leaders continued operationalizing the new command strategy during staff-to-staff discussions at Pacific Air Forces and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, June 22-23, where they discussed a road map for readying Mobility Air Forces for Agile Combat Employment in the Indo-Pacific theater.
The strategy, which focuses the command on four mission imperatives for ensuring the MAF is postured to compete and win against its pacing threats, was presented through a Pacific lens to ensure future alignment and refinement with PACAF and INDOPACOM.
Gen. Mike Minihan, who spent the last decade in the Indo-Pacific prior to taking command of AMC, reinforced the command's significant role in the theater, as well as the challenges it must overcome.
"AMC is the meaningful maneuver force for the joint force in the Pacific," Minihan said. "The MAF will be ready for any challenge, and we will continue to drive with a laser-focus on winning."
The meetings offered an opportunity to capitalize on lessons learned after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and AMC's role in helping to move $6.3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, as well as last summer's Operation Allies Refuge, when more than 124,000 Afghan civilians were evacuated on AMC aircraft during a 17-day period.
Throughout those contingencies, AMC leaders also kept their eyes on the other side of the world.
Next summer, AMC will conduct their premier bi-annual Mobility Guardian '23 from locations throughout the Indo-Pacific, where the command will present an updated mobility scheme of maneuver for ACE. The meetings in Hawaii laid the groundwork for the MG23 rehearsal as AMC begins its series of planning conferences.
"ACE is all about interoperability between commands and across our sister services," said Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, PACAF commander. "ACE is critical to maintaining the strategic initiative and present lethal credible combat power in unpredictable ways. Sharing lessons learned and coordinating like we're doing during this visit ensures our agility and readiness, allowing us to outpace our adversaries and provide airpower anytime, anywhere in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific."
In addition to discussions on MG23, PACAF provided mobility insights in the preparation for upcoming operations in the Indo-Pacific, while AMC presented classified briefs on the command's 'Fight Club' and air refueling in a contested environment to USINDOPACOM as well as its air component.
This visit was part of a series of staff-to-staff visits with AMC's counterparts across the Air Force and joint force. Command leadership visited Air Force Special Operations Command in February and will meet with Air Force Global Strike Command in the coming months.
Minihan and Chief Master Sgt. Brian Kruzelnick, AMC command chief, also spent time with Airmen from the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing, based on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, June 22. The wing is one of two responsible for running the Global Air Mobility Support System worldwide.
During their visit, they received wing mission briefs, recognized several stand-out performers and conducted an all-call with approximately 150 Airmen.
"We're going to win because of you," Minihan said at the all-call. "You're the experts (in the Pacific) and you display exactly the culture I want across the AMC echelon."
"You are appreciated, every single one of you," Kruzelnick added. "We care about you and we'll do everything we can to remove barriers in your way."
