Just winding down from its command and control function following Hurricane Katrina, officials at US Northern Command say they are gearing for requests for assistance for Hurricane Rita. NORTHCOM’s Joint Operations Center at Colorado Springs, Colo., is still in 24-hour mode from Katrina. The command already established Homestead ARB, Fla., as its primary staging area to pre-position food, water, and ice and has pre-positioned heavy and medium lift helicopters at Patrick AFB, Fla.
REFORPAC, the large-scale exercise in the Pacific planned for summer 2025, will be on a scale unseen by the Air Force in recent memory: nearly 300 aircraft spread across 25 locations.