Your PACOM in Hawaii

Mission

U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM), together with other U.S. Government agencies, protects and defends the United States, its territories, Allies, and interests; alongside Allies and partners, promotes regional security and deters aggression; and, if deterrence fails, is prepared to respond to the full spectrum of military contingencies to restore Asia-Pacific stability and security.

 

Commander’s IntentPurpose

To protect and defend the United States, its territories and interests; to promote regional security and deter aggression; and to be prepared to respond to the full spectrum of military contingencies.

 

Method

• Synchronize USPACOM actions across the U.S. Government, associated Combatant Commands, regional Allies, and partners.
• Through continual forward presence enabled by an adaptive regional military posture and enhanced by synergy with capable partners, maintain security of the regional commons.
• Provide conventional and strategic military capabilities for extended deterrence of aggression against the United States, its territories, Allies, and interests.
• Maintain ready forces and plan, train, and exercise to accomplish the full range of military contingencies.
• In particular, concentrate on five Focus Areas: Allies and Partners, China, India, North Korea, and Transnational Threats.

 

End State

The United States, its territories, and interests are protected; and the Asia-Pacific region is stable and secure.

 

 

Focus Areas

Strengthen and Advance Alliances and Partnerships

• Strengthen existing Alliances and leverage them to shape the environment for building multilateral relationships and a more effective presence.
• Enhance Alliances and partnerships to build capacity over the full spectrum of military activities.
• Promote military professionalism and enhance interoperability among Allies and partners to build trust and increase multilateral effectiveness.

 

Mature the U.S.-China Military-to-Military Relationship

• Sustain a consistent military-to-military relationship to prevent miscommunication and miscalculation.
• Pursue opportunities for increased military cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
• Monitor China’s military modernization program and prepare accordingly.

 

Develop the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership

• Deepen military-to-military interaction and interoperability.
• Encourage military-to-civilian relationships to counter common threats.
• Support India’s evolution as a leading and stabilizing force in South Asia.

 

Remain Prepared to Respond to Korean Peninsula Contingency

• Leverage multilateral engagement to address North Korea challenges, ensure stability in Northeast Asia, and support international diplomatic efforts.
• Anticipate the military implications of dynamic changes on the Korean Peninsula.
• Stand with Allies to deter aggression, and if necessary, defeat aggression.

 

Counter Transnational Threats

• Work with Allies and partners to build capacity and share information to counter violent extremism, transnational crime, and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
• Disrupt violent extremist organization networks and defeat the threats they pose.
• Partner with other nations to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and associated technologies.

 

Guiding Principles

Lead Credibly. USPACOM leaders will demonstrate leadership rooted in service and strength, trust and partnership, and commitment to people and their quality of life. USPACOM will remain committed to sustaining a credible leadership role in the region.

 

Focus Strategically. USPACOM will focus on the strategic level of leadership, engagement, planning, and warfighting. Our strategic behavior will be shaped and informed by an analysis and assessment effort that seeks to understand fully the complex and dynamic Asia-Pacific security environment by concentrating on the five Focus Areas.

 

Enable the Warfighter. USPACOM will ensure the warfighter is enabled to lead, plan, and execute successfully at the operational level; and will support the warfighter by providing capstone guidance, facilitating decision-making processes, and enabling effective command and control. 

 

Ensure Joint and Combined Capability. USPACOM will remain committed to exercising, testing, and maturing joint and combined warfighting skills, to enhancing interoperability and collective ability to address shared challenges, and to developing the trust-based relationships upon which warfighting effectiveness and regional security depend.

 

Align with U.S. Government Agencies. USPACOM will emphasize interagency alignment, especially within the Department of Defense and with the Department of State, and will support whole-of-government approaches to regional challenges and opportunities.

