Story by Senior Airman Luis E. Rios Calderon | 18th Wing | 09.20.2025
The 18th Wing partnered with Chatan Town to practice disaster evacuation procedures at Kadena, Sept. 20, 2025. Members of Chatan communities practiced walking the official evacuation route through the air base from Kadena Gate 1 to a park on the installation to simulate what would occur during a real-world tsunami warning....
Story by Airman 1st Class Amy Kelley | 18th Wing | 09.11.2025
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan - U.S. Air Force Airmen, firefighters, and senior leaders gathered Sept. 11, 2025, to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks during a memorial ceremony hosted by the 18th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighters....
Story by Airman Nathaniel Jackson | 18th Wing | 09.11.2025
Hot breath fogs the inside of a gas mask. Vision narrows. Every inhale drags through a filter, reminding Airmen that not all threats come with warning sirens....
Story by Airman Nathaniel Jackson | 18th Wing | 09.08.2025
As the sun rises over Okinawa, one sound cuts through the early morning stillness: the unmistakable voice of the American Forces Network. From radio to television, AFN Okinawa delivers more than just entertainment; it serves as a lifeline for tens of thousands of service members and their families across the Indo-Pacific....
Story by Airman 1st Class Amy Kelley | 18th Wing | 09.03.2025
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan - The glass-walled control tower at Kadena Air Base is never silent. Radios buzz with rapid transmissions, headsets hum with constant updates, and vigilant eyes scan runways and radar screens amid a fast-paced environment. Within this controlled chaos, a team of U.S. Airmen work in seamless coordination, guiding aircraft in the air and on the ground, managing a......
Story by Senior Airman Erin Currie | 18th Wing | 08.29.2025
In a historic move, the U.S. military has awarded the $995 million Okinawa Multiple Award Construction Contract or MACC— the largest construction contract in Pacific Air Forces history — marking a transformational step toward modernizing and sustaining critical infrastructure across Okinawa....
Story by Senior Airman Erin Currie | 18th Wing | 08.20.2025
Twice a year, the Airmen of the 18th Munitions Squadron take part in an operation known as a “Call Forward”: a large-scale munitions resupply mission designed to keep Kadena Air Base fully mission ready....
Story by Airman Nathaniel Jackson | 18th Wing | 08.14.2025
The moment the F-15E Strike Eagle engine ignites, it’s like the building comes alive. A deafening roar fills the sealed test cell, shaking concrete walls and sending vibrations through your chest. Flames burst from the exhaust as a crew of Airmen from the 18th Component Maintenance Squadron stood calm and focused, eyes locked on the data. This is the engine test cell: one of the most......
