A total of 14 F-22s will eventually be deployed to Kadena AB for about a month
Taken on May 29, 2018 the following video shows F-22A Raptors, aircrew and support personnel, assigned to the 525th Fighter Squadron, Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson (JBER), Alaska, deploying to Kadena Air Base (AB), Japan under U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s theater security package (TSP) program. A total of 14 F-22s will eventually be deployed there for about a month.
According Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) news release, TSP deployments to the Indo-Pacific region signify a continued commitment to regional stability and security and have served as a routine and integral part of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s force posture since March 2004.
F-22s are a familiar sight over the skies of Okinawa; the jets have based at Kadena AB routinely over the past 10 years, with the last deployment occurring there in 2014. Earlier this year, F-35As re-deployed to Hill Air Force Base (AFB), Utah, from Kadena AB after a six month rotation in-theater. Combined, these deployments re-enforce PACAF’s commitment to the employment of fifth-generation fighter technology within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility.
The U.S. routinely evaluates readiness and repositions forces as needed to ensure the capabilities necessary to meet obligations in the Indo-Pacific region. Amid diplomatic activities underway between the U.S. and North Korea to arrange their first-ever summit in Singapore on Jun. 12, these deployments demonstrate the continued U.S. commitment to fulfil security responsibilities throughout the Western Pacific and to maintain peace and stability throughout the region.
Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Matthew B. Fredericks
Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com
