COMPACAF visits Yokota

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Veronica Pierce
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  The four-star commander of Pacific Air Forces made his first visit to Yokota Sept. 23-26. The visit was his first to Japan since taking command Aug. 19 of the command which covers more than 100 million square miles and about half the Earth's surface.

Gen. Gary North not only toured the host 374th Airlift Wing here, but he also met with U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force leaders as well as counterparts in the Japan Air Self Defense Forces.

"We're getting ready to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the alliance with Japan next year," General North said. "So that's a warm and long-standing relationship that's so very important to us all in the region. My trip here is to renew friendships, to understand the mission set as it exists today in both 5th Air Force and USFJ and of course to visit the parent wing, the 374th here at Yokota, and as well to celebrate our Air Force's 62nd birthday ball with the Airmen and their families."

The general visited numerous units on base and held an Airman's Call at the Taiyo Community Center where he not only shared his vision of the command's ongoing mission, but also took questions from the audience ranging from the use of social media to the new physical fitness program coming online in January. He also spoke at the Air Force Ball.

"Our Airmen are incredible in what they do," General North said. "Our mission sets range from airlift to air mobility, air refueling, ISR and of course being ready to fight tonight, to providing the stability and security and building partnerships with our partner nations downrange in a full range of missions from humanitarian all the way up to full combat operations if and when we're directed to do so."

Before becoming the PACAF commander, the general spent more than three years commanding 9th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central, headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. General North was responsible for eight air expeditionary wings in AFCENT and served as the U.S. Central Command Combined Forces Air Component Command during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said while his "lessons learned" from that period could fill volumes, the most important takeaway is a simple message.

"We are the most combat capable Air Force we have ever been, and we are combat capable in a range of missions that five years ago our Airmen never even thought about doing," he said. "As we come out of those combat deployments and our Airmen reintegrate back at home stations they bring a wealth of expertise across the spectrum of what Airmen do today in the joint fight. 

"We need to capitalize on that... as we do our mission set here in the Pacific Air Forces and in the Pacific Command we need to bring those lessons into our day-to-day operations here because who knows at a moment's notice we could be tasked to respond to a wide variety of mission sets here in the Pacific beyond what we do everyday for the Pacific Command," he added.

No stranger to PACAF, General North has commanded the 35th Operations Group at Misawa Air Base, Japan; the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan AB, Republic of 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.

As the PACAF commander, he is responsible for more than 45,000 total force Airmen with an average of more than 2,000 deployed worldwide every day, not counting the 6,800 Airmen based on the Korean peninsula, according to PACAF officials.

"As I get out and about, and travel to see our Airmen, and to reinvigorate relationships I've had previously with partner nations of the region, my message is very simple," said General North. "We're proud of what you do. 

"We're proud of how you and your families take on the taskings that we ask you to take on," he added. "We're certainly here to ensure that you understand your mission set and that as you execute your mission that you've got a great team that stands behind you, applauds you, gives you the tools you need to do your job and then stands in formation with you as part of America's Airman team."