You can sleep well tonight – 13th Air Force is Awake

  • Published
  • By Lt. Gen. Chip Utterback
  • 13th Air Force Commander
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii --  As the newest "Component - Numbered Air Force" (C-NAF) on the block, 13th Air Force is off and running, defining and shaping the "Art of Command and the Science of Control" of air, space, and information operations in the Pacific theater. As a C-NAF we still maintain many of the traditional responsibilities of a NAF but there is a new twist. Through a dedicated Air Force Forces (AFFOR) staff, the 613th Air and Space Operations Center (AOC), our Detachment in Japan and the 613th Support Group Thirteenth Air Force is heavily focused on contingency and war planning and command and control of air and space power. When those four units come together, we form the "Kenney Headquarters" and we have already proven our ability across the full spectrum of operations in the Pacific theater, from humanitarian assistance to homeland defense. Although we face the challenges of standing up a new organization, folks at 13th AF are working at breakneck speed, making tremendous progress as pioneers in the Pacific to bring unprecedented levels of command and control to our theater.

Today's military machine is capable of extreme violence; we see it on the news daily. But, we also see, that our military, like none other in the world, is also capable of extreme compassion in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations around the globe. The Airmen of 13th AF work throughout that full spectrum. 

The South Pole is in our address book. One of our cornerstone missions is providing command and control for Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica (JTF-SFA). JTF-SFA, Operation Deep Freeze, provides operational and logistical support to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the NSF's U.S. Antarctic Program and our 2006-2007 season was the most successful to date. Despite the challenges from harsh polar weather this was a record breaking year with the JTF moving 14 million lbs of cargo and 6,000 personnel throughout the Antarctic. 

Just a few short weeks ago, 13th AF personnel aided the Japanese government and citizens by coordinating the delivery of much needed supplies after the earthquake in Niigata Prefecture. 13th AF is also supporting the ongoing Oceana humanitarian assistance mission, providing medical and dental care, public health education and engineering projects for needy populations in Oceana. As you can see, it's all about our 13th AF Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors ability to quickly deliver medical and civil assistance to remote areas of our vast Pacific area of operations (AOR). 

To prepare for combat 13th AF participates in nearly 30 exercises per year and in operations with foreign allies and sister services. Our warfighters recently planned and executed a joint concept development initiative flown in the vicinity of Okinawa involving F-22s and U.S. Marine Corps aircraft. We also successfully commanded and controlled the first-ever overseas deployment of F-22s from Langley to Kadena, involving 254 personnel and 200 short tons of associated equipment who flew more than 600 sorties over three months supporting U.S. efforts to promote regional peace and security. 

Here at Hickam, 13th AF hosted visitors from 35 foreign nations and as the theater Joint Forces Commander (JFACC) I and teams of our great Airmen recently traveled to Australia, Indonesian, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Thailand, and Japan to mention just a few of the 41 countries in our AOR. We will continue to drink tea with our allies, lend a hand when needed and train hard with our joint and coalition partners to ensure a common understanding of air, space, and information operations. This full-spectrum engagement allows us to facilitate operations with one another and smooth the transition from routine to contingency operations. 

Thirteenth AF works hard but we also take time out to have fun and contribute to our community partners. On months with a Friday the 13th, we execute "Jungle Day" - a tradition carried forward from when 13th AF headquarters was located in Guam. This month Jungle Day involved giving back to our community. We sent 120 of our finest Air Force and Army Ambassadors to local schools, retirement homes and local homeless shelters to spread the Air Force Story and to spend time with our community's children, senior citizens and our disadvantaged citizens. These Jungle Warriors touched the lives of many children and retirees and made a tremendous impact on our community. In the words of the children who sent thank you notes to the speakers, "the Air Force rocks!" 

I'm extremely proud of what our Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors in 13th AF have accomplished in such a short period of time and I am confident that our warriors will continue to set the pace for air, space and information operations in the theater. Rest assured - 13th AF is "Alive and Well" and the Airmen of 13th AF stand ready to project Peace, Power and Presence in support of Pacific Air Forces and U.S. Pacific Command.