Pacific Air Forces is hosting the annual Pacific Rim Airpower Symposium in Honolulu, Hawaii, this week, as part of the command’s partnership-building activities, according to a release. PACAF Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Mark Dillion is hosting the symposium, which is focused on improving collaboration between Asia-Pacific nations during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, ?developing enlisted personnel, as well as improving coordination of air assets during crises and contingencies. The Senior Enlisted Leadership Conference—the largest multi-national air force enlisted conference in US Pacific Command—also will be held at the same time. The SEL conference, first held in 2008, is a forum for regional air forces to send senior noncommissioned officers to talk about topics, such as force development and management of enlisted airmen. Delegations from 25 Pacific Rim nations were invited to attend the event.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.