KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., Pacific Air Forces commander, visited the mighty Kadena Shoguns for a detailed tour of 18th Wing units and agencies and to provide further understanding on where the Keystone of the Pacific fits in the overall PACAF strategic mission.
Brig. Gen. Joel Carey, 18th Wing commander, joined Brown, his spouse, Sharene, Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Johnson, PACAF command chief, and his spouse, Stephanie, on the tour where they visited the 33rd Rescue Squadron, 909th Air Refueling Squadron, 18th Medical Group and more.
“The Indo-Pacific is the priority theater,” Brown said at a full-house all-call. “I think it’s important we highlight time and time again, and educate those who are not here in the Pacific so they have a better understanding of the things we’re dealing with and the long-term threats we see.”
Brown remarked that he was impressed by the 32,000 sorties flown across the command, and that PACAF has been a leader in many regional exercises.
“PACAF has participated in 54 different exercises across the region, and Kadena has participated in a number of those,” he said. “Of those 54, 29 have been led by PACAF. It’s pretty impressive what we’ve done collectively, but I’ll tell you the key part is the relationships we’ve built.”
Brown said his goal for PACAF is to make the force “light, lean and agile.”
“Here’s the way I describe it. In order to operate, all you need is a runway, a ramp, fuel bladder, a trailer full of munitions, a pallet of MREs, and some multifunctional Airmen. We should be able to operate from anywhere, any location in the world.”
Brown visited many base units to learn about unit-specific issues, current mode of operations, answer questions, and recognize Airmen for superior performance amongst their peers.
“Thank you for what you do on a daily basis here for Team Kadena, what you do for PACAF, and what you do for our nation and for our Air Force. Not just you, [but] also your families.”