 

U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) is a Unified Combatant Command of the Armed Forces of the United States. It encompasses about half the earth’s surface, stretching from the west coast of the U.S. to the western border of India, and from Antarctica to the North Pole. There are few regions as culturally, socially, economically and geo-politically diverse as the Asia-Pacific. The 36 nations that comprise the Asia-Pacific region are home to more than 50 percent of the world’s population, 3,000 different languages, several of the world’s largest militaries and five nations allied with the U.S. through mutual defense treaties. Two of the four largest economies are located in the Asia-Pacific along with 10 of the 14 smallest. The AOR includes the most populous nation in the world, the largest democracy, and the largest Muslim-majority nation. More than one-third of Asia-Pacific nations are smaller island nations that include the smallest republic in the world and the smallest nation in Asia.

 

Commander, U.S. Pacific Command (CDRUSPACOM) is the senior U.S. military authority in the Pacific Area of Responsibility (AOR). CDRUSPACOM reports to the President of the United States through the Secretary of Defense and is supported by four component commands: U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Army Pacific and U.S. Marine Forces Pacific. These commands are headquartered in Hawaii and have forces stationed and deployed throughout the region.

 

USPACOM military personnel number approximately 300,000, or about one-fifth of total U.S. military strength. U.S. Navy and Marine forces are numerically the largest elements in the AOR. U.S. Pacific Fleet, including five aircraft carrier strike groups. The U.S. Marine Corps Pacific possesses about two-thirds of U.S. Marine Corps combat strength. The entire U.S. Navy-Marine team comprises more than 135,000 personnel, 180 ships and 1,400 aircraft. U.S. Air Forces Pacific comprises approximately 39,000 airmen and 350 aircraft; and U.S. Army, Pacific has about 62,000 Soldiers and 11,500 civilians, including four Stryker brigades. USPACOM also has more than 1,200 Special Operations personnel. Finally, there are more than 13,000 U.S. Coast Guard personnel available to support U.S. military forces in the region.

 

USPACOM’s headquarters is located above Pearl Harbor at Camp H.M. Smith, a small Marine base overlooking the harbor. USPACOM is commanded by Admiral Samuel J. Locklear, III, a four-star Navy admiral. The staff consists of about 857 Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps officers and enlisted personnel, and 540 civil service employees.

 

USPACOM comprises Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force service components, all headquartered in Hawaii. Additional commands that report to USPACOM include U.S. Forces Japan, headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan; U.S. Forces Korea, headquartered at Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea; Special Operations Command Pacific, headquartered at Camp Smith; U.S. Alaska Command, headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base. Alaska; Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, headquartered at Hickam Air Base, Hawaii; and Joint Interagency Task Force West. The Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu and the Joint Intelligence Center Pacific in Pearl Harbor also fall under the Pacific Command. More detailed information is available at http://www.pacom.mil.

 

Planning Your Move

You can find updated and useful newcomer information on PACOM’s website, http://www.pacom.mil, by clicking on the Newcomers link. Also, an electronic copy of this guide is available.

 

Sponsors

You will be assigned a sponsor by your service element at USPACOM.

 

The key to a smooth transition is your sponsor, who in turn can help arrange your Temporary Lodging Allowance accommodations, provide transportation from the airport, check you in to your new command and give you general information about the community prior to your move.

 

Advance Application for Housing

You can make your initial appointment with your service housing office as far as 30 days in advance of your arrival on island. This initial appointment can be made by you or by your sponsor. Camp Smith does not offer any housing to USPACOM personnel.

 

Air Force personnel may apply for housing as soon as they receive orders to Oahu, but they will not be added to the housing waiting list until 30 days prior to their arrival. Advance housing applications should be available at any Air Force base housing office. Inbound service members are referred to their service-specific housing offices at the following numbers:

 

Air Force Housing Office
Hickam AFB

To get added to a waiting list (808) 423-7788

Once a resident (808) 423-2300

 

Army Housing Office

Schofield Barracks (808) 275-3700

Ft. Shafter (808) 275-3800

 

Navy Housing Office

Pearl Harbor (808) 474-1820/1821

 Marines assigned to USPACOM should call the Navy Housing Office.

 

All of the housing offices can also be reached using DSN by dialing (315) rather than (808).

 

For more information on military housing in Oahu please refer to the Housing sections in service-specific sections of this book.

 

Relocation information is now available at http://www.militaryonesource.com and relocation
tools at http://www.MilitaryHOMEFRONT.dod.mil/moving.

