Photos Show US Air Force Training for Pacific War
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment by email.
The training exercise comes against the backdrop of the Pentagon's designation of the Indo-Pacific as its "priority theater," where China continues to challenge U.S. military dominance.
The U.S. Air Force has deployed various types of aircraft-including stealth fighter jets, bombers, and spy planes-in allied Pacific nations near China, including at Kadena Air Base and Misawa Air Base in Japan, which serve as front line staging areas for power projection.
While combat aircraft play a major role in both offensive and defensive operations, aerial refueling aircraft-also known as tanker aircraft-provide critical support, as shown during U.S. bomber strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in Operation Midnight Hammer over the weekend.
Aircrews assigned to Travis Air Force Base in California were deployed to Misawa Air Base in Japan with a KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft-which has a fuel capacity of over 212,000 pounds-for off-station training, according to a U.S. Air Force news release on June 18.
The U.S. West Coast-based tanker transited the Pacific and conducted aerial refueling with Misawa Air Base's F-16 fighter jets upon entering Japanese airspace, demonstrating what the U.S. Air Force described as "worldwide mission capability" to extend operational readiness.
Aerial refueling serves as the critical enabler of air superiority, stated the U.S. Air Force. It is an indispensable capability for global operations, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, where it is essential for mission execution.
The ability to rapidly redeploy fighter aircraft and keep them fueled in flight is a cornerstone of strategy, as regional tensions and contingencies continue to evolve, the news release read.
U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Bradford Waldie, who serves as director of operations of the 14th Fighter Squadron at Misawa Air Base, said distance is the "greatest challenge" to projecting power in the Pacific, noting that the tanker took 10 hours to reach its destination.
The KC-46A-which is also capable of carrying passengers and cargo, as well as performing medical evacuations-is equipped with a number of self-protection, defensive, and communication features that enhance its survivability in contested environments, according to an official fact sheet.
U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Bradford Waldie, director of operations of the 14th Fighter Squadron, said in a news release: "Seeing the KC-46 successfully launch from Travis [Air Force Base] and meet us on time after a 10-hour sortie builds confidence in our ability to overcome the challenge of distance and deliver combat power anywhere it is required in the area of responsibility."
The U.S. Air Force said in a news release: "The KC-46, the newest tanker aircraft in the Department of Defense, with advanced refueling systems and defensive capabilities, delivered critical fuel support to the F-16's midair-extending their range, preserving their combat readiness and reinforcing the Air Force's commitment to global power projection."
It remains to be seen whether the U.S. Air Force will forward-deploy some of its KC-46A aircraft to bases in the western Pacific to enhance overall operational flexibility.
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Buzz Feed
a day ago
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'If there's an emergency, and if the baby's heart rate drops, tons of nurses will come running in and start doing all kinds of stuff with the mom, and the dad's just over there sleeping, or pulls the blanket over their head so they don't have to be bothered by what's going on — that's my biggest pet peeve, that's crazy,' Richard said. Hamilton said she recently had a woman who was screaming during labor, and 'this guy is trying to cover his ears to get a better snoozy position. I was so aggravated.' Richard said that birth partners should only be sleeping when the person who is laboring is sleeping. 'It's such a short chapter in your life ... I don't think it's that big of an inconvenience for you to also be awake with them.' In some cases, Richard has woken up sleeping men with, 'Hey, time to be up now. We need you [to be] a part of this.' 2. They Complain About Their Discomfort. While their partner is going through the ordeal of birthing a whole human, some men will make this day about them, nurses said. Hamilton said that when a man's first instinct is to worry about his own comfort in the room rather than his laboring partner's — with comments like 'How do you work the TV?' or 'I need more pillows' — it raises a red flag for her. 'Just a couple weeks ago, I had a dad make a comment about how this was really inconvenient for him because he had been working all day,' Richard said. 'And I'm just like, 'What the heck?' I can't even imagine saying that to someone, let alone your partner that you're supposed to be having a baby with.' 3. They Play Video Games. There are some men who prioritize watching a screen over being there for their partner. 'I've seen them with headsets on so they're fully involved in an online game, while there's just like chaos going on around them,' Richard said. 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'Meanwhile, his partner's in the bed, who literally can't leave the room, who's the one doing all the hard things, and he's turning it into this situation where it's about him.' After childbirth, stitches might be needed for vaginal repairs. On more than one occasion, Richard said, she has heard men making 'incredibly inappropriate comments about sewing it up tighter or 'Is it going to look as good as it did before?'' 6. They Judge Their Partner's Decisions During Childbirth. Hamilton said it's unsupportive when men insert their own judgments about the laboring patient's choices with comments such as 'You don't need an epidural' or 'You're being a wimp.' 'I am going to support whatever she wants, but he's making it so much harder for her to get relief,' Hamilton said. 'He's making it so much harder for her to feel at peace in her decision.' Guzmán said when men make judgments about what their partner should do for pain management, 'I will try to get the dad out of the room by saying, 'Can you go get me some ice water for her or whatever?' And then I do take advantage of that time to say, like, 'What do you want? Why is he speaking for you?'' Hamilton said that sometimes men will override the laboring patient's decisions about who she wants in the room, recalling partners who wanted to bring someone like the mother-in-law into the room. 'That indicates a lack of respect for her boundaries and not protecting that sacred space where she needs to feel the safest,' she said. Fortunately, supportive birth partners outweigh the disengaged and outright hostile birth partners, nurses said. But often, there are also confused, nervous partners who could simply be better with more guidance. Ideally, Richard said, birth partners should ask their pregnant partner, 'What do you think would be helpful if you were in a lot of pain?' before the day their child is born. Some people might prefer to be touched and held, while others would not, and it's better to talk this out before the high-stakes, stressful situation of labor. And when it's time to give birth, be humble about what you don't know if you're trying to be a support person. 'A lot of nurses would really admire someone to say, I don't know what to do, but I want to be helpful,' Guzmán said. And if you are pregnant and concerned your baby's father will make labor a nightmare, Hamilton encourages you to bring someone else, even if that person makes zero sense to outsiders — like a sibling, a best friend or your hairdresser who is always there for you in a crisis. 'It's OK to pick someone that others may see as random,' Hamilton said. 'Protect your peace. Labor is too hard to bring someone with you who is just going to make it harder.' HuffPost.
