What’s INSIDE
How are you celebrating Halloween? See page B-2
Be ready for shearwater season See page A-4
October 26, 2018
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Saving energy throughout October See page B-5 MWR hiring CYP workers See page B-2
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Volume 9 Issue 42
535th supports Arctic Anvil Army paratroopers from the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, wait to board an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, assigned to the 535th Airlift Squadron, out of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The Soldiers were participating in Arctic Anvil 19-01, hosted by Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Oct. 9. Arctic Anvil is a joint, multinational, force-on-force training exercise designed to provide a realistic training event to validate participants’ ability to fight and win as a combined arms team. Photo by Alejandro Peña
COMPACAF talks innovation Story and photos by Tech. Sgt. Heather Redman
15th Wing Public Affairs Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., Pacific Air Forces commander, discussed total force integration (TFI) and innovation during a recent visit to the gateway of the Indo-Pacific. Although Brown calls Joint Base Pearl HarborHickam, home, Oct. 19 was his first in-depth visit to the 15th Wing where TFI and innovation are key to mission success. “Our mission is to ensure that Airmen are ready, resilient, and postured for the future,” Brown said. “In order to do that, we need to be smart about how we do things.” Brown visited the F-22 alert facility, home to two TFI squadrons — the 19th Fighter Squadron (FS) and the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 199th FS.
According to Air Force Instruction 90-1001, P l a n n i n g To t a l F o r c e Associations, total force integration includes leveraging the unique capabilities and strengths of the active duty Air Force, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserves, civilian and contractor workforce. “Pacific Air Forces’ strength comes from our people,” Brown said. “With active duty and Air National Guard Airmen operating together as an associate unit, you are increasing your mission capabilities by taking advantage of the fact that you operate the same platform in the same way.” Another significant p a r t o f B r o w n ’s v i s i t was the new innovation hub within the 15th Wing, the Aloha Spark Ta n k . T h e g r a s s r o o t s program creates and brings together tools for the warfighter, by the warfighter.
“Aloha Spark is part of the Spark Cell network that feeds into the overall AFWERX program,” said Capt. Branden Gulick, 15th Operations Support Squadron C-17 instructor pilot. “Aloha Spark seeks to empower and connect Airmen with resources that foster creative solutions for unit problems. At the end of the day, we seek to shift Air Force culture to one of constant innovation and creative problem solving,” he added. The AFWERX program synchronizes the warfighter with a community of entrepreneurs, industry, academia, and non-traditional contributors, to aid Airmen in developing solutions for problems through innovation and collaboration. Brown will visit several PACAF air bases throughout the Indo-Pacific within the next week.
Gen. CQ Brown Jr., Pacific Air Forces commander, prepares for a cargo air drop mission on a C-17 Globemaster III, during his visit to the 15th Wing, Joint Base Pearl HarborHickam, Oct. 19. During his visit, Brown discussed innovation and total force integration with Airmen throughout the 15th Wing, the gateway of the Indo-Pacific.
Photo by MC2 Charles Oki
Hawai‘i Gov. David Ige speaks with Capt. Marc Delao, commanding officer of Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii, following a press conference at the Hawaii State Capitol, Oct. 25.
Helemano project underway Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources A recent land acquisition involving federal, state and private-sector partners will result in O‘ahu residents gaining new outdoor recreational opportunities. The acquisition will also protect Central O‘ahu’s aquifer and improve habitat for native species, many of them endangered. Among these partners was Navy Region Hawaii (NRH), which contributed $3.5 million to the project. “Speaking on behalf of our military team — including service members, Department of Defense civilians, veterans and family members here in Hawaii — we are supremely fortunate to live in Hawaii-nei,” said Rear Adm. Brian Fort, comm a n d e r, N R H a n d Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific. “We do not take this opportunity for granted and we try to live with
aloha. We can be both good stewards of our shared environment and strong defenders of our nation,” he added. The Trust for Public Land and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), completed the purchase of 2,882 acres of Central O‘ahu forest and fallow lands from Dole Food Company. Wo r k i n g w i t h t h e c o m m u n i t y, D O FAW will create a multiresource management plan. This plan will offer a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities and guides forest restoration, water source protection, and native species habitat improvement. The Helemano Wilderness Project will provide substantial community benefits. For more than a c e n t u r y, a c c e s s t o the public hunting area at the Poamoho Forest Reserve and the entrance to the historic
Poamoho trail, the premier route to the Ko‘olau summit, has been on private land. Securing public access through purchase o f t h i s p r o p e r t y, DOFAW will work with interested stakeholders and user groups to provide access in a more comprehensive way than was previously possible. D O FAW w i l l a l s o explore opportunities for Americans with Disabilities Actaccessible camping areas, places to picnic, forest productgathering sites, hunting and diversified recreation. In addition, DOFAW will improve habitat for native species by controlling invasive plants and predators in the mountainous portions of the property, while reforesting other areas with native species, high value forest products and edible forest plantings.
> See page A-2