 

For more information on living off base, visit http://www.AHRN.com.

 

Pets

If you are planning on bringing a pet to Hawaii, it is imperative that you or your sponsor contact the Animal Quarantine Station at (808) 483-7151 for a copy of the animal quarantine packet. Hawaii is a rabies-free state and has a strict quarantine law. For more information, refer to the Hawaii: the Aloha State section of this guide.

 

Hotel Reservations

It is a good idea to make hotel reservations well in advance. Your sponsor can help you, although you will be required to finalize your reservation with the hotel of your choice. Hotel accommodations are usually plentiful except during high tourist seasons (Dec. through Mar. and May through Aug.), so make your reservations early. Accommodations must be Temporary Lodging Allowance (TLA) approved. TLA is authorized for all command-sponsored military personnel arriving on Permanent Change of Station orders pending availability or completion of permanent living arrangements. TLA is not an advance but a reimbursement. It is advisable to have at least $1,500 in traveler’s checks or a government credit card to meet immediate off-base living expenses.

 

Shipment of Household Goods

Accompanied members are authorized to ship their full weight allowance, but keep in mind that homes in Hawaii, both on and off base, are sometimes small compared to the mainland. In other words, all your belongings may not fit. It may be best to leave personally-owned ranges, refrigerators, washer, dryers, oversize pieces of furniture, extra furniture and cold weather clothing and equipment in storage on the mainland.

 

Unaccompanied members should contact their military shipping/personal property office to find out their shipping weight allowances.

 

Large Appliances and
Lawn Care Equipment

Ranges and refrigerators are provided for use on base and in private rental housing when not provided by the landlord as part of the rental agreement. Check with your service housing office for the availability of washers and dryers. Consider bringing lawn care equipment such as lawn mowers and weed eaters, etc. These items are available for use to family housing residents through self-help stores, but may not be available at the time you want them.

 

Express Shipment

You are authorized an unaccompanied baggage shipment (often called an express shipment). This shipment should be limited to clothing, linens, dishes, towels, cooking utensils and other light-housekeeping items. You may also ship cribs, playpens, baby carriages and articles necessary for the immediate care of your children. Small radios, portable televisions, sewing machines and small appliances may also be shipped.

 

Automobile Shipments

Each service member is authorized to ship one privately owned vehicle at government expense. Check with your current household goods officer for current information regarding shipping times and locations. If the vehicle is co-registered, you must also show that person’s permission to ship the vehicle. If you are shipping a privately owned vehicle, it will require approximately 60 days from the East Coast or 21 days from the West Coast to reach Oahu. All personal vehicles must be safety-inspected within 30 days after arrival on the island.

 

Airport Arrival

All flights lead to the Honolulu International Airport located about 7.5 miles south of Camp Smith’s main gate. The airport is nine miles west of Waikiki Beach and four miles west of central Honolulu. Travel time to Waikiki is approximately 20 to 30 minutes by car during non-rush hour, 40 minutes during rush hour. Your sponsor will most likely be the one greeting you at the airport and will help you get settled into your initial accommodations.

 

If you are not met by anyone at the airport and require lodging, you should contact your respective command duty officer or go to the USO at the  airport. The USO, located at the Honolulu International Airport, is available for use by all military personnel and their family members, reservists on active duty, retirees and Department of Defense civilians on orders. Located between Baggage Claims E and F, the center is open from 8 a.m. to midnight and can be reached at (808) 836-3351.

 

Security Clearance

Most of the military personnel reporting to USPACOM will require a security clearance of secret or higher to perform their duties.

 

Check with your sponsor well in advance of your arrival to see what clearance level your billet requires.

 

It is in your best interest to ensure that you have initiated your initial security investigation prior to arrival. A secret clearance or higher is required in order to access the command’s secure computer network.

 

Upon Your Arrival

Transportation from the Airport

Oahu has an excellent public transportation system, appropriately named The Bus, which should serve most of your needs if you do not desire a rental vehicle. Fees for the City Bus Service are $2.25 for adults, $1 for children ages 6 to 17, and $25 for a four-day Oahu Discovery Passport (available at all ABC Stores). For information about bus routes around the island visit http://www.thebus.org or call (808) 848-4500, or Route and Schedule Info at (808) 848-5555.

