Senior military leaders candidly discuss future priorities

  • Published
  • 13th Air Force Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  Senior military leaders from the U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Strategic Command are meeting this week at Camp Smith, Hawaii. This high level visit serves to increase collaboration between the two commands and focus the current and future priorities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Lt. Gen. Ted Kresge, 13th Air Force commander, met with Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, the dual-hatted 14th Air Force Commander and Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space, U.S. Strategic Command. The generals focused their discussions on strengthening the already close coordination between the two commands. In particular, discussions focused on space lines of operation and how they flow seamlessly to support air and joint operations. Both generals continued to emphasize the importance of receiving space capabilities throughout all levels of conflict, including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, missile warning, Global Positioning System, weather, and communications. Gen Helms received a tour of the 613th Air and Space Operations Center and had lunch with more than 30 joint space professionals representing all echelons of command within the Pacific.

Gen. Helms is a veteran of five space flights and logged 5,064 hours in space, including a world record extravehicular activity of 8 hours and 56 minutes. As the U.S. Air Force's operational space component to USSTRATCOM, General Helms leads more than 20,500 personnel responsible for providing missile warning, space superiority, space situational awareness, satellite operations, space launch and range operations. As Commander, JFCC SPACE, she directs all assigned and attached USSTRATCOM space forces providing tailored, responsive, local and global space effects in support of national, USSTRATCOM and combatant commander objectives.

Gen. Kresge and Gen. Helms were classmates at the U.S. Air Force Academy and graduated together in 1980.