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  • BB26-1: The Tip of the Spear Starts Here

    The 18th Wing conducted operational readiness exercise Beverly Beach 26-1 at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Aug 3-5, 2026, demonstrating the Wing’s capacity to generate sorties, defend the base, respond to emergencies and sustain the force during contingency operations.

  • BB26-1: Serving Around-the-Clock Readiness

    As readiness exercise Beverly Beach 26-1 unfolds across Kadena Air Base each day, the 18th Force Support Squadron dining facility is already hard at work. Ovens heat, serving lines fill and food service specialists prepare hundreds of meals, ensuring Airmen and joint partners have the fuel they need

  • BB26-1: 18th MDG tests En-Route Patient Staging System

    Airmen assigned to the 18th Medical Group established and operated an En-Route Patient Staging System (ERPSS) during Beverly Beach 26-1, strengthening the 18th Wing's ability to rapidly receive, stabilize and prepare patients for aeromedical evacuation during contingency operations.

  • BB26-1: 718th AMXS sustains readiness as Typhoon Dolphin approaches

    Airmen assigned to the 718th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron prepared HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters and KC-135 Stratotankers for typhoon operations at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Aug. 3, 2026, as Typhoon Dolphin approached Okinawa. The preparations took place while the 18th Wing conducted exercise

  • Kadena honors Battle of Okinawa legacy during Memorial Day ceremony

    U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. John Gallemore, 18th Wing commander, delivers remarks during the Okinawa Memorial Day ceremony at “The Cornerstone of Peace” in Peace Memorial Park, Okinawa, Japan, June 23, 2026. The annual ceremony, hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Okinawa and USO Okinawa,

  • Kadena Airmen support Okinawan children’s home following typhoon damage

    Airmen assigned to the 18th Civil Engineer Group at Kadena Air Base partnered with the Misato Children’s Home during a community cleanup project June 12, 2026, demonstrating the installation’s commitment to strengthening relationships with the local community while improving a safe outdoor

  • 27th Fighter Squadron arrives at Kadena

    A U.S. F-22A Raptor assigned to the 27th Fighter Squadron arrives at Kadena Air Base, Japan, April 20, 2024. As the 18th Wing continues the phased return of Kadena’s fleet of F-15C/D Eagles, the Department of Defense will maintain a steady-state fighter presence in the Indo-Pacific region by

  • 2023 Balikatan CE SME exchange

    To maintain a strong relationship and increase interoperability in the Indo-Pacific, 18th Wing Airmen with the 18th Civil Engineer Group engaged in a four-day Subject Matter Expert Exchange event with the Philippines air force’s 355th Aviation Engineer Wing from Apr. 10 to Apr. 14, 2023. The group

  • Kadena maintainers manufacture the future

    Airmen from the 18th Wing and 353rd Special Operations Wing at Kadena Air Base, Japan, made history by installing the first ever 3-D printed aircraft part onto an MC-130J Commando II, creating an important step towards bringing additive manufacturing to a level of reliability that could make a big

  • Spark Tank Innovation

    Units from around Kadena Air Base's 18th Wing compete for $146,000 in innovation funding by presenting their best ideas and concepts to a panel of senior leaders who provided feedback and determined the amount of funding awarded.

  • Aircraft don’t run on hopes and dreams

    Anyone who has a car understands the importance of having a full tank of clean, reliable gas. For Kadena Air Base, an organization responsible for defending nations and providing worldwide humanitarian relief, the same rules apply. That's where unit's like the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron's

  • Ready to launch

    A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, taxis for take-off at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Nov. 7, 2017. The F-35A is deployed under U.S. Pacific Command’s theater security package program, which has been in operation since 2004. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Omari

  • KSO 2016 kicks off

    Brave Buddy volunteers wait for the arrival of athletes during the 2016 Kadena Special Olympics Nov. 5, 2016, at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Thousands of volunteers from various military bases and Okinawan community organizations gathered with the united goal of fostering friendships and building