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  • 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

  • Forging warrior ethos: Kadena launches first USAF Combatives Course

    A week-long combatvies course, held Sept. 15-19, brought together 46 Airmen from across Kadena. Each morning began with a safety brief and a demonstration from certified Air Force combatives experts. Then came practice; hours of ground drills, defensive maneuvers, and eventually, live sparring.

  • Radiant Falcon sharpens Kadena Airmen’s radiological response readiness

    When a mission-critical aircraft returns to a base contaminated by radiation, every second counts. To prepare for that possibility, Airmen from the 18th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron’s Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight joined forces with the 82nd Reconnaissance Squadron and the 18th Civil

  • BH 26-1: Airpower out of MCAS Futenma

    U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, deployed to Kadena Air Base, launched from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Japan, during a simulated combat mission during BH 26-1, Nov. 5, 2025.

  • After dark: nighttime air refueling with the E-3 Sentry

    The 909th Air Refueling Squadron refueled a E-3 Sentry assigned to the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron during nighttime refueling at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Sept. 24, 2025. The 961st AACS is a combat-ready E-3 squadron providing airborne command and control, long-range surveillance, detection

  • Fueling the F-35s’ fight

    The 909th Air Refueling Squadron refueled F-35A Lightning II's assigned to the 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and the 355th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron in support of a large force training exercise at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Sept. 11, 2025. The continuous rotation of aircraft to Kadena

  • Carrying Their Memory Forward

    The POW/MIA Remembrance Run 24-hour ruck pays tribute to U.S. service members who endured captivity and those still missing, ensuring their sacrifice is never forgotten.

  • ODB Director General tours Kadena

    Mr. Masaru Murai, Okinawa Defense Bureau director general, met with Brig. Gen. John Gallemore, 18th Wing commander, and other 18th Wing leadership Sept. 11, 2025, to familiarize himself with Kadena Air Base and introduce himself as the primary bridge between the Government of Japan, U.S. Forces and

  • 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

  • Steps to safety: Kadena and Chatan Town partner for tsunami readiness

    The 18th Wing partnered with Chatan Town to practice disaster evacuation procedures at Kadena, Sept. 20, 2025. Members of Chatan communities practiced walking the official evacuation route through the air base from Kadena Gate 1 to a park on the installation to simulate what would occur during a

  • 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