Pacific conference builds enlisted forces

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chris Vadnais
  • Air Force News
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii --  The 13th Air Force hosted a 17-nation conference here this week focusing on aviation safety and mishap prevention.

The 13th Air Force Pacific Rim Airpower Symposium, formerly the PACRIM Director of Operations Conference, brought together representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the United States.

"From the partnerships formed here and furthered through participation in exercises and operations throughout the Asia-Pacific region, we can better promote regional priorities," said Lt. Gen. Chip Utterback, 13th Air Force commander.

"We share a vested interest in employing combined air forces to overcome the tyranny of distance within the region to respond quickly and decisively to any crisis situation," he said.

Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, has urged his component commanders to look for opportunities to develop enlisted forces in the region's friendly nations. To answer that call, this year's conference added a non-commissioned officer's development course.

Representatives of the enlisted forces of Australia, Brunei, New Zealand, and Singapore met with the 13th Air Force Command Chief, Chief Master Sgt. Todd Salzman.

"What is really fascinating to all of us is that we are dealing with some of the same issues: Low budgets, low manning," said Chief Salzman. "We are finding that we're running into the same roadblocks."

From there, the Chief said, the team was able to talk through some of these issues and share solutions to those problems.

"Finding out that we're dealing with some of the same issues as it pertains to developing our Airmen--both technically and professionally--has been a gold mine for us," he said.

The overall focus of the symposium was aviation safety and mishap prevention, something all of the nations are concerned with. 13th Air Force officials say events like these lay the groundwork for combined exercises and other events in the theater.

"The PACRIM Airpower Symposium provides a great opportunity for us to interface with many of the nations we work with in peacetime and will want to work with during crises," said General Utterback.

"We are fully engaged and will continue to be engaged in the Pacific," he said.