Pacific Air Forces Gen. Howie Chandler told the audience at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium Thursday that the investment in military construction on the island is progressing rapidly, and Andersen Air Force Base has finished rebuilding one of its runways and is getting ready to rebuild a second to support continued bomber rotations and fighter packages. The planned Global Hawk bed down is also attracting a lot of interest, and allied participation in PACAF’s “capabilities forums” has been very robust, Chandler added. At the same time, the island is anticipating the arrival of 8,000 Marines from Okinawa, which will require some balancing of infrastructure projects as Andersen moves forward with implementing its joint basing initiative.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.