A Persistent Presence Published July 10, 2008 By Orville F. Desjarlais Jr. Airman Magazine HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii -- Airman July/August Issue -- Pacific Air Forces: 100 million square miles of nonstop responsibility It would take a C-17 Globemaster III more than 60 hours of nonstop flying to skirt the edges of Pacific Air Forces' area of responsibility. It's an area that includes 16 time zones and 43 countries in 100 million square miles. It encompasses the smoggy shores of Los Angeles to the pristine coasts of Alaska. The midnight sun of the Arctic to the land of the rising sun in Japan, and from the hot west coast of Africa to the icy glaciers of the Antarctic. That's a big area -- half the world's surface -- and a lot of responsibility, which falls squarely on the shoulders of Gen. Carrol "Howie" Chandler, Pacific Air Forces commander. He's also the air component commander for U.S. Pacific Command and executive director, Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. With that many titles, it would be easy for anyone to be an uptight, clock-watching, fast-talking commander. But General Chandler is the opposite. He seems as cool and reflective as a mountain lake. Sipping on a glass of lemonade, the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of '74 grad sat back in a brown leather chair in his office and explained everything about the Pacific Air Forces: What's important, what's happening today, what to expect in the future. Command's importance The general said that although the Pacific Rim may look peaceful, the area does have potential trouble spots. "We're not at war in the Pacific, but we're really not at peace, either," he said, pointing out terrorist operations in the Philippines, pirates in the Strait of Malacca in West Malaysia and the ever-present threat of North Korea. "We're very fortunate that the guns are silent, because three of the world's 10 largest economies are located in this region of the world," the general said. "Economic development and stability in this region is due, in large part, to the contributions of the U.S. security umbrella, along with our allies and coalition partners," he said. "If you look at developments in the Pacific, our high-end adversaries are getting better. They're making smart investments across the entire spectrum -- militarily and economically -- in this part of the world. "So, while we continue to work on low-end capabilities, we must also keep an eye on the high-end competition," he said. "We'll continue to posture forces -- people and equipment -- where we need them in the Pacific to do what the nation needs us to do." In some cases that means providing relief when natural disasters -- like the typhoons, floods and earthquakes -- strike, like those that hit Burma and China in May 2008. "We are very grateful that the Burmese government allowed us to do one of the things our great Air Force men and women do extremely well -- provide immediate and effective humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to affected regions all over the world," General Chandler said. Posturing weapons systems in the theater shows the command's importance, he said. Three of the seven programmed F-22 Raptor squadrons in the Air Force are, or will be, at command bases. And the only two overseas-based C-17 Globemaster III squadrons are in the command. Plus, there are plans to beddown RQ-4 Global Hawks at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. "One of the things we continually emphasize here is a persistent presence," he said. "It's important in this part of the world. What I'm describing here is being in a marathon, not a sprint." The Strategic Triangle After he finished half his lemonade, the general got up and walked outside and continued to talk about what's happening at bases in the Pacific, specifically those that constitute the "Strategic Triangle" -- bases in Alaska, Hawaii and Guam. "Each of those bases is important because they allow us to project U.S. military capability off of U.S. soil," the general said. "The changes we're making at those bases today are going to dictate the direction PACAF is taking for years to come." Called "50-year decisions," the general said each base in the Strategic Triangle is being postured for the future. Standing in front of a static display of a Global Hawk erected at Hickam a week earlier, the general talked about stationing unmanned aircraft on Guam. Global Hawk is an unmanned aerial vehicle on steroids. It can fly for 35 hours straight, going more than 15,000 miles. And, when dealing with a 100-million-square-mile area, "that's a selling point," he said. "Guam's strategic location in the Strategic Triangle makes it an ideal location for Global Hawks," General Chandler said. "It's not only exciting for us, but for our coalition allies. They, too, are interested in the same high-altitude, long endurance UAV-type system." Unlike the Global Hawk's wartime mission on the front lines, the general sees many different ways to use the tenacious aircraft. "I can see a multi-faceted use of the system," he said. "Unfortunately, we'll probably have to use the system for humanitarian efforts during disaster relief." While Airmen at Andersen will launch and recover the unmanned aircraft, Airmen at Hickam will fly the missions remotely from the base's air operations center. Hickam has one of the largest air operations centers in the Pacific. A mixed group of Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines command and control all the airpower in the Pacific, with the exception of the Korean peninsula, which is under 7th Air Force control. "It truly is a joint and integrated operation," he said. "We have liaison officers from other nations, as well. At the same time, many of the things we do in the theater are bilateral." A good example of this bilateral cooperation is missile defense. Japan has Patriot missiles on Kadena and Yokota air bases. "Japan is a partner with us in solving this problem about how to provide missile defense in the theater," the general said, adding that Yokota's bilateral air operations center plays an important role in the partnership. Bases in Alaska provide the third leg of the Strategic Triangle. Alaska's rugged terrain and harsh weather, similar to that in Afghanistan, made it a natural location to expand Cope Thunder exercises -- once held in the Philippines -- to a much bigger Red Flag-Alaska. "Alaska gives us a very good range complex that provides us the opportunity to engage with our allies and our partners from around the Pacific, the Canadians, the British and other European nations, as well. So, we've got a great opportunity to train, and I can't think of a better place for young Airmen to grow up and learn their trade than here in the Pacific." All exercises great and small The general said the command doesn't always need to have large, flying exercises. The little ones are just as important. For instance, command planners created a small exercise around the C-17 transport. About 50 doctors, dentists and civil engineers flew to three separate islands in Micronesia. They examined 4,000 patients, trained about 1,000 islanders in first-responder medical skills and worked in three different clinics -- all in 96 hours. Another key mission occurred in May 2008, when an earthquake killed tens of thousands of people in China. Command C-17 Globemaster III flew in to deliver tons of humanitarian relief supplies. "In a strange way, and it's unfortunate, but the natural disasters that we have seen occurred -- all the way from the tsunamis to some of the other things that have happened here -- have caused a lot of nations in this region not just to work bilaterally, but multilaterally to try to solve some of these problems," the general said. "So if there is anything positive to come out of this, it's that fact." Relationships with others Hawaii's warm trade winds kicked up and nearly blew the general's flight cap from his head. A smile appeared as he took a quick verbal detour to talk about Hawaii. "It's no secret that living in Hawaii is a pretty good deal," he said. "I feel extremely lucky to be here to represent some 45,000 men and women who work in the Pacific every day. I'd like to think that we offer meaningful work that contributes to the defense of our nation." Walking on, the general said engagement, in terms of stability and security, is a top priority and the most important thing U.S. Pacific Command expects of his command. Using his analogy again, he said engagement is a marathon, not a sprint, and that it takes allies and partnerships to finish first. "These relationships were developed over the years by my predecessors. By young captains and lieutenants who had gone out and flown together and worked together, who have later grown to be the chiefs of their services," he said. The Air Force has partnerships with such nations as Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. As the wing commander at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., the general has first-hand knowledge about one of these relationships. "The Republic of Singapore Air Force had a squadron at Luke where they trained," he said. "So, I find myself, many years later, knowing many of the general officers in the Republic of Singapore Air Force because they flew at Luke. We are very fortunate to have these types of relationships. They pay big dividends. When it comes to promoting security and stability, I think we've been very successful over the years. And they were all interested in being associated in some way shape or form with the Air Force." In many ways, the general said these countries not only want to be associated with the Air Force, many want to emulate it. "I see the U.S. Air Force as the envy of the other air forces in the world in terms of how we organize, train, equip, educate and teach our leaders, both officer and enlisted," he said. "We have the luxury of giving our enlisted as much responsibility as they're willing to take, as quickly as they're willing to take it. I think that's true throughout the Air Force -- whether you're a young Airman, a mid-level NCO, a young captain or a major." The future Since other 50-year decisions for the Pacific region have already been made, all that's left to do is to make the plan a reality. "For the next several years, we'll be in the process of working out all the kinks and things we didn't think about when we signed all the papers," General Chandler said. "The Pacific Air Forces will play a large part in what we need to do in terms of security and stability from now until as far as I can see into the future. And, I think our Airmen in the Pacific will be training with the best equipment the Air Force has in its inventory. "All I can say is that I'm extremely proud of every officer, enlisted and civilian in the Pacific -- in terms of providing security and stability in the region," he said. "It's important work, and some of them do it far away from home and far away from their families. I appreciate what they do."