 

Bus #19:Eastbound route goes from the airport, then to Kalihi Kai (Nimitz), downtown, the civic center, Ala Moana Shopping Center and ends at Waikiki. Westbound route goes from the airport, then ends at O’Malley Gate, main gate for Hickam.

 

Bus #20:Eastbound route goes from the airport, then to Kalihi (Nimitz), downtown, the civic center, Ala Moana Shopping Center and ends at Waikiki. Westbound route goes from the airport to Arizona Memorial, Aloha Stadium, Aiea, and ends at Pearlridge Shopping Center.

 

Taxis:Approximately $35 from the airport to Waikiki during the non-rush hour period.

 

Airport Motorcoach:Transportation from the airport to any hotel in Waikiki is operated by Airport Express. Cost of a one-way trip: adults: $9 ($15 round trip); children 3 and under are free.

 

Directions to Camp Smith from the Airport

1. Exit terminal to Nimitz Highway East.
2. Take Nimitz to Puuloa Road North.
3. Follow Puuloa Road to the on-ramp for Route 78/H201 toward Aiea.
4. Take the Camp Smith exit.
5. You will turn right at the second light, Halawa Heights Road.
6. After the third major curve, you will see the main gate on your right. (Hint: Stay in the right lane. The gate is hidden until you are right upon it).

 

Checking In

All military personnel reporting to USPACOM must check in at your J111 service element, on the 3rd floor of building 700 (NMPCC), within two working days following arrival on island. Although the in-processing procedure varies by service, it is necessary to report to their service element so that the member can start the clock for TLA and their cost of living allowance entitlement. All in-processing members must also fill out a dataform and a LANtraining-requestform. Service-specific check-in requirements are as follows:

 

Army

• Service members bring DA31LeaveForm to be signed in.
• Bring copies of orders, evals, 2A/2-1, ORB.
• Fill out DAForm 4187 for per diem and COLA.
• Fill out personnel data sheet.
• Issued USPACOM badge (unless assigned to JIATF-W or SOCPAC).
• Enlisted service members will be issued three unit insignia (two subdued patches and one Class A patch) unless assigned to SOCPAC or JIATF-W.
• Service members will be scheduled for next newcomers’ orientation.
• Service members will receive an in-processing checklist with numbers for Schofield Barracks personnel in-processing and Fort Shafter finance.

 

Air Force

• Update DDFORM93 (PCIII).
• Schedule service members with appointment at Hickam for in-processing.
• Service members will fill out personnel data sheet.
• Issued USPACOM badge (unless assigned to JIATF-W or SOCPAC).
• Service members will be scheduled for next newcomers’ orientation.
• Marine Corps
• Get copies of orders.
• Service members fill out personnel data sheet.
• Send service members to MARFORPAC for in-processing.
• Schedule service members for next newcomers’ orientation.
• Service members will be issued USPACOM badge (unless assigned to JIATF-W or SOCPAC).

 

Navy

• Get orders endorsed.
• Have SM fill out personnel data sheet.
• Issued USPACOM badge (unless assigned to SOCPAC or JTFFA).
• Receive Pearl Harbor PSD check-in packet to be filled out prior to going to PSD.
• Enlisted SM will be issued five USPACOM Unit insignia rockers.
• Service members will be scheduled for next newcomers’ orientation.

 

Please refer to your service-specific chapters in this guide for more detailed check-in information. All new arrivals must attend the newcomers’ orientation within 60 days of their arrival. Scheduling information will be provided at in-processing.

 

Picking up your Personal POV, Safety Inspections and Driver’s License

Please refer to the Hawaii, the Aloha State section of this guide.

 

Camp Smith Decal

All military personnel assigned to USPACOM can obtain their military base decal from the Camp Smith Provost Marshal’s Office (PMO), located in Building 601, the first building to your left after passing through the main gate. When registering your vehicle, you will need your Military ID card, Hawaii vehicle registration, a valid driver’s license, Hawaii safety check receipt and proof of Hawaii’s no-fault insurance.

