News>First U.S. and Philippine Airman-to-Airman Talks comes to a close
Photos
Republic of the Philippines and United States flags sit side-by-side at the head table of the first United States and Philippine Airman-to-Airman Talks here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Ceded to the United States in 1898 following the Spanish-American War, the Republic of the Philippines peaceably won its independence from the U.S. on Jul. 4, 1946, a day presently observed as “RP-U.S. Friendship Day.” (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Bright/Released)
Maj. Gen. Raul Dimatatac, vice commander, Philippine Air Force (left), and Lt. Gen. Ted Kresge, vice commander, Pacific Air Forces, sign Terms of Reference agreements between their two air forces at the conclusion of the first United States and Philippine Airman-to-Airman Talks here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. During Philippine President Benigno Aquino III’s visit to Washington, D.C. in June, 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the long-standing mutual defense treaty between the two nations. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Bright/Released)
At the conclusion of the first United States and Philippine Airman-to-Airman talks between their two air forces, Maj. Gen. Raul Dimatatac, vice commander, Philippine Air Force (left), is presented a replica of the damaged wall of the Pacific Air Forces building – which suffered incredible damage during the Japanese attack on Oahu Dec. 7, 1941 – by Lt. Gen. Ted Kresge, vice commander, Pacific Air Forces here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The Airman-to-Airman Talks provided an opportunity for airmen in operations, intelligence, communications and other career fields, to meet and to speak freely about how to better work together in the coming years to strengthen relations between the Philippine and U.S. Air Forces. Additionally, leaders were able to begin plans for joint activities for the coming calendar year. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Bright/Released)
Lt. Gen. Ted Kresge, vice commander, Pacific Air Forces (right), is presented a commemorative plaque by Maj. Gen. Raul Dimatatac, vice commander, Philippine Air Force, at the conclusion of the first United States and Philippine Airman-to-Airman Talks here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The Airman-to-Airman Talks, designed to not only foster military-to-military relationships with allied forces, but also to renew a long-standing friendship the Republic of the Philippines and the United States have known for more than 63 years. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Bright/Released)
Maj. Adrian Galang, Pacific Air Forces International Affairs desk officer for Burma, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Thailand, welcomes members of the Philippine Air Force to the first United States and Philippine Airman-to-Airman Talks here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The Airman-to-Airman Talks are intended to strengthen bilateral relationships between the two air forces, establish an annual forum to discuss airpower topics and to determine joint activities for next calendar year. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Bright/Released)
Lt. Gen. Ted Kresge, vice commander, Pacific Air Forces (right), welcomes Maj. Gen. Raul Dimatatac, Philippine Air Force vice commander, to the first United States and Philippine Airman-to-Airman Talks here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The Republic of the Philippines, a major non-NATO U.S. ally, holds a long-standing mutual defense treaty with the U.S. dating back to 1951. Events like the Airman-to-Airman Talks strengthen relationships between the two air forces and establish a forum for open discussion of critical airpower topics in the Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Bright/Released)
Lt. Gen. Ted Kresge, Pacific Air Forces vice commander (center), and Maj. Gen. Raul Dimatatac, vice commander, Philippine Air Force, listen as members of the Philippine and United States Air Forces introduce themselves during the official welcome briefings for the first United States and Philippine Airman-to-Airman Talks here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Airman-to-Airman Talks offer allied air forces the chance to meet face-to-face and discuss joint training opportunities beneficial to both militaries. During the three-day conference, intended to strengthen bilateral relationships between the two air forces, Dimatatac and Kresge laid plans for the U.S. and Philippine air forces to meet in the coming months through joint-training opportunities. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Bright/Released)
During a break, Col. Arturo Orticio, Philippine Air Force deputy wing commander, Air Defense Wing, socializes with Pacific Air Forces airmen at the first United States and Philippine Airman-to-Airman Talks here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s visit to the Republic of the Philippines in November, 2011, demonstrated the critical importance placed on the U.S.-Philippine relationship and reinforced President Obama’s strategic rebalance toward the Pacific, a major theme of the Airman-to-Airman Talks. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Bright/Released)
Maj. Clifford Afong, Hawaiian Air National Guard, enjoys a short break from briefings with two Philippine Air Force airmen at the first United States and Philippine Airman-to-Airman Talks here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Over the past decade, the U.S. has sought to reinvigorate ties with the Philippines, primarily through the Defense Reform effort, helping enact President Obama’s strategic rebalance of U.S. military interest toward the Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Bright/Released)
Maj. Gen. Raul Dimatatac, vice commander, Philippine Air Force, discusses joint training efforts with members of the United States Pacific Air Forces staff at the first United States and Philippine Airman-to-Airman Talks here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Since taking office in 2010, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has reached out to the United States in an effort to bolster mutual training opportunities in order to better his nation’s forces for territorial defense and maritime security through events like the Airman-to-Airman Talks. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Bright/Released)
by Staff Sgt. Matthew S. Bright
PACAF Public Affairs
11/19/2012 - Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii -- The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines interoperability as: the "ability of a system... to work with or use the parts ...of another system." While a dry, and albeit vague, definition of something we take for granted in the pacific region, the ability of multi-national militaries to work, train and fight alongside each other is all too important in today's chaotic world.
The inaugural United States to Philippine Airman-to-Airman Talks, held from Nov. 6-8, was designed to not only foster military-to-military relationships with allied forces, but also to renew a long-standing friendship the nations have known for more than 63 years. Among the goals of the three-day conference were determining joint activities - whether through military training or humanitarian outreach - for 2014, as well as how to adapt and incorporate the training each nation provides her airmen in the Pacific theater to better each nation's military.
In recent years, the Philippine Air Force hosted U.S. Pacific Command and PACAF exercises like Pacific Angel 2010 and 2012, supported the Pacific Air Chief Conference, the Pacific Rim Airpower Symposium, and the Pacific Airlift Rally.
The Philippine visitors, lead by Maj. Gen. Raul Dimatatac, vice commander, Philippine Air Force, met with Lt. Gen. Ted Kresge, vice commander, Pacific Air Forces, to discuss ways in which the Philippine Air Force and the U.S. Air Force could not only learn to work together in joint training exercises, but to open themselves up to new cultures and to foster friendships across the Pacific.
Dimatatac emphasized the importance of meetings like the Airman-to-Airman Talks because they open the door to better understanding between the cultures of the Philippines and the United States. Both the Philippines and the U.S. are working to restructure their Air Forces; these talks offer the opportunity to speak openly, face-to-face, in ways where telephone calls and e-mails simply do not lend to ease of conversation.
"To meet here, we can find commonality - common goals, strengths and weaknesses - that will help both our nations grow together in friendship and cooperation," said Dimatatac.
The friendships fostered during this meeting will help the Philippines and the U.S. to speed coordination of military-to-military training and cultural events for years to come.
Following the signing of a referendum of understanding between the two nations on the meeting and future plans for joint training and humanitarian work, Kresge emphasized that these discussions are long overdue, but very fruitful."
In the near future, when we come together, be it the Pacific Air Forces, Marine Forces Pacific or the Secretary of the Air Force International Affairs office, the work we did this week will help minimize any cultural confusions you sometimes see in joint endeavors," said Kresge. "Now, we know each other and if there are questions, we have the ability, through our newly-found friendships, to simply pick up the phone, call one another and sort out any misunderstandings."
The next meeting, between the U.S. and the Philippines, has not yet been scheduled, but the most critical step is to implement the plans created here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. For now, the PAF and PACAF have lists of items each needs to work on in order to make friendships easier to maintain, as well as to ensuring training and humanitarian missions are quicker to facilitate and easier to execute.
