Images: F-22s to CV-22s – Aircraft of REFORPAC Operation
U.S. Air Force Conducts Massive Indo-Pacific Exercise, REFORPAC 25
The U.S. Air Force has launched its largest-ever contingency-response exercise, Resolute Force Pacific 2025 (REFORPAC 25), in the Indo-Pacific region. The exercise, running from July 10 to August 8, aims to demonstrate and enhance the ability of U.S. Air and Space Forces to rapidly deploy, command, and execute lethal combat airpower in the Indo-Pacific.
REFORPAC 25 is an extensive operation, involving more than 350 Joint and coalition aircraft and over 12,000 personnel operating across more than 50 locations spanning 3,000 miles. The exercise includes Guam, Japan, Australia, and international airspace, with participants ranging from the U.S. Air Force to allied forces.
The exercise tests the rapid mass deployment and reception of personnel, equipment, and aircraft under stress, while also evaluating command and control capabilities, joint integration, and the use of fifth-generation fighter jets such as the F-35A Lightning II.
Notable participants include the 354th Air Expeditionary Wing operating F-35A stealth fighters, emphasizing rapid deployment and maneuvering. The F-15EX Eagle II fighters are deployed to Kadena Air Base as part of a long-term presence for air dominance in the theater. Multiple C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifters from the U.S. Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force support joint force-entry operations and deploy paratroopers.
REFORPAC 25 also integrates air, space, and cyber domains, with Resolute Space 2025 as a subordinate event focused on space-based warfare operations like orbital, electromagnetic, and cyber warfare.
Major hubs for the exercise include Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, Misawa Air Base in northern Japan, and Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japan. Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii is another location where aircraft are passing through on their way to the western Pacific.
REFORPAC 25 is designed to validate and enhance rapid contingency response, combined force interoperability, command and control, and advanced combat power projection across the vast Indo-Pacific region with diverse aircraft and allied participation. The exercise strengthens interoperability with allied and partner forces through large-scale, multi-location operations and Agile Combat Employment (ACE) techniques, ensuring readiness for actual contingencies across the region.
- The U.S. Air Force's REFORPAC 25 exercise showcases the defense and security of the Indo-Pacific region through the demonstrated capability to quickly deploy, command, and execute airpower.
- Aircraft like the F-35A Lightning II and F-15EX Eagle II are deploying for air dominance in the Indo-Pacific region as part of REFORPAC 25.
- REFORPAC 25 involves more than 350 aircraft, including C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifters, demonstrating the military's ability to efficiently transport equipment and personnel.
- The exercise integrates the air, space, and cyber domains, with space-based warfare operations being a focus through Resolute Space 2025.
- REFORPAC 25 provides an opportunity for allied forces to enhance interoperability and combined force strategies through large-scale, multi-location operations.
- The exercise's designated locations include critical hubs such as Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, Misawa Air Base in Japan, and Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, ensuring a strong military presence across the region.
- As REFORPAC 25 strengthens the defense capabilities of the Indo-Pacific region, it also provides an example of teamwork and collaboration, much like in American-football games in the NFL or any sports league, where teamwork and strategy are essential to success.
