REFORPAC 25 focuses on maintaining readiness and executing missions under operational stress in dispersed environments. The training aims to improve coordination across allied, joint, and coalition forces.
“REFORPAC will demonstrate how our Airmen generate and employ lethal combat airpower at effective scale and scope to achieve Combatant Commander objectives,” said Col. Matthew Johnston, 354th Air Expeditionary Wing commander. “Collaborating with our allies, partners, and Joint Forces we will validate our ability to maintain robust command and control in the region while maneuvering our forces and executing missions.”
The 354th AEW is deploying fifth-generation assets like the F-35A Lightning II and applying Agile Combat Employment techniques to increase operational flexibility. These manoeuvres aim to demonstrate rapid regional movement and mission execution in contested settings.
“The women and men of the 354th AEW are focused on generating combat airpower while optimizing and enhancing the asymmetric advantages we have in the free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Lt. Col. Erik Gonsalves, 355th Mission Generation Force Element commander. “We’re using intense training exercises like REFORPAC to test and refine our skills in unique situations and austere locations, challenging us to solidify or update our gameplan to ensure we are ready to respond swiftly and effectively.”
Exercises of this scale are central to enhancing the wing’s ability to deliver decisive airpower in support of national defence objectives. The scenarios also strengthen the U.S. Air Force’s capacity to operate in contested environments across great distances.
“REFORPAC demonstrates the U.S. commitment to the region by building interoperability, multilateral cooperative arrangements with our Allies and partners, advancing common interests, and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” added Johnston. “By working with our multinational and joint partners the 354th AEW becomes a stronger and more capable wing that demonstrates our collective commitment to maintaining regional stability.”
REFORPAC is part of the first-in-a-generation Department-Level Exercise (DLE) series, which reshapes how U.S. forces operate in dynamic and contested environments. The DLE includes all branches of the Department of Defense, together with allied and partner forces, operating more than 400 aircraft and involving over 12,000 personnel at more than 50 locations across a 3,000-mile area.
