JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) -- Gen. Johnny Lamontagne, Air Mobility Command commander, visited the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing during a recent stop in the Indo-Pacific theater to observe the U.S. Air Force’s 2025 Department-Level Exercise series — this first-in-a-generation exercise series is designed to test the service’s ability to rapidly deploy at speed and scale and sustain global operations.
The 515th AMOW, headquartered in Hawaii, plays a pivotal role in enabling air mobility across the Indo-Pacific region. Lamontagne’s visit focused on how air mobility squadrons operate during surge conditions and how they integrate with allies and partners to move critical capabilities where they are most needed.
“Hosting General Lamontagne was a great chance to show how our Airmen rise to the challenge,” said Col. Jens Lyndrup, 515th AMOW commander. “They surge, adapt and deliver — with our allies by their side — and they do it with incredible precision and pride.”
Lamontagne echoed that sentiment, praising the dedication and resilience of Airmen across the theater
“The Airmen are what impress me, period,” Lamontagne said. “The Airmen of the air mobility squadrons are fully executing the mission in tough environments during a very challenging exercise, helping the Department of the Air Force come together in a big way.”
With contested logistics becoming a central theme in defense planning, Lamontagne emphasized the 515th AMOW’s unique role in scaling operations and reinforcing key nodes in support of U.S. and allied objectives.
“We couldn’t execute this large-scale exercise without the AMOW out here in the Pacific,” he said. “There’s no way we could project power at this scale without the 515th AMOW. They do an indispensable job surging capability where it’s needed, delivering greater throughput, capacity and operational reach.”
Close coordination with international partners was also a key focus of the visit. Lamontagne highlighted the strong relationship between the 730th Air Mobility Squadron, based at Yokota Air Base, Japan, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
“The 730th AMS has a great relationship with their Japanese counterparts, and we had the opportunity to meet with a couple of their three-stars who run their Air Defense Command and Air Support Command,” Lamontagne said. “They help us present forces at the tactical level and enable success at the operational and strategic levels very effectively each and every day.”
As competitors challenge U.S. military advantage in the region, Lamontagne emphasized the scale, speed and effectiveness of American airpower.
“No other air force can do it at the scale and on the timeline that our Air Force can,” he said. “Operating as one big Air Force to do what our nation needs us to do is really where it’s at.”
From enabling deterrence to sustaining operations at the tactical edge, the 515th AMOW and its network of mobility Airmen remain a critical part of the United States’ ability to project power — anytime, anywhere.