This is CBSi on the world. I'm John Bachelor.

Headline Financial Times in March.

U.S. and Japan planned biggest upgrade to security pact in over 60 years.

I welcome Grant Newsom, Colonel Grant Newsom, United States Marine Corps retired,

author of When China Attacks,

there is a mutual defense pact between Japan and the United States.

Does that mean these two militaries, the self-defense force of Japan,

and the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, chiefly of the U.S.

can work together, are working together, have practiced together, say in the fashion that once a year there's said to be a big exercise in Korea, South Korea.

Grant, a very good evening to you. Your measure is that there's a lot of work

to be done. What kind of work? Good evening to.

Well, good evening, John. Well, the short answer to your question is the US and Japanese

militaries really are not able to operate together very well, despite 60 years of a defense

treaty, despite American forces being in Japan for well over 60 years,

despite claims by alliance managers on both sides that the relations never been stronger,

it's the most important bilateral relationship bar none,

and every exercise ever held improves interoperability. The reality is that's except for the two navies, the US

Navy and the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the US Forces and the Japanese Forces still cannot conduct real world short notice operations.

Missile defense is another exception as well, but beyond that,

they're almost strangers after this many years.

There's been some work done in recent years, say the last decade,

to try and improve this, but they do not have the ability to operate together

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