13th Air Force inactivates, merges with PACAF

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JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) --  The 13th Air Force, headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, inactivated on September 28, in a ceremony which celebrated its 70-year history of supporting the Pacific region.

The operational roles and responsibilities of 13th Air Force will be assumed by Pacific Air Forces, making the command an operational component MAJCOM headquarters, or a C-MAJCOM. These roles and responsibilities involve planning and executing airpower operations across the Asia-Pacific region--excluding the Korea theater--across the range of military operations, from peacetime engagement to major combat operations.

The transition will be seamless as the 13th Air Force and PACAF staffs have worked side-by-side throughout the past year in order to prepare for this merger.

"Our commitment to the region remains steadfast," said Lt. Gen. Ted Kresge, formerly the 13th Air Force commander and now the PACAF vice commander. "The joining of 13th Air Force and PACAF not only ensures an effective response in a crisis, but also facilitates increased trust and interoperability with allies and partners."

The inactivation of 13th Air Force is a part of an Air Force initiative calling for the inactivation of three numbered air forces and the consolidation of their duties to other units. In addition to the inactivation of 13th Air Force, 19th Air Force at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, and 17th Air Force at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, inactivated earlier this year.

(Courtesy Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs)