PACAF commander visits Andersen Airmen

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Brian Bahret
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  The Pacific Air Forces' four-star commander made Andersen Air Force Base the first stop on his inaugural tour of PACAF bases, on 23 Sept, to visit and see the Airmen, families, and community leaders on Guam.

In his role as PACAF commander, Gen. Gary North is responsible for Air Force activities spread over half the globe in a command that supports 45,000 personnel serving principally in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Japan and South Korea.

General North, a 33-year veteran, assumed command of PACAF on Aug. 19 after leading the air campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan for the last three and a half years.

"Andersen and the 36th Wing is a key and critical location," he said. "It enables us as part of the joint force to always have a presence that enables our Air Force mission to be accomplished."

Andersen is the United States' most forward sovereign Air Force Base in the Pacific. On any given day, nearly 300 Andersen Airmen are forward deployed to locations all over the world for humanitarian operations in the Pacific theater or contingency operations in areas such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

Additionally, Andersen hosts up to 800 Airmen who deploy here rotationally to support the Pacific Command's Continuous Bomber Presence and Theater Security Package.

"Those mission sets are done here by great Airmen just like those who are permanently assigned here in the 36th Wing or those who come through in a rotational fashion," he said.

"I've learned an incredible amount about the professionalism of our Airmen as they go about their jobs and our Airmen's families as we commit our Airmen to doing the mission our nation asks us to do," he said.

The general said he and his wife Shelley are committed to ensuring Airmen and their families here have the best support possible. He included training and the proper guidance to understand and conduct the mission among his key issues.

"Our Air Force has been at war for the last 19 years," General North said. "I had the honor and the privilege and the opportunity to see how our PACAF Airmen integrate into the joint fight over my last three and a half years," he said referring to his time as the 9th Air Force commander and commander of the U.S. Air Forces Central Command at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.

He said he has seen how the Air Force has changed after years of combat operations.

"It has changed how we train our Airmen, it's changed how we equip our Airmen, it's changed our thought process about irregular warfare, it has enabled us to think about building partnership capacity," he said. "That experience base will enable me to be a better Airman as the commander here in the Pacific Air Forces."

General North has commanded the 35th Operations Group at Misawa Air Base, Japan, 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan AB, South Korea, and the 18th Wing at Kadena AB, Japan. He was also the director of operations for U.S. Pacific Command at Camp Smith, Hawaii, and deputy director of politico-military affairs for Asia-Pacific on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.

The commander said he'll draw from his experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, his time spent in the Pacific and his 33 years in the Air Force to guide the Airmen serving in PACAF.

"No one is better qualified," said Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz during the August change of command ceremony. General North said his experiences in Pacific gives him a good "sight picture" as he works for PACAF Airmen and the commander of U.S. Pacific Command.

"We appreciate the mission that our Airmen do, we respect how well they do it and we're proud to serve along side them," Gen North said.

His priorities include all Airmen fully understanding their role.

"I want to understand your mission sets, I want to see what you need to be successful and I want to be able to go back and work for you," the general said.

In return he expects every Airman serving with him to take the initiative to learn about their mission.

"Understand your mission. Wake up every morning trying to find out how you could be better at your job. Understand how important our Airmen's missions are in the joint and the global flight," General North said.

Comprehending the mission and applying that knowledge are crucial components to mission success, according to the general.

"You can't be bashful in our business, because lives depend on people understanding the mission, so I want to make sure everyone understands how important they are to the mission," General North said.

"I'm very proud to be a part of the team here in the Pacific Air Forces and part of U.S. PACOM with my other component commanders," he added.