YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Gen. Ken Wilsbach, Pacific Air Forces commander, and Chief Master Sgt. David Wolfe, PACAF command chief, visited Yokota Air Base and the Government of Japan Ministry of Defense Nov. 1-3, to reaffirm an essential allied partnership and speak with local Airmen on agile airlift’s contribution to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
“Multi-capable Airmen are the future of combat readiness in any theater, and especially here, now, in the Indo-Pacific area,” Wilsbach said. “Embracing Agile Combat Employment for the past five years has given us great strategic advantages, and I’m proud to see how lower level officers, sergeants and Airmen are more capable of leadership, flexibility and initiative as a result of ACE training.”
The PACAF leadership team started the trip by visiting their Japanese military counterparts to reaffirm the importance of the U.S. Air Force – Japan Air Self-Defense Force relationship, and continuing discussions to further improve interoperability between forces.
“There’s no comparison between the U.S. together with its allied partner nations and our peer adversaries,” Wilsbach said. “We are better together and we know they cannot match that interoperability capability, which is why we continually strengthen ties with visits and practice working together through exercises.”
PACAF’s mission, in coordination with other components, allies, and partners, is to provide USINDOPACOM with continuous unrivaled air, space, and cyberspace capabilities to ensure regional stability and security. The command accomplishes this by providing combat-ready Airmen who help establish and maintain a foundation of Indo-Pacific stability and security.
“The professionalism of its enlisted force is why the U.S. military is considered the strongest in the world, not because of equipment, numbers or any other factor,” Wilsbach said.
Wilsbach and Wolfe visited mission essential areas of the base to learn about how Yokota delivers on the PACAF vision:
- At the 374th Communications Squadron they were briefed on the largest Technical Control Facility in the U.S. Air Force, supporting hub for the PACAF network and cloud services, necessary telephone infrastructure upgrades, and on portable satellite encrypted communication capabilities.
- The 374th Medical Group displayed developments in air transported patient recovery, and a range of force readiness efforts to include surgical, medical, maternity and vaccinations.
- The base Air Traffic Control Tower provided a 360-degree view of the flight operations, a live demonstration of C-130J Super Hercules training, and flightline construction progress aimed to increase the base compliment of aircraft and streamline maintenance.
- A tour of the Emergency Operations Center for an update on its increased capability as a command and control hub, with superior ability to coordinate efforts for any emergency situation or contingency.
A commander’s All-Call meeting with hundreds of attending Airmen from across the base was the final stop. It presented an opportunity to speak in-person about how Team Yokota fits into achieving the larger Air Force mission goals, and to address the needs of Airmen and their families.
“We think about what barriers we can remove to better enable Airmen doing the job,” Wolfe said. “We think about reducing bureaucracy, moving decision making authority to the appropriate levels and to make it easier for Airmen to be their best selves.”
Wilsbach and Wolfe left the base with a message before moving on to the next base location.
“We’re here for the people, to hear the successes and the needs of Yokota Airmen,” said Wolfe.
“Yokota Airmen are so impressive … the past year hasn’t kept us down and it shows,” Wilsbach said. “We’re proud and thankful for everything this team does.”