An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | Jan. 15, 2021

Misawa Operates Through Record Breaking December Snowfall, Demonstrates Joint and Allied Force Readiness

By Maj. Cody Chiles 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Joint and allied personnel at Misawa Air Base executed mission-essential training and defense operations directly supporting the Indo-Pacific Command mission while simultaneously receiving a record breaking 72.4 inches of snowfall during the month of December in 2020.

The previous snowfall record recorded by the 14th Weather Squadron occurred when the installation receive 59.4 inches of snowfall in December of 2000. The weather squadron maintains an archive of snowfall records ranging back to the 1950s.

35th Civil Engineering Squadron snow and ice removal teams, alongside Japan Air Self-Defense Force partners, performed 24-hour operations throughout December to clear installation runways, taxiways, roadways, and parking lots to support uninterrupted airfield and base operations.

“Team Misawa has the best U.S. and Japanese snow and ice removal teams in the Pacific. Their hard work and expertise allowed us to execute uninterrupted operations in a harsh winter environment,” said Col. Jesse J. Friedel, 35th Fighter Wing commander. “Maintaining operational readiness at Misawa directly supports Indo-Pacific Command’s mission to implement a combat credible deterrence strategy capable of denying our adversaries sustained air and sea dominance by focusing on posturing the Joint Force to win before fighting, while being ready to fight and win.”

The 35th FW is the only dedicated U.S. Air Force Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses wing in Pacific Air Forces' area of responsibility. It is the 35th FW’s mission to protect U.S. interests in the Pacific and defend Japan; and deter adversaries through presence, readiness, and ability to project agile combat air power.

During the month of December, U.S. and Japanese forces conducted hundreds of operational sorties at Misawa AB.

The snow removal was also vital to the 35th Medical Group’s ability to receive and administer initial COVID-19 vaccines to hundreds of base personnel, and test nearly 500 base personnel for COVID, to mitigate the potential spread of the virus.

“Joint and allied personnel at Misawa demonstrated we are fully prepared to operate in a demanding environment; and our combat power will always be ready to rapidly respond, at the time and place of our choosing,” said Friedel. “I’m proud of our joint and allied team for their herculean efforts to keep the base running. We have already received more than 100 inches of snow this winter, and we will continue to be ready to fight and win.”
CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
X
363,188
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
The Pentagon Transfers Authority to the Navy to Ensure the Safe Closure of Red Hill
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 28, 2024 - The Department of Defense announced today that the Joint Task Force-Red Hill has completed its defueling mission at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawai’i and shifted command and control of the facility to the...

U.S. Marines, Sailors arrive in Darwin for 13th iteration of MRF-D
U.S. Marine Corps Col. Brian Mulvihill, right, the commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, shakes hands with Royal Australian Navy Capt. Mitchell Livingstone, the commanding officer of Headquarters Northern Command at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin, NT, Australia, March 24, 2024. MRF-D 24.3 is part of an annual six-month rotational deployment to enhance interoperability with the Australian Defence Force and Allies and partners and provide a forward-postured crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific. Mulvihill is a native of New York. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Cristian L. Bestul)
March 28, 2024 - A new group of Marines and Sailors arrived in the Northern Territory to begin the 13th annual iteration of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin...

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 27, 2024 - Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout...

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey Ford Concludes Visit to Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 27, 2024 - Department of Defense spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners provided the following readout...

DIU Partners With AUKUS Pillar II for International Prize Challenge
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 26, 2024 - The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is launching the first trilateral prize challenge through AUKUS Pillar II— a defense and security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (U.S.)— to...