Eyes in the Sky

The 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron provides command and control support for all U.S. and allied aircraft that need it within their area of operation. Aircrews comprised of more than 18 members operate the E-3 Sentry to monitor the skies with its 30-foot rotating radar to relay important

A labor of love

Beams of light pierce the tightly woven canopy overhead just enough to illuminate the dense growth underfoot. The smell of old vegetation is thick and heavy; the faint smell of exhaust is unmistakable. A constant droning sound is broken only by the occasional chirp of metal blades making contact

Pure Airpower

Fully armed Aircraft from the 18th Wing conduct an elephant walk during a no-notice exercise April 12, 2017, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The 18th Wing operates combat ready fleets of HH-60 Pave Hawks, F-15 Eagles, E-3 Sentries and KC-135 Stratotankers, making it the largest combat-ready wing in the

Engineer's resolve enables air power

Pave Hawks prepared to rescue personnel

To the rescue

A defining trait of any tragedy is that you never know when it will take place or the kind of repercussions it may have. It’s thus a responsibility of all military personnel to be trained to handle crises whenever and wherever they occur. Thanks to the quick reactions of two 18th Munitions Squadron

Training to fight day or night

A U.S. Air Force civil engineer Airman operates heavy machinery to perform airfield damage repairs during a no-notice exercise April 12, 2017, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The 18th Civil Engineer Squadron is capable of quickly repairing a damaged runway to ensure aircraft are able to take off and land

LEAP and bound

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody recently retired, handing off the responsibility of CMSAF to Chief Master Sgt. Kaleth O. Wright on Feb. 17, 2017. Several distinguished visitors were present for the retirement ceremony, according to a speech given by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.

Who's the bomb?

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Bouvy, 18th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron weapons load standardization crew member, gives the opening remarks of a quarterly weapons load competition April 3, 2017, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The competition was held between the 44th and 67th Aircraft Maintenance

Welcome Home

An U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle from the 44th Fighter Squadron arrives from Cope Tiger 2017, April 3, 2017, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Cope Tiger 2017 is an annual multilateral exercise aimed at improving combined combat readiness and interoperability between the Republic of Singapore Air Force, Royal

Dealing with a blowhard

The 18th Civil Engineer Squadron’s Emergency Management flight is conducting events for Typhoon Preparedness Month throughout April. The events are a way for the 18th CES to provide information on how to be ready for typhoon season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.The primary duty for the

Lucky number 13

Boys and girls throughout the United States visit airshows with their families to watch pilots do what they do best: fly.Nowadays, those pilots come in a variety of types from a wide range of backgrounds, but it wasn’t always that way. It’s important to take a step back every once in a while to

Building blocks

The walls are covered in stickers, children’s shows on the television and toys in the waiting room, pint-sized patients play under their parent’s watchful eye. The pediatrics unit at the Kadena Air Base, Japan, Clinic tries to make children and parents as comfortable as possible when they come in

Ready at a moment’s notice

Japan Self-Defense Force members conducted bilateral training with U.S. Soldiers and Airmen March 14 and 16 to strengthen relations and increase readiness.

Top “Dawg” flies with SOG

The usual items on a 353rd Special Operations Group cargo and passenger manifest can list Humvees, rafts, ATVs, supply drop crates, special forces Army Soldiers, Air Force pararescuemen, a forward area refueling party, or a platoon of Marines armed to the teeth. However, the manifest listed only a