With over 200 aircraft and some 25,000 personnel participating in the Rim of the Pacific, the multinational maritime exercise is proving a significant challenge for the airmen of the 15th Operations Support Squadron Airfield Management Flight at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. TSgt. Bryan Masters, the 15th OSS airfield management operations noncommissioned officer-in-charge said a staff of 10 airmen spent four months coming up with a parking plan at the base to accommodate all the aircraft for the biennial exercise, which runs through August 1. “We’ve had to get creative with our aircraft parking plan,” he said. This year’s exercise will include the most aircraft RIMPAC has hosted in 24 years, including F-15Cs, F-16s, F-22s, HH-60 Pave Hawks, C-130Js, as well as aircraft from other services and participating allied nations. Masters said USAF criteria for parking and staging aircraft are different for some joint partners. To ensure more efficient helicopter operations, Masters’ team built a temporary helipad on the flight line in the hopes of streamlining helicopter landing and parking operations, which would help better flow through the field, he added.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
