HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam was created Oct. 1, 2010, when the former Naval Station Pearl Harbor joined Hickam Air Force Base. The 2005 Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s report to the president required the relocation of installation management functions and the establishment of JBPHH, with the Navy as the lead agency in providing these functions to the Joint Base.

Military service members, civilian employees and contractors work together to achieve common goals using similar processes.

The establishment of JBPHH brings together the “best practices” of both the Air Force and the Navy for efficiencies in enhancing support of operational capabilities. With an appreciation for the rich history of both Hickam Air Force Base and Naval Station Pearl Harbor, JBPHH supports its partner services, tenant commands and mission readiness of both the Navy and the Air Force.

The offerings of Hickam’s 15th Services Squadron and Navy Region Hawaii’s Morale Welfare and Recreation have transitioned and operate as Joint Base MWR. Likewise, the programs of Hickam’s Airman & Family Readiness Center and Navy Region’s Military & Family Support Center have united to become the Military and Family Support Center.

15th Wing

The mission of the 15th Wing is to develop and sustain combat-ready Airmen, in partnership with the total force, to provide global mobility, global reach, precision engagement and agile combat support anytime, anywhere.

The wing is a subordinate command of the 11th Air Force and reports to the 11 AF commander. Major responsibilities of the wing are providing airlift throughout the Pacific with the C-17s stationed at Hickam, providing maintenance and refueling for aircraft transiting Hickam between the continental United States and the Western Pacific, and housing and feeding transient personnel. There are nine C-17 Globemaster IIIs assigned to the 15th Wing.

Two Special Air Mission aircraft are also assigned: a C-40 and a C-37; both are flown by the wing’s 65th Airlift Squadron, providing airlift for the United States Pacific Command and the Pacific Air Forces commanders.

15th Maintenance Group

About 500 active-duty, Hawaii Air National Guard, Department of the Air Force civilian and contractor personnel are assigned to this total force organization. The diverse maintenance organization supports and provides quality maintenance for nine C-17s, 20 F-22s, one C-37 and one C-40 to meet global airlift, global strike and theater security mission requirements. The 15th Maintenance Group consists of two squadrons, each with specific functions.

The 15th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron performs aircraft inspections, servicing, launch and recovery, and both scheduled sustainment and unscheduled maintenance repair actions for all assigned aircraft in support of global contingency, humanitarian, exercise and training operations.

The 15th Maintenance Squadron provides backshop and off-equipment maintenance support for home station aircraft and 6,500 annual joint and allied transient aircraft. These functions are heavy maintenance inspection and repair; wheel and tire buildup; fuels, electrical, environmental, hydraulic and propulsion systems maintenance; avionics; structural, welding, machining, corrosion control and nondestructive inspections; munitions; aerospace ground equipment support; and operation of a regional Precision Measurement and Equipment Laboratory.

15th Operations Group

The 15th Operations Group is composed of five squadrons: the 65th Airlift Squadron, 535th Airlift Squadron, 15th Operations Support Squadron and two Total Force Integration squadrons, the 19th Fighter Squadron and 96th Air Refueling Squadron.

With just over 300 personnel, the 15th Operations Group is responsible for overseeing the safe and effective use of over $2 billion in F-22A,KC-135R, C-17A, C-37 and C-40 aircraft executing a $55.3 million flying-hour program to support worldwide airlift requirements.

The 65th Airlift Squadron provides global airlift on specifically configured C-40B and C-37A aircraft supporting the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command; Commander, Pacific Air Forces; and U.S. and foreign dignitaries in direct support of U.S. foreign policy.

The 535th Airlift Squadron provides combat-ready C-17A aircrew for the execution of worldwide airlift missions supporting national security and Department of Defense directives. They maintain mission readiness in night vision goggle, aerial refueling, airdrop, low-level, austere airfield and emergency nuclear airlift operations to support JCS exercises, global contingencies, presidential support, humanitarian airlift and aeromedical evacuations.

The 19th Fighter Squadron is a combat-ready fighter squadron prepared to mobilize, deploy and employ the F-22 air dominance fighter in support of worldwide combatant commanders. It performs daily air sovereignty alert missions for PACOM, covering 300,000 square miles. It conducts graduate-level training, enabling pilots to exploit unique advantages of the world’s only fifth-generation fighter. It maintains readiness in the full spectrum of F-22 air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons employment.

The 96th Air Refueling Squadron is an active associate KC-135R Total Force Integration unit, increasing worldwide air refueling combat capability through force optimization and utilization of 11 154th Wing HIANG aircraft. The unit is responsible for rapid projection and application of joint U.S. military power across the full spectrum of operations and is tasked to bolster Global Mobility CONOPS air refueling and expeditionary air mobility operations capability by generating qualified combat aircrews.

The 15th Operations Squadron provides combat aircrew support for 15th Wing air operations including aircrew training, combat tactics, intelligence, operations scheduling, life support and combat weather services for transient and wing aircrews. They also supply airfield management oversight of the U.S. Air Force’s largest shared-use airfield, providing flight operations and en-route support for over 9,800 aircraft and the deployed operations of over 50 units annually. They are also responsible for maintaining oversight of theater flight records for 450 aviators in eight countries.

647th Air Base Group

The 647th Air Base Group provides integrated installation and base support for Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, with about 900 personnel in six diverse squadrons. The air base group commander also serves as the deputy commander of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The group’s mission is to deliver, improve and sustain wartime mission support and combat-ready airmen and families.

The Force Support Squadron maintains mission-ready forces through development, readiness and sustainment support while providing world-class personnel and family services. FSS directly supports military in the DFAC, Flight Kitchen, lodging, and fitness centers. Additional support services include mortuary affairs, readiness, Honor Guard, military and civilian personnel, manpower, education, family readiness, Equal Opportunity, Joint Base Public Affairs and chapel services. The FSS commander also serves as the liaison to the joint base commander as the JB1, Manpower and administration officer, responsible for all Air Force and Navy human resource assets.

The Security Forces Squadron provides ready-to-deploy, Air Force, warfighting defenders in support of contingencies and functions. SFS organizes, trains and equips mission-ready, resilient, air-minded security forces to deliver enduring integrated defense against threats and also protects off-base Air Force mission facilities at Kaena Point in