A rebalance strategy for Pacific Air Forces: flight plan to runways and relationships

Even before Far East Air Forces formed on Jul 31, 1944, airpower had played a key role in securing America's interests in the Asia-Pacific. The nation's Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) not only sacrificed tens of thousands of lives in war and peace but also played a leading role in many major theater conflicts, supported multiple smaller-scale contingencies, and contributed to several large humanitarian-assistance and disaster-relief missions. PACAF, the modern successor of the Far East Air Forces, has established itself as a permanent, reliable partner fully engaged in regional security, stability, and prosperity. Without a doubt, Dec 7, 1941, proved that airpower is synonymous with national security, and PACAF is the primary wielder and guarantor of its application towards strategic objectives in US Pacific Command's area of responsibility. Guided by the propositions articulated in the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the National Military Strategy, we recognize that preventing a war in the Asia-Pacific is paramount to being prepared to win a war in the region.