Photo Gallery Summer 2001.html

It’s been five years and three new commanders of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) since Gen. John Lorber updated Asia-Pacific Defense Forum readers on PACAF operations.

Since that 1996 anniversary issue article, our structure has remained virtually unchanged – we’re still manned with about 45,000 troops and more than 440 aircraft representing the full spectrum of the Air Force core competencies, assigned to nine bases in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Japan and Korea.

The F-15 Eagle is Pacific Air Forces’ (PACAF’s) premier combat aircraft.

Official U.S. Army Photo

PACAF has 45,000 highly skilled personnel in the Pacific theater, such as these combat controllers who can jump into remote areas to set up landing and drop zones.

Photo by Sr. Amn. Craig Clapper, USAF

A PACAF weapons loading crew chief checks AIM-9 missiles before loading for an exercise mission in Singapore.

Photo by MSgt. Val Gempis, USAF

Our four numbered air forces – 5th, 7th, 11th, and 13th – are strategically located throughout the theater, exactly as they were five years ago in Japan, Korea, Alaska and Guam respectively. Although PACAF looks the same on the surface, what a difference five years makes in how the command employs airpower – from our role in the United States’ new Expeditionary Air Force concept to dramatic upgrades in our command and control system – sweeping changes are occurring.

When the Cold War ended, U.S. Air Force senior leaders realized a need for a more versatile and deployable aerospace force. To meet this challenge, the Air Force combined personnel and assets from Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve units into 10 Aerospace Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and two crisis-response Aerospace Expeditionary Wings (AEW). Each AEF is scheduled to deploy, or be on-call, for a three-month period, every 15 months. The AEWs rotate on a like schedule, ensuring one AEW is always ready to respond to contingency operations. When not deployed or on-call, AEFs and AEWs usually remain at home station, focusing on training and preparing for their next rotation window.

In the past 15 months, PACAF has played a vital role in the implementation of the AEF concept. During AEF cycle one, October 1999 to November 2000, Elmendorf and Eielson Air Force Bases in Alaska, along with Misawa and Kadena Air Bases in Japan, provided aircraft and personnel in support of USAF AEF operations. Pacific Air Forces also provided expeditionary combat support packages to all 10 AEFs. Expeditionary Combat Support packages include supporting agencies like civil engineers, security forces, financial managers, personnel specialists, public affairs personnel, and aerial porters. In all, more than 3,700 PACAF personnel deployed in support of AEF cycle one operations. We currently have nearly 2,300 troops deployed in support of AEF cycle two, and more than 1,350 additional personnel are programmed to deploy throughout the rest of this year.

Another significant change within the Pacific Air Forces is our command and control structure. It’s no secret that information superiority will be instrumental in winning future conflicts. Seeing the need to enhance PACAF’s command and control operations, my predecessor, Gen. Patrick Gamble, launched a very ambitious and well-planned project called OPERATION KUTER. The project includes several efforts designed to boost our ability to collect, consolidate, and disseminate the information to PACAF commanders across the 16 time zones and more than 100 million square miles of ocean.

One of the first OPERATION KUTER initiatives was the standup of the PACAF Operations Support Center (POSC) at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. The POSC monitors the day-to-day operational picture of PACAF’s aerospace activities and keeps track of the command’s overall capability to accomplish its many missions. Prior to the stand-up of the POSC in March 2001, the PACAF commander had no consolidated operational image of our area of responsibility. There were several administrative and support agencies that reported directly to the commander, but no single agency served as a central repository for command-wide operational assessment. Information from various sources is sorted and channeled into the POSC’s state-of-the-art systems. The POSC turns this information into an up-to-the-minute virtual picture that my staff and I can access at our desks with the click of a mouse. The POSC also provides PACAF with a core of subject-matter experts who collectively maintain awareness of all Pacific aerospace activities – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.