United States Air Force Conducts its Largest Ever Exercise in the Pacific
Last Thursday the United States Air Force commenced its largest pacific exercise ever, known as Resolute Pacific 2025. The exercise consists of more than three hundred aircraft, over twelve thousand personnel and spans more than fifty locations. The event will run through to August and also includes allied partner nations such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada, as well as including other branches of the United States Military.
Resolute Pacific, or REFORPAC, is the first in what is said to be a “generation” of exercises in the Pacific, with a focus on contingency response and command and control at large scale. “We must be ready to operate in austere conditions, with degraded networks, and through disruptions to sustainment chains. Our forces must be self-sufficient, mobile, and capable of rapid adaptation,” said Gen. Kevin Schneider, PACAF commander.
The exercise will consist of operations under contested environments and degraded conditions, with the goal of improving adaptability and sustainment of operations. The size and vastness of the exercise, which spans an area of over 3000 miles, will test the US’s ability to coordinate with allies across different borders, domains and units.
“From weapons loaders to fuels specialists, pilots, planners, medical, security, airfield managers, civil engineers, maintainers and everything in between, every Airman here plays a role in building a force that can respond immediately and effectively in any environment,” said a US Air Force official.
REFORPAC will be one of the largest exercises the USAF has launched since the end of the Cold War, and is part of a larger series of exercises in the USAF’s “Department Level Exercise” initiative. A major contributor to REFORPAC and future planned operations in the Pacific is the Space Force, with its own ongoing exercise, Resolute Space, being the largest in the branch’s history so far.
REFORPAC is a milestone for the United States Air Force as well as its partners in the Pacific, as its scale and scope are a reflection of the degree of cooperation needed to address the security concerns of the region. Allied nations especially will be given greater roles, particular emphasis will be placed upon Japan’s participation in the event as well as its role as a central location to the exercise. The Japanese Air Self Defense force has contributed 50 aircraft and over 3100 personnel to the event, and will be participating in crucial roles throughout the duration of the exercise. Air Force Col. Paul Davidson noted that through REFORPAC, the UASAF, “together with our Japanese allies, we’re testing our combined capabilities to defend Japan from any adversary.”
Overall, Reform Pacific 2025’s scale and scope reflects a dedication by the United States to focus its attention on the pacific and to coordinate with allies in large scale operations in complex environments. The exercise is set to last from 10 July to 8 August, and will be conducting operations throughout the coming month.