Interplanetary Personnel Exchange Program

The Interplanetary Personnel Exchange Program (惑星間人材交換プログラム Wakuseikan Jinzai Kōkan Program) is a joint effort between the Autobots and humanity to promote cooperation between the two races on Earth. Initiated in the early 21st Century, the Exchange Program sees humans from all walks of life, be they police officers, news reporters or super models, paired with like-minded Autobots, displaying unity and friendship between the races to a cynical humanity. Incidentally, their purpose is not to join forces and battle Decepticons, but to solve various daily human dilemmas, no matter how mundane they might be.

Known members include:

• Clampdown/Miko Tezuka
• Deep Cover
• Broadblast/Lumina Hoshi
• Red Alert/Ai Kuruma
• Sunstreaker/Junko Shiragami

Fiction

Toy bios

In 2003, Autobot police officer Clampdown came to Earth as part of the Interplanetary Personnel Exchange Program, and worked with local law enforcement representatives to fight human crime on the planet. Clampdown's bio His brother, Deep Cover, joined him in the initiative. Deep Cover's bio Soon, Officer Miko Tezuka of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was assigned to partner with Clampdown. Over time, their partnership changed both for the better: the free-spirited Miko became more dedicated to justice while the serious Clampdown became more flexible. Masterpiece Clampdown bio

Asterisk Story

Clampdown's excellent performance generated a lot of positive response to the program, and so in 2005, it was expanded to incorporate several Transformers who had been outfitted with Earth-made Binaltech bodies. 2007 Takara timeline

Despite the point of the Interplanetary Personnel Exchange Program being to publicly promote cooperation between Autobots and Humans, Red Alert chose to keep his position as partner to Japanese police Officer Ai Kuruma a secret to all but her. Together, they helped find a lost little boy and pull a cat out of a tree. The Cat and the Medal

While going for a luxurious drive with his partner, Junko Shiragami, Sunstreaker was egged into a race with a passing sportscar. He lost the race after taking too sharp a turn, demolishing a road sign, and was forced to stop at Junko's insistence. I'll Show You Some Great Scenery

While covering an auto show, TV Bureau announcer Lumina Hoshi was helpless to stop a lighting fixture from falling from the roof upon a crowd of people. Luckily, her partner Broadblast transformed and sprang into action, catching the fixture. The World's First Disaster Relief Car!?

Notes

• The Interplanetary Personnel Exchange Program was first mentioned in the bio of Collector's Edition Clampdown in 2003 as "an interplanetary exchange program". The time-frame involved, the reasons for the program, and the characters of 2005's Binaltech Asterisk being part of it were all retconned in later, by the 2007 timeline published during the Kiss Players series.