 

Schools in Camp Smith/Aiea Area District

Elementary

Webling Elementary School

99-370 Paihi St.

Aiea, HI 96701 (808) 483-7240

 

Intermediate

Aiea Intermediate

99-600 Kulawea St.

Aiea, HI 96701 (808) 483-7230

 

High School

Aiea High

98-1276 Ulune St.

Aiea, HI 96701 (808) 483-7300

 

Additional education information can be found in the Hawaii the Aloha State section of this guide. Also, information is available on the Pacific Command’s website at http://www.pacom.mil, listed under Education Links.

 

Please refer to the service-specific sections of this book for more information about medical/dental care, family services and recreation.

 

Medical and Dental Services

Please refer to the Medical section in the service-specific section of this book.

 

Family Services

Please refer to the service-specific section of this book.

 

Recreation

Please refer to the service-specific section of this book.

 

Brief History

USPACOM was established as a unified command Jan. 1, 1947, and is the oldest and largest of the United States’ 10 unified commands.

 

In Oct. 1957, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC) headquarters moved from Makalapa (near Pearl Harbor Naval Base) to Camp H.M. Smith, home of the Commander, Marine Forces Pacific. CINCPAC also served concurrently as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, until Jan. 1958, when the U.S. Pacific Fleet became a separate component.

 

Added responsibilities were assigned to CINCPAC Jan. 1, 1972, for military forces and elements in the Indian Ocean, Southern Asia and the Arctic. The area of responsibility was further expanded May 1, 1976, to the east coast of Africa.

 

In Oct. 1983, CINCPAC was assigned responsibility for the People’s Republic of China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mongolian People’s Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Madagascar. This enlarged the Pacific Command to more than 50 percent of the earth’s surface, an area of more than 100 million square miles.

 

The Alaskan Command, disestablished in 1975, was reestablished at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, as a subordinate unified command on

 

Jul. 7, 1989. This placed the defense of Alaska and its surrounding waters under the leadership of one commander, providing a unity of command absent from the state since the early 1970s.

 

Effective Oct. 24, 2002, the title "Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command" was changed to "Commander, U.S. Pacific Command."

 

In Oct. 2008, the area of responsibility for U.S. Pacific Command shifted with the creation of U.S. Africa Command.

 

History of Camp H.M. Smith

Camp H.M. Smith, home of the headquarters of USPACOM and the Commanding General of Marine Forces Pacific, is located on Oahu’s Halawa Heights, at an elevation of about 600 feet above Pearl Harbor, near the community of Aiea.

 

Once covered with sugar cane fields, Camp Smith’s 220.5 acres of land were approved by an Act of Congress Mar. 17, 1941, to be the site of a new Navy hospital. Hospital construction began in Jul. 1941. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, construction of the planned 1,650-bed facility was rushed to completion. When Adm. Chester W. Nimitz attended the commissioning ceremony for the Aiea Naval Hospital Nov. 11, 1942, continued expansion was already necessary.

 

Throughout World War II, the Aiea Naval Hospital served as an interim treatment stop for thousands of wounded Sailors and Marines on their way home from the war in the Pacific.

 

Following the battle for Iwo Jima in Feb. and Mar. 1945, the hospital was filled above capacity with 5,676 inpatients, the highest number at any given time in its history.

 

On Jun. 1, 1949, the hospital was deactivated when Army and Navy medical facilities were consolidated at what later became Tripler Army Medical Center.

 

In 1955, the Marine Corps selected the site as the Home of the Fleet Marine Forces, Pacific. The installation was renamed Jun. 8, 1955, in honor of the first commanding general of the Fleet Marine Forces, Pacific and a highly regarded Marine leader during World War II, General Holland McTyeire (Howlin Mad) Smith. The first Marines took up residence in Oct. 1955, and Camp H.M. Smith was in full operation two weeks before its dedication Jan. 31, 1956.

 

In Oct. 1957, Camp Smith became the headquarters for USPACOM.

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