Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      U.S. Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) civil engineers work together to cut a square around the simulated impact crater as part of rapid airfield damage repair (RADR) operations during Pacific Unity 2019 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, August 22, 2019.Yokota Hosts Pacific Unity 2019
                        
                        
                        U.S. Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force civil engineers work together to cut a square around a simulated impact crater as part of rapid airfield damage repair operations during Pacific Unity 2019 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 22, 2019. The four-day training event brought together members from the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron out of Yokota AB, local JASDF from Yokota and Iruma Air Bases, Japan, the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron out of Osan AB, and 8th CES out of Kunsan AB, both South Korea, to learn best RADR practices from the 554th RED HORSE Squadron out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matthew Gilmore)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        An Airman from the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron communicates with his Japan Air Self-Defense Force counterpart to better position equipment during the hands on portion of Pacific Unity 2019 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, August 22, 2019.Yokota Hosts Pacific Unity 2019
                        
                        
                        An Airman from the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron, right, communicates with his Japan Air Self-Defense Force counterpart to better position a bulldozer during the hands-on portion of Pacific Unity 2019 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 22, 2019. Pacific Unity is a Pacific Air Force initiative to bring together civil engineers from throughout the region to team up with Japan Air Self-Defense Force civil engineers to coordinate and integrate how best perform rapid airfield damage repair in contingency operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matthew Gilmore)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Training cadre from the 554th RED HORSE Squadron out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, oversees U.S. Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force civil engineers mix water and flow able fill rapid set concrete to complete the backfill portion of rapid airfield damage repair during Pacific Unity 2019 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, August 23, 2019.Yokota Hosts Pacific Unity 2019
                        
                        
                        A training cadre from the 554th RED HORSE Squadron out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, right, oversees U.S. Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force civil engineers mix water and rapid-set concrete to complete the backfill portion of rapid airfield damage repair during Pacific Unity 2019 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 23, 2019. The four-day training event brought together members from the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron out of Yokota AB, local Japan Air Self-Defense Forces from Yokota and Iruma Air Bases, Japan, the 51st CES out of Osan AB, and 8th CES out of Kunsan AB, both Republic of Korea, to learn best RADR practices from the 554th RHS. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matthew Gilmore)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Staff Sgt. Shannon Anderson, 51st Civil Engineer Squadron electrical systems craftsman out of Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, cuts open a bag of flow able fill rapid set concrete to be mixed with water to complete the backfill portion of rapid airfield damage repair (RADR) during Pacific Unity 2019 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, August 22, 2019.Yokota Hosts Pacific Unity 2019
                        
                        
                        U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Shannon Anderson, 51st Civil Engineer Squadron electrical systems craftsman out of Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, cuts open a bag of rapid-set concrete to be mixed with water to complete the backfill portion of rapid airfield damage repair during Pacific Unity 2019 at Yokota AB, Japan, Aug. 22, 2019. Pacific Unity is a Pacific Air Force initiative to bring together civil engineers from throughout the Pacific to team up with Japan Air Self-Defense Force civil engineers to coordinate and integrate how to best perform RADR in contingency operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matthew Gilmore)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Japan Air Self-Defense Force and U.S. Air Force service members take part in the table top portion of Pacific Unity 2019 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, August 21, 2019.Yokota Hosts Pacific Unity 2019
                        
                        
                        Japan Air Self-Defense Force and U.S. Air Force service members take part in the table top portion of Pacific Unity 2019 at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 21, 2019. To better perform rapid airfield damage repair operations, the table-top portion of the exercise allowed participants to better plan the timing of the entire process, from items leaving the warehouse down to the exact moment repair would be complete and the airfield back in action. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matthew Gilmore)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        U.S. Air Force Col. David McCleese, 5th Air Force A4 director, speaks with the participants of Pacific Unity 2019 about the importance of the event prior to the classroom portion commencing at Yokota Air Base, Japan, August 20, 2019.Yokota Hosts Pacific Unity 2019
                        
                        
                        U.S. Air Force Col. David McCleese, 5th Air Force A4 director, speaks with the participants of Pacific Unity 2019 about the importance of the event prior to the classroom portion commencing at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 20, 2019. Pacific Unity is a Pacific Air Force initiative to bring together civil engineers from throughout the region to team up with Japan Air Self-Defense Force civil engineers to coordinate and integrate how to best perform rapid airfield damage repair in contingency operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matthew Gilmore)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Yokota AB hosts Pacific Unity 2019Published Aug. 30, 2019
                    
                    By Senior Airman Matthew Gilmore
                    
                    
                    374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
            **YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) --**As the dust settled and the concrete solidified, where once was a crater now stands a repaired airfield ready for use. With Pacific Unity 2019 coming to a close, civil engineer squadrons from throughout the Pacific will have the knowledge and tools needed to ensure their respective airfields can get up and running after an attack, putting planes in the sky and keep the mission ongoing.
The four-day bilateral training event spanning from Aug. 20-23 brought together Airmen from throughout the Pacific to team up with Japanese Air Self-Defense Force service members to learn the advanced Rapid Airfield Damage Repair skills necessary to respond in war-time contingency operations.
“Pacific Unity is a Pacific Air Force’s initiative to bring together civil engineer squadrons from the Republic of Korea and Japan to work alongside our partner nation of Japan’s Kokou Jietai (JASDF) engineers to improve interoperability when it comes to airfield repair,” said Master Sgt. Brent Fallon, 374th Civil Engineer Squadron base engineer emergency force manager. “To do just that, we put together mixed teams from the 374th CES out of Yokota Air Base, local JASDF from Yokota and Iruma AB, Japan, 51st CES, Osan AB, and 8th CES, Kunsan AB, to learn the process as one, allowing them to be better prepared to work with individuals from different installations, or even nations, to respond to a damaged airfield in the most efficient manner possible.
“To teach the teams every facet of the RADR process from start to finish, we brought in the best subject matter experts to do the job, the Silver Flag cadre from the 554th RED HORSE Squadron, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam,” he continued. “Under the guidance of the 554th RHS, the units attending were able to develop skills in fiber-reinforced polymer mat placement, warehouse operations, crater repair along with the command and control functions that allow us to get airfields operational within a few short hours after the damage occurred.”
With the first two days of the event focused on learning the process and building the team skills necessary to complete the task, the final day allowed the teams to show their progress, capping off their week by repairing multiple craters with little to no cadre assistance.
“Today, we came together as a team to completely repair our simulated airfield damage without much issue,” said JASDF Capt. Tomofumi Okubo, JASDF Operations Support Wing planning division, logistics section civil engineer chief. “From the planning and logistics portion of preparing to the actual execution of the repair, our final product really showed what we are capable of when we work with each other.”
“It’s moments like this that really highlight the strength of the partnership between Japan and the United States,” Okubo said. “It gives us the comfort of knowing the best practices for RADR, or should the need ever arise, we can seamlessly integrate crews to assist each other in airfield repair because that’s what allies do.”
It is that alliance that allowed the crews to bond with one another on multiple levels to get the job done.
“The language barrier was a small issue, but we had so many more positives working for us that the barrier didn’t really hinder us,” said Senior Airman Jason Brown, 374th CES GeoBase technician. “We may not have all shared the same language, but we were all engineers and we spoke that language effortlessly. When we all have that shared responsibility to get the job done, it makes it so much easier to come together and rely on one another.
“While we all hope we never need to put the skills we developed here today to use,” Brown said. “I know I can trust any of the engineers, no matter where they came from, that I worked with today. Pacific Unity gave us the confidence to know we are ready to answer that call should it ever come and, more importantly, that we are not alone in being prepared for that call.”L/R 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



Yokota Air Base 



Japanese Air Self-Defense Force 



Osan Air Gase 



Kunsan Air Base 



bilateral training 



Pacific Unity 



Kokou Jietai 



civil engineer 



RED HORSE Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil