JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., Pacific Air Forces commander, wrote a memo to Airmen stationed throughout PACAF, commemorating the command's 75th anniversary:
The Far East Air Forces (FEAF), or PACAF as we know it today, celebrates 75 years of service on August 3, 2019. PACAF's humble origins start as a subordinate command to the U.S. Army Forces Far East, headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, and led by Lt Gen George Kenney. By 1945, the cornn1and expanded to include three Numbered Air Forces supporting operations in the Pacific Theater.
Since then, FEAF moved its headquarters from Australia to Japan and finally to its current location in Hawaii with a re-designated moniker--PACAF. The command's role has been vital to our national security, participating in every major conflict from WWII to present day. Today, as the Air Component to United States Indo-Pacific Command, we've operationalized as a Component MAJCOM to refine our warfighting mission.
Throughout the years, PACAF has proudly stood ready to support combat and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations across the globe while simultaneously engaging in actions to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific. PACAF has prioritized efforts to cultivate regional relationships, finding opportunities to strengthen our alliances and partnerships, while creating avenues to build new partnerships and increase collaboration across the theater. Finally, PACAF continuously leverages lessons learned from our operations, exercises, and engagements across the region to prepare and prime our Airmen for future challenges.
PACAF is successful because of the countless contributions by men and women like you who have served in our command during the past 75 years. The future of PACAF will be defined by your service, your ability to execute at a high standard, and our collective capacity to fly, fight, and win.