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  • Project Lima BEAN expands MQ-9 contingency capabilities

    An MQ-9 Reaper launched into the night and returned safely without a runway, Oct. 8, 2025, marking a first-of-its-kind operation at Kadena Air Base, Japan.The 319th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron’s Project Lima BEAN — Blazing Egress Airfield Nonstandard — pushed the limits of unmanned flight

  • Right place, right time: Airman’s courage shines outside Kadena

    What began as a quiet Sunday drive to the gym quickly turned into a life-aiding  moment for one Airman from the 18th Wing Erwin Professional Military Education Center. U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Winsome Culley, the center’s senior development advisor, didn’t hesitate when he saw a car

  • 18th CES Firefighters ignite community awareness during Fire Prevention Week

    “Protecting those who defend America.” That’s the motto firefighters and emergency services across the Department of War live by. The 18th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department carried that spirit through Fire Prevention Week, held Oct. 3–9, 2025, at Kadena Air Base, Japan.Fire Prevention Week

  • PDF line operations exercise rapid deployment readiness

    U.S. Air Force Airmen process through a personnel deployment function line during a routine 18th Wing operational readiness exercise at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 4, 2025. The PDF line optimizes the administrative process for deploying forces by ensuring personnel are equipped with government

  • Japan’s Southwestern Air Defense Force commander visits Kadena

    Southwestern Air Defense Force Lt. Gen. Takayuki Terasaki, SWADF commander, comes to Kadena Air Base for a visit to meet with U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. John Gallemore, 18th Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. William Cupp, 18th Wing command chief, to discuss bilateral training and to receive a

  • BH 26-1: Kadena Airmen prove readiness in MASCAL exercise

    U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 18th Civil Engineer Squadron and 18th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron came to aid personnel from the 18th Comptroller Squadron for a mass casualty training event in support of base-wide operational readiness exercise BH 26-1 at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 6,

  • Kadena’s KC-135s fuel Freedom Edge 25

    U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy assets support the third iteration of Freedom Edge at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Sep. 16, 2025. Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States executed the exercise, demonstrating a new era of trilateral cooperation to ensure peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula

  • Never forget: Kadena firefighters lead 9/11 remembrance

    U.S. Air Force Airmen, firefighters, and senior leaders gathered Sept. 11, 2025, to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks during a memorial ceremony hosted by the 18th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters. The ceremony, held with full honors, paid tribute to the

  • Kadena ATC - The tower behind the mission

    The glass-walled control tower at Kadena Air Base is never silent. Radios buzz with rapid transmissions, headsets hum with constant updates, and vigilant eyes scan runways and radar screens amid a fast-paced environment. Within this controlled chaos, a team of U.S. Airmen work in seamless

  • ACE: Forging Multi-Capable Airmen in the Indo-Pacific

    KADENA AIR BASE, Japan - U.S. Air Force Airmen from Kadena Air Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, alongside Marine Corps Air Station Futenma Marines, recently completed a joint Agile Combat Employment training event on Okinawa, Japan, July 15-23, 2025. The multi-day exercise focused on one

  • Readiness in every bag: the 18th LRS IPE team at work

    Walk into any office or unit on Kadena Air Base, and you’ll see them, two unmistakable green bags tucked neatly beside desks or stowed within arm’s reach. Far from ordinary luggage, these bags contain body armor, chemical gear and other essential items, ready to go at a moment's notice for training

  • Peace, Planes, and Kappy: Achi-Mura students visit Kadena Air Base

    Elementary and middle school students from Achi-Mura in Nagano Prefecture visited Kadena Air Base, August 4, 2025, to experience American life firsthand and learn more about the U.S. Air Force. The visit marked the first time students from Achi-Mura have toured the base since 2020.