U.S., JASDF Forces keep Lightning engaged in REFORPAC 2025

05 August 2025

From Airman 1st Class Koby Mitchell, 35th Fighter Wing

MATSUSHIMA AIR BASE, Japan (July 31, 2025) – During exercise Resolute Force Pacific 2025, U.S. Forces worked with Japan Air Self-Defense Force airmen at Matsushima Air Base, Japan, to demonstrate the power of integrated operations and bilateral readiness in the Indo-Pacific.

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A U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II assigned to the 421st Fighter Squadron takes off during exercise Resolute Force Pacific (REFORPAC) 2025 at Matsushima Air Base, Japan, July 25, 2025. The REFORPAC exercise spans more than 50 locations across the Pacific, sharpening the U.S. Air Force’s ability to rapidly deploy, sustain agile combat employment operations and project airpower in contested environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Koby Mitchell)

A U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II, assigned to the 421st Fighter Squadron, takes off during exercise Resolute Force Pacific 2025 at Matsushima Air Base, Japan, July 25, 2025. The exercise validates Pacific Air Forces’ capacity to lead large-scale agile combat employment and multinational contingency operations with more than 12,000 personnel and 400 aircraft being mobilized. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Koby Mitchell)

U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning IIs, assigned to the 421st Fighter Squadron, conduct sortie generations during exercise Resolute Force Pacific (REFORPAC) 2025 at Matsushima Air Base, Japan, July 24, 2025. The REFORPAC exercise validates Pacific Air Forces’ capacity to lead large-scale agile combat employment and multinational contingency operations with more than 12,000 personnel and 400 aircraft being mobilized. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Koby Mitchell)

U.S. Air Force Airmen, assigned to the 421st Fighter Generation Squadron and the 721st Crisis Response team, unload cargo from a truck during exercise Resolute Force Pacific 2025 at Matsushima Air Base, Japan, July 24, 2025. The exercise delivers USAF capabilities to the Indo-Pacific region at speed and scale, demonstrating the ability to command and control agile combat employment operations across more than six time zones. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Koby Mitchell)

This marked the first time the U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs from the 421st Fighter Squadron conducted flight operations from Matsushima. The JASDF and U.S. forces provided fuel support - enabling quick-turn airpower operations in a simulated contested environment.

“This massive effort with both U.S. and Japanese forces helped us to practice while working together in stressful situations,” said Capt. Trey Elletson, 35th Air Expeditionary Wing Base Operating Support, Integration lead. “With Japan’s support, we have even more effective strategies to withstand an attack at home base, spread out, and then respond to threats against our allies in this region. Matsushima is just one of the locations we tested during REFORPAC, and the success of this fighter integration proved our collective ability to defend Japan during a real-world contingency.”

Throughout REFORPAC, 421st Fighter Generation Squadron (FGS) and 721st Crisis Response Team Airmen unloaded critical cargo from Misawa Air Base to support the contingency response footprint. The 721st CRT also provided command and control, communications, sustainment and support enabling the location to function as a forward-operating spoke.

“We’ve trained for this kind of mobility, but REFORPAC was the real proving ground,” said Airman 1st Class Jacob Olin, 421st FGS F-35 Lightning II crew chief. “We brought in gear, established connectivity and sustained ops in an unfamiliar location—all while coordinating with our JASDF counterparts.”

Outside of direct-mission sets, U.S. and Japanese personnel strengthened ties through cultural and morale engagements, with a bilateral immersion tour hosted by the JASDF and a beach cleanup and barbeque with local civilians.

The Department Level Exercise, REFORPAC 2025, the largest-ever Pacific contingency exercise by the U.S. Air Force, included approximately 400 aircraft across 50 locations and is designed to push U.S. and partner forces into realistic scenarios, simulating degraded logistics, dispersed basing and contested environments. Matsushima airmen tested rapid maneuvering, multinational refueling and combined command and control under dynamic conditions.

As regional security challenges evolve, exercises like REFORPAC ensure U.S. and Allied forces remain agile, connected and ready to respond —anytime, anywhere.