Kadena AIR BASE, Japan -- Airmen assigned to the 18th Wing recently concluded a routine training exercise designed to hone skills needed to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific in any combat environment.
The two-week exercise extensively tested the wing’s ability to respond to a variety of contingencies in an organized manner – allowing the base to continue to operate at a high level of efficiency in any scenario.
“I was extremely impressed by how our Airmen performed,” said 18th Wing Command Chief Master Sgt. Ronnie Woods. “Kadena was able to efficiently execute large muscle movements in spite of not having an exercise since 2019 due to COVID restrictions."
“This proves our combat capabilities in a contested environment.”
Delivering decisive air and cyberspace capabilities in today’s rapidly-changing environment requires Airmen have a renewed focus on preparation, readiness and an understanding of their role in long-term strategic conflicts.
Exercises like this provide units the opportunity to train Airmen in a broader range of abilities, creating a more versatile warfighter.
“Being in the emergency operations center, I got to see why and how we do what we do,” said Airman 1st Class Kamaryn Sablan, 18th Communication Squadron client systems technician. “Now I understand how we work as a Wing together.”
Following the Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin’s vision of integrated deterrence, the exercise tested multiple capabilities of Kadena Airmen in all warfighting domains.
"Phase one of the exercise tested the base’s ability to deploy hundreds of personnel into an austere location and generate a large number of aircraft. Phase two shifted focus toward testing the wing’s ability to respond to chemical attacks while continuing to generate and recover aircraft – allowing a sustained generation of airpower in any strategic environment," said Lt. Col. Peter Joo, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron commander and the EOC director for this exercise.
“The past two weeks have tested our Airmen and Guardians across a wide array of functions, and I’m proud to say we absolutely aced the exam,” said Brig. Gen. David Eaglin, 18th Wing commander. “We honed our warfighting functions and revalidated our readiness to defend our allies in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”