JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM -- Since their arrival to Rim of the Pacific 2016, July 7, Citizen Airmen in the 507th Air Refueling Wing have worked hand-in-hand with other nations and sister services to offload more than 2 million pounds of fuel to U.S. and Canadian military aircraft.

Performing such a feat does not happen by accident; in fact, it requires constant flexibility and interoperability between branches and nations in order to prepare, plan, and execute these daily missions.

Six KC-135R Stratotankers are in place at RIMPAC 2016: Two from the 507th Air Refueling Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, one from the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana, and one from the 452nd Air Refueling Wing at March Air Reserve Base, California, all Air Force Reserve Command units. Two aircraft and associated crews come from the 909th Air Refueling Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan.

The crews generally launch and fly four aerial refueling missions daily, according to Maj. Johnny Kearns, 465th Air Refueling Squadron tanker liaison officer, who acts as a go-between for the 465th ARS, based at Tinker Air Force Base, and all the other squadrons participating in the exercise.

“If the need arises, we can flex to accommodate up to seven flights each day,” said Kearns. “I feel very proud of myself and my fellow Airmen for what [we] have accomplished here.”

At the Combined Air Operations Center, Kearns works with F/A-18s aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), as well as Canadian Air Force assets, in order to plan the following day’s flights to meet all air refueling requirements.

Each evening, the officers review the Air Tasking Order carefully, in order to negotiate the flights they will be able to fulfill.

Once the liaison officers determine the amount of flights they will require the next day for their tanker plan, Kearns acts on behalf of 465th ARS to decide which flights they can accommodate with aerial refueling, based on aircraft and crew availability.

“It’s a rare opportunity to work with Aussies and Canadians,” said Kearns. “They’re really good humored and really know what they are doing. When it gets really busy, I imagine it’s what it’s like being on the stock exchange floor.”

Once flight times and jets are confirmed, the ATO is written, which Kearns reviews and then sends down to the squadron in order for crews to be assigned their flight times.

Tech Sgt. Lester Spencer, crew chief with the 752nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, March Air Reserve Base, California, has provided assistance to other Reserve units over the last eight years to get the job done.

“Maintenance always comes together to help each other out,” said Spencer. “I have provided backfill support for the Tinker crew at RIMPAC, at Incirlik, Turkey and in Al Udeid, Qatar, and they have done the same for us.”

Maj. Matt Biggs, director of operations for 465th ARS, said he keeps things running smooth at the operations building and disseminates reporting instructions to flight and maintenance crews.

Chief Master Sgt. David Hobbs, aviation resource management superintendent, takes all flight schedules and assigns orders to flight crews for the following day, who must then adjust their schedules accordingly to get the required 12 hours of crew rest prior to flight.

The hours spent coordinating these flights between different nations and branches of service allows aircraft to refuel at 26,000 ft. above the ground in five minutes or less, or about 10-12 minutes for larger aircraft.

Twenty-six nations, 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971.