Seventh AF vice sees Wolf Pack mission, F-117 integration

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephen Collier
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Getting an up-close look at the Wolf Pack mission, the Seventh Air Force vice commander toured Kunsan Jan. 30 to get a better understanding of how Kunsan members Defend the Base, Accept Follow-on Forces and Take the Fight North.

Brig. Gen. Marke Gibson, second-in-command at the numbered air force, arrived to a typical Wolf Pack greeting with hand shakes, smiling faces and hard-working Airmen. During his visit, the General saw the Wolf's ACE In The Hole non-alcoholic lounge, the new Dorms-4-Airmen dormitory, scheduled to open this summer and 9th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron F-117 Nighthawk operations and maintenance facilities.

"From everything I saw, [the 8th Fighter Wing did an] outstanding job," Gen. Gibson said. "My trip down here does more for me because it's wonderful to see the enthusiasm and energy that every Airman puts into the mission. One thing that sticks out in my mind is the trip up to the (South-East Asia) huts. I know they've done a lot of crash preparation there to make sure [9th EFS personnel] were insulated and prepared. I was also impressed with work areas and everyone's needs getting met. Everybody seems to have their eye on the ball."

Even though the entire base was on his list of places to get more familiarized with, one of Gen. Gibson's primary reasons for his visit was to ensure the F-117 bed down was being completed. Gen. Gibson noted the positive impressions 9th EFS Airmen gave him about the reception and acceptance of the 'Flying Knights' into the Wolf Pack family.

Also, the General said the F-117 deployment was much more than an air expeditionary force, or "AEF" rotation; the deployment signifies the resolve of the U.S. to deploy additional forces to bolster the Republic of Korea-United States alliance.

"Every time we do this [deploy additional forces], it demonstrates our capabilities to robustly increase our force when the need arises," he said. "That's important for all participants in the North East Asia region to be reminded of from time to time, especially against those forces north of us. It's reassuring to our folks in the south to know that we have that capability and are willing to make every effort to demonstrate [it]. It's very important from time to time to reinforce the confidence of the ROK-US alliance."

The general later commented on the F-117s participation in the first quarterly peninsula-wide Seventh Air Force exercise, or "PENORE."

After deploying to Kunsan to integrate with the Wolf Pack, Nighthawk flyers and maintainers were challenged just two weeks later with simulated SCUD missile attacks and special-forces intrusions.

The importance of Seventh Air Force exercising with other assets such as the F-117, according to Gen. Gibson, helps to replicate what could be a real-world scenario.

"Every time we do this, the support side of the house gets to exercise and folks who are junior in the Air Force get an opportunity to see the challenges in completing a bed down," he said. "Anytime we can get another asset, it gives us the chance to stretch ourselves in that expected model and make real progress with our training and learning."