Mission

15th Wing
The mission of the 15 WG is: Warrior Airmen projecting peace and power in the Pacific and beyond. The wing is a subordinate command of the Thirteenth Air Force and reports to the 13 AF commander. Major responsibilities of the wing are providing airlift throughout the Pacific with the C-17s stationed at Hickam, providing maintenance and refueling for aircraft transiting Hickam between the Continental United States and the Western Pacific, and housing and feeding transient personnel. There are nine C-17 Globemaster IIIs assigned to the 15th Wing. Two Special Air Mission aircraft are also assigned: a C-40 and a C-37; both are flown by the wing's 65th Airlift Squadron which provide airlift for the United States Pacific Command and the Pacific Air Forces commanders.

15th Maintenance Group
Approximately 500 Active Duty, Hawaii Air National Guard, Department of the Air Force civilians and contractor personnel are assigned to this total force organization. This diverse maintenance organization supports and provides quality maintenance for nine C-17s, twenty F-22s, one C-37, and one C-40 to meet global airlift, global strike, and theater security mission requirements. The 15th Maintenance Group consists of three squadrons each with specific functions.

The 15th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron perform aircraft inspections, servicing, launch, recovery, both scheduled sustainment and unscheduled maintenance repair actions for all assigned aircraft in support of global contingency, humanitarian, exercise, and training operations.

The 15th Maintenance Squadron provides back shop and off-equipment maintenance support for home station aircraft, and 6,500 annual joint/allied transient aircraft. These functions are heavy maintenance inspection and repair; wheel and tire buildup; fuels, electrical, environmental, hydraulic, and propulsion system maintenance; avionics; structural, welding, machining, corrosion control and non-destructive inspections; munitions; aerospace ground equipment support; and operation of a regional Precision Measurement and Equipment Laboratory.

The 15th Maintenance Operations Squadron coordinates support for flight line operations, provides aircraft scheduling, aircraft analysis, directs maintenance training, executes group programs and mobility functions, maintains knowledge, management information and administrative systems and performs group quality assurance.

15th Operations Group
The 15th Operations Group is comprised of five distinct squadrons: The 65th Airlift Squadron, 535th Airlift Squadron, 15th Operations Support Squadron and including two Total Force Integration squadrons, the 19th Fighter Squadron and 96th Air Refueling Squadron.

With just over 300 personnel, the 15th Operations Group is responsible for over-seeing the safe and effective use of over $2 billion in F-22A, KC-135R, C-17A, C-37, and C-40 aircraft executing a $55.3 million flying hour program in support of world-wide airlift requirements.

The 65th Airlift Squadron provides global airlift on specifically-configured C-40B and C-37A aircraft supporting the commander, U.S. Pacific Command (CDRUSPACOM); Commander, Pacific Air Forces (COMPACAF), and U.S. and foreign dignitaries in support in direct support of U.S. foreign policy.

The 535th Airlift Squadron provides combat-ready C-17A aircrew for the execution of worldwide airlift missions supporting national security and Department of Defense directives. They maintain mission readiness in Night Vision Goggle (NVG), aerial refueling, airdrop, low-level, austere airfield and emergency nuclear airlift operations in support JCS exercises, global contingencies, Presidential support, humanitarian airlift, and aeromedical evacuations.

The 19th Fighter Squadron is a combat-ready fighter squadron prepared to mobilize/deploy/employ the F-22 air dominance fighter in support of worldwide Combatant Commanders. Performs daily air sovereignty alert missions for PACOM covering 300,000 square miles. Conducts graduate level training enabling pilots to exploit unique advantages of the world's only 5th Generation fighter. Maintains readiness in full spectrum of F-22 air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons employment.

The 96th Air Refueling Squadron is an Active Associate KC-135R Total Force Integration unit increasing worldwide air refueling combat capability through force optimization and utilization of eleven 154 WG HIANG aircraft. Responsible to create effect of rapid projection and application of joint U.S. military power across the full spectrum of operations. Tasked to bolster Global Mobility CONOPS air refueling and expeditionary air mobility operations capability by generating qualified combat aircrews.

The 15th Operations Squadron provides combat aircrew support for the full spectrum of 15th Wing air operations to include aircrew training, combat tactics, intelligence, operations scheduling, life support and combat weather services for transient and wing aircrews. They also supply airfield management oversight of the USAF's largest shared-use airfield providing flight operations and enroute support for over 9,800 aircraft and the deployed operations of over 50 units annually. They are also responsible for maintaining oversight of theatre flight records for 450 aviators in eight countries.

Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) is a joint service unit with the mission to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation's past conflicts. Commanded by a flag officer, JPAC is manned by over 400 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Department of the Navy civilians.

JPAC's highest priority is to investigate all leads and tips in the search for any Americans who may still be alive and held against their will. To date, the U.S. government has not found any evidence that there are still American POWs in captivity from past U.S. conflicts.

The core of JPAC's day-to-day operations involves searching for Americans who are missing in action but were never brought home. To accomplish this, JPAC deploys investigative and recovery teams throughout the world each year to locate possible sites of missing Americans and to excavate sites to recover remains and material evidence.

Upon arrival in Hawaii after a successful excavation, JPAC conducts a ceremony at Hickam Air Force Base to honor those whose remains were recovered and who paid the supreme sacrifice in service to our nation.

After the ceremony, the remains are transported from a U.S. military aircraft to JPAC's Central Identification Laboratory, the largest forensic anthropology laboratory in the world.

Upon arrival at the laboratory, JPAC scientists use a variety of techniques to establish the identification of missing Americans, including analysis of skeletal and dental remains, matching mitochondrial DNA samples with family members, and analyzing material evidence, personal effects and life-support equipment. JPAC's CIL identifies an average of six Americans a month.

The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) was activated on Oct. 1, 2003, created from the merger of the 30-year-old U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii and the 11-year-old Joint Task Force - Full Accounting. Today, there is one American missing from the Gulf War, more than 1,800 from the Vietnam War, 120 from the Cold War, more than 8,100 from the Korean War, and more than 78,000 from World War II (only about 35,000 of the 78,000 missing from World War II are deemed recoverable; the others are lost at sea or entombed in sunken vessels). For more information, please send an e-mail to pao_mail@jpac.pacom.mil or call (808) 448-1934.  read more...

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