US Air Force Executes Unprecedented Surge into Pacific Theatre

During the past week, the U.S. Pacific Air Forces successfully executed a swift and large-scale deployment and reception of personnel, equipment, and aircraft across multiple locations within the Indo-Pacific theatre of operations for Exercise Resolute Force Pacific 2025.

“We’ve seen amazing global teamwork completing an incredible lift to kick off REFORPAC,” said Gen. Kevin Schneider, PACAF commander. “Airmen have innovated and overcome tough obstacles to get critical pieces in place, demonstrating our collective capability to project decisive air power into and throughout the Indo-Pacific with dramatic speed and scale.”

In collaboration with its joint allies and partners, the U.S. Air Force will be engaging in training and integration activities in the upcoming weeks to improve interoperability and readiness throughout the Pacific theatre. REFORPAC is a component of the inaugural Department-Level Exercise series, highlighting the Air Force's innovative strategy for conducting extensive operations in contested, dynamic environments. The objective is to enhance interoperability and multilateral cooperation, thereby establishing a more robust and capable deterrent force.

The DLE series includes all divisions of the Department of Defence, along with allies and partners, utilising approximately 400 U.S. and coalition aircraft and employing over 12,000 personnel across more than 50 locations covering a span of 3,000 miles.

This significant undertaking is facilitated by comprehensive planning and coordination across the Air Force, in conjunction with joint, allied, and partner forces. These efforts have demonstrated the capability of combined joint forces to mobilise extensively for any contingency. In coordination with PACAF, Air Mobility Command has delivered essential airlift, air refuelling, and command and control capabilities to project, connect, manoeuvre, and sustain joint forces.

"We’re witnessing a complex operation in the Indo-Pacific driven by logistics – rapid, deliberate and mission-driven,” said Brig. Gen. Athanasia Shinas, mobilisation assistant to PACAF’s director of logistics. “Our Total Force concept is critical to this capability, leveraging the unparalleled expertise and diverse talent drawn from every industry and sector of society through our Guard and Reserve. This integration creates extraordinary opportunities to strengthen our Total Force and coalition Airmen.”

"This is a logistical movement at an unprecedented scale – an explosive surge into the theatre driven by precision and a resilient joint network,” said Brig. Gen. Mike Zuhlsdorf, PACAF director of logistics, engineering and force protection. “What makes it exceptional is the partnership with local leaders abroad, as well as infrastructure; their participatory enthusiasm has turned REFORPAC into a truly integrated regional effort. This support brings essential access and shared purpose to an extraordinary training landscape."

The evaluated Agile Combat Employment (ACE) operational strategy, designed to support joint operations, has established readiness at various sites across the theater. ACE preparations have involved reinforcing building infrastructure and maintaining a steady supply of essential resources, all to enable seamless mission execution throughout the exercise.

“PACAF continually seeks to improve our readiness to respond to any contingency, defend the interests of the United States and work closely together with our allies and partners to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific," Schneider said.