlled by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. The 5th Air Force was established in 1941. It is the oldest air force in the U.S. Air Force and one of the few air forces that has never been stationed in the United States. The headquarters is located at Yokota Air Force Base in Japan and consists of the 18th Wing, the 35th Fighter Wing and the 374th Transport Wing, with a strength of 13000 people. They have participated in almost all U.S. military overseas military operations since the Korean War.

Professional experience is quite like "tailor-made"

Rich work experience. 瑞奇·鲁普1988年毕业于美国西南德克萨斯州立大学会计专业，1989年入伍。经过入伍培训后，开始在美空军担任飞行指挥官、中队指挥官、基地指挥官等职务。在此期间，鲁普有机会驾驶C-130E/J运输机、C-17运输机和T-38教练机等多种机型，飞行时间超过5000个小时，并参加了海湾战争、阿富汗战争和伊拉克战争等，拥有丰富的飞机驾驶、基层指挥和实战保障等经验。2007年，鲁普进入五角大楼担任国防部长办公室军事助理，开始直接接触美高层军官。在此之后，鲁普先后担任嘉手纳空军基地第18航空联队的副联队长、驻韩美军司令特别助理、美国驻以色列特拉维夫大使馆武官，这使得他对东亚地区事务，特别是军事、安全、外交领域的问题都较为熟悉，也为他担任驻日美军司令作了很好的铺垫。在赴日本履职之前，鲁普任华盛顿特区空军部队司令并兼任马里兰州安德鲁斯空军基地的空军第320远征队联队指挥官，已经成为一位很受总统信任的高级空军官员。在驻日美军司令就职仪式上，美太平洋空军部队司令肯尼斯·威尔斯巴赫上将给鲁普的评价是：“鲁普的整个职业生涯都为他在印太地区执行多样化和复杂的任务做好了充分的准备。太平洋空军需要强大的领导团队来应对即将到来的挑战。随着印太战区的不断发展和转型，我们不断更新和完善该地区空中力量的投射方式。毫无疑问，鲁普是在正确时间的正确领导者。”从工作经历上看，鲁普之前的职业生涯确实就像是在为担任驻日美军司令“做准备”。

On March 1, 2022, Rupp inspected the US Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan

The training experience has a clear hierarchy. 在任职期间，鲁普还充分利用学习、培训等机会不断提升自己的学历水平和专业水准，为适应不同的工作岗位、增强作战指挥能力打下了坚实的基础。1996年，鲁普到安柏瑞德航空大学学习航空科学。2002至2004年，又在阿拉巴马州麦克斯韦尔空军基地接受中级发展教育和培训，先后从事军事行动艺术与科学、航空动力艺术与科学等专业的学习研究，奠定了坚实的理论和技能基础，并为鲁普晋升中校铺平了道路。鲁普参加阿富汗战争和伊拉克战争期间的作战行动，展现了出色的作战指挥和支援保障能力，为他积累了丰富的作战经验。随着2014年晋升为准将，鲁普开始接受将领顶点、领导决策、战略研讨、联合部队指挥官等以联合作战和指挥为特点的中高级培训，从而在部队指挥、行政管理等方面拥有了较为专业的知识储备和工作技能。

There are many medals and awards. 鲁普在“伊拉克自由”“持久自由”等军事行动中的优异表现，使他获得了伊拉克战役奖章和阿富汗战役奖章。依靠任职期间的过硬表现，鲁普还获得了众多的荣誉和技能勋章，代表性的有空军服役优异勋章、国防部服役优秀奖章（带3枚铜橡叶标志）、功勋勋章、军功奖章（带4枚铜橡叶标志）、空军奖章（带2枚铜橡叶标志）、航空功勋奖章（带1枚铜橡叶标志）、航空航天表彰奖章（带2枚铜橡叶标志）等。在担任麦康奈尔空军基地第22空中加油联队指挥官期间，鲁普以“机翼上的人”为主要关注点，不断创新训练方法，提升训练质量，让5700多名空军飞行员的训练水平上了新台阶，并因此获得“空军中最优秀的联队指挥官”的评价。

The work style is slightly "maverick"

Low-key "tone". 美印太战区将领向来以对华强硬、态度傲慢、言论惊人而著称，驻日美军司令鲁普的风格则显得与此“格格不入”。相较于前任驻日美军司令施耐德“美日同盟需遏制中国”“美国和日本的最大挑战来自中国”等博人眼球的言论，鲁普往往口风低调，较少在公开场合指名道姓指责中国，而代之以“迎接最大挑战”“保持可靠威慑能力”“应对各种威胁”等模糊的外交式辞令。不过，这只是鲁普个人的行事与讲话风格，并不代表他有对华友好的政策取向。相反，作为一名部队管理者与政策执行者，鲁普反复提及并积极践行美政府和军队制定的“一体化威慑”“美日军事一体化”等政策，而这些政策毫无疑问都是在针对中国。可以说，长时间驾机的工作经历、丰富的战场实战经验以及驻外武官的任职体验，让鲁普逐渐形成了沉稳、低调的工作风格，而这类身处反华前沿、遏华一线还能保持低调做事的人，更加值得我们警惕。

A distinctive "style of study". 鲁普不仅是一名拥有丰富工作履历的指挥官，而且还是一位拥有多个硕士学位、担任过研究员的学者。早在1996年，鲁普在安柏瑞德航空大学学习期间就取得了航空科学的应用科学硕士学位。2002年和2004年，鲁普又先后取得军事行动艺术与科学、航空动力艺术与科学两个应用科学硕士学位。2009年8月至2010年5月，鲁普在华盛顿特区战略与国际研究中心担任空军研究员，这使得他能够深层次接触美空军作战理论，并有机会将多年工作和任职的经验系统化、理论化。借助美空军为预测未来空运需求而启动的名为“MRS-05”的研究项目，鲁普对跨战区空运课题进行了专项研究，在2012年出版了名为《2020年跨战区空运分析》的专著。在书中，鲁普通过前瞻国际环境、国家战略和空军任务的变化，对未来空军机动性的需求进行了预测与评估，并对构建适合2020年国际形势的跨战区空运部队结构提出了建议。可见，鲁普称得上是具有一定理论造诣、思维较为缜密的高学历指挥官。

Rupp and his wife Charlotte

A humble "style". 作为一名从基层做起的指挥官，鲁普并不吝啬对手下官兵的溢美之词。他经常在讲话中对团队中的士兵、飞行员、水手、陆战队员等大加夸赞，认为“他们完成了所有繁重的工作”，并谦虚地称指挥官“只是看着他们，为他们加油”。成为一名高级指挥官后，鲁普在视察、访问期间依然保持着登机检查装备、与基层官兵一对一交谈等作风，甚至在重要节日期间身着厨师制服，亲自为官兵准备菜肴，由此在官兵中树立了良好形象。鲁普始终不忘对妻子夏洛特和官兵家属表达关心与关怀。在就任驻日美军司令仪式上，他专门回顾了自己结婚后的军旅生涯，指出在与爱人结婚的32年间共搬了18次家，执行了9次跨大洋部署任务，以此向爱人表示感谢。妻子夏洛特对他的工作也极为支持，在照顾家庭之余积极担负起关怀鲁普所在单位官兵家属的任务，并因此与鲁普一起获得2013年杰罗姆·奥马利将军和夫人奖。

The policy proposition is all about "relying on alliances to control China"

We have repeatedly "accommodated and conceded" to maintain the US-Japan alliance. 巩固与维持同日本政府和自卫队的关系是驻日美军司令部的职责之一。在就职驻日美军司令的仪式上，鲁普就突出强调了美日同盟的重要性。不过令历届驻日美军司令头疼的是，驻日美军向来以吸毒、酗酒、斗殴、抢劫等违法犯罪行为“闻名”，不仅侵犯当地民众的权利和尊严，也极大破坏了美军与当地政府之间的关系。鲁普担任驻日美军司令以来，为了拉拢日本应对所谓“共同的对手”，不惜放下身段、对日本处处迁就。

In December 2021, the COVID-19 epidemic spread at the US Marine Corps Hansen Base in Japan, which led to a collective infection in Okinawa Prefecture and aroused widespread concern. Rupp said at a sensitive moment that he was aware of the relevant impact, and immediately changed the rule that US soldiers do not do nucleic acid testing, restricted the unnecessary movement of soldiers, and eliminated the negative impact of the storm on US-Japanese relations. In view of the environmental pollution problem that the US military stationed in Japan has been criticized for many years, Rupu, as the concurrently head of the environmental leading department of the Ministry of National Defense in Japan, took the lead in revising and issuing the "Japanese Environmental Management Standard" in 2022, which imposed stricter restrictions on the behavior of the US military involved in environmental pollution, and to a certain extent reduced the anti-American tone of the people in Japan, especially around the US military base. In 2023, on the issue of the discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water from Japan, the US military stationed in Japan even changed its practice of never purchasing seafood in the local market, disregarding the health of more than 100,000 US troops stationed in Japan and their families, and announced the purchase of Japanese seafood in a high profile, in order to "help reduce the economic impact of Japan's decision to discharge Fukushima radioactive nuclear sewage into the sea" to counter China's "unfair embargo."

Aim for "attack tonight" to improve rapid response capabilities. 作为一名空军高级将领，鲁普是空军改革的积极推动和践行者。鲁普极为重视空军的快速反应能力，他认为快速反应能力不仅决定部队在进攻中的表现，同时也是防御能力的集中体现。因此，鲁普注重以提升部队的快速反应能力来牵引所辖空军的建设与发展，以期实现“今晚就可以出击”的目标。

In August 2021, at the ceremony to take office as commander of the US military stationed in Japan, Rupp clearly pointed out that it is necessary to comply with the current trend of military theory and practical development and improve the troops 'rapid response capabilities. To this end, Rupp took advantage of his position as commander of the 5th Air Force and his influence among the top echelons of the U.S. Air Force to promote the 18th Air Force Wing under his jurisdiction to receive F-22A fighters in 2022, and the old F-15C/D fighter jets will be returned to the United States one after another and all retired within the next two years to maintain the U.S. military's air superiority and emergency combat capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. At the end of 2021, under the leadership of Rupp, the United States and Japan started negotiations on Japan's share of the U.S. military expenses stationed in Japan for the next five years. During the negotiations, the United States highlighted the need to improve the rapid response capabilities of the U.S. military stationed in Japan, and agreed with Japan to expand spending to purchase new military systems for joint training and enhance the U.S. -Japan coordinated combat capabilities.

Practice the "Indo-Pacific deterrence" and build a combat system against China. 鲁普认为，驻日美军是美日同盟的基础，是确保美国和日本能够“共享繁荣”的捍卫者，同时也是加强美在该地区影响的重要力量。鲁普积极支持美“太平洋威慑计划”，宣称驻日美军60多年来一直是“印太地区稳定与安全的基石”，也将在未来继续发挥这一作用，并认为它“可以威慑侵略者并帮助日本进行防卫作战”。

In September 2022, taking the temporary deployment of the US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Reconnaissance aircraft to the Japanese Maritime self-Defense Force Kagoya Base as an opportunity, the United States and Japan decided to share and jointly analyze the image data collected by both sides of reconnaissance, marking the transition from the stage of sharing intelligence products to the stage of joint analysis of intelligence materials. In November, Rupp urged the US military stationed in Japan and Japan to set up a "US-Japan bilateral Intelligence Analysis Group" to share and analyze the relevant intelligence collected by the US military and the Japanese self-Defense Forces. The US personnel in this organization are all air force personnel under the command of Rupp. At the founding ceremony of the group, Rupp reiterated the continuing importance of the US-Japan alliance and strengthening the joint combat capability of Japan and the United States, and that the common security interests of the United States and Japan promoted the birth of this organization, and believed that the organization "reflects the evolution of joint defense measures between Japan and the United States." deepening cooperation in the field of intelligence will help the United States and Japan strengthen deterrence. In October 2023, as the US military command stationed in Japan reassigned the MQ-9 death drone to the Kadena base in Okinawa, the existence of the "US-Japan bilateral intelligence analysis team" will significantly enhance the intelligence collection and analysis effectiveness of the United States and Japan in the East China Sea and become an important part of intelligence deterrence against China.

Flight training at Yokota Military Base, USA

Seek "military integration" and promote the reform of the command system. 作为美国规模最大的海外驻军的最高长官，鲁普高度重视与驻地盟友间联合指挥和作战关系的构建与演练，积极推进美日“军事一体化”。2022年11月，驻日美军司令鲁普和日本自卫队幕僚长山崎幸二共同宣布开展“利剑23”联合军演，鲁普登上日本自卫队“出云”号航母，表示将进一步加强日美军事同盟来应对一切事态，形成无缝隙的一体化的应对能力。值得关注的是，这一军演除在横田设立演习总指挥部外，还在冲绳、奄美大岛等地设立战役级联合协调所，这是美日首次设立实战化演习联合指挥机构，指挥美日联合作战力量的一体化行动。

According to the command structure of the US military, the operational command of the US military stationed in Japan is concentrated in the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, so the command system of the US military stationed in Japan is separate from that of the Japanese self-Defense Forces. After serving as commander of the US military stationed in Japan, Rupp believed that there were shortcomings and drawbacks in this system, and actively promoted the government and Congress to discuss and revise the system for the deployment of US troops stationed in Japan. In July 2024, the United States will pass the "National Defense Authorization Act" for fiscal year 2023, proposing to strengthen the functions of the US military command in Japan and plan to give it the actual power to unify command of all US troops deployed in Japan. At the same time, under the supervision of the US military, Japan's Ministry of Defense plans to set up a permanent "integration command" with unified command of the three self-defense forces of the sea, land and air forces by the end of 2024, so that Japanese armed forces can be quickly incorporated into the US military system stationed in Japan in wartime. Once the plan is landed, the United States and Japan will take a critical and substantive step in the so-called "military integration," and the functions of the commander of the US military stationed in Japan will be greatly increased, and it is expected to transform from a "military nanny" to an actual combat organization. Ricky Rupp, who is serving as commander of the US military stationed in Japan, is not only the advocate and promoter of this system reform, but may also be expected to become a witness and beneficiary.

Conclusion

Rich Rupp is a senior commander of the US Air Force with rich practical experience and work experience, excellent theoretical literacy and professional qualities. He is a calm and pragmatic US military policy executor. At the same time, having only flying experience mainly of combat support aircraft such as transport aircraft is a major shortcoming in Rupp's tenure. Under the leadership of the US-Indo-Pacific Command, which is controlled by naval generals and accustomed to advocating the "China threat," Rich Rupp's calmness and low-key may not be an advantage. As for whether the "military integration" of the United States and Japan can take shape and whether Ricky Rupp, the commander of the U.S. military stationed in Japan with operational command authority after the transformation, remains to be further observed.

copyright notice:This article was published in the 2nd issue of Military Digest magazine in 2024. The author:Jiao Liang and Wang Yankuo, If you need to reprint it, please be sure to indicate "Transferred from Military Digest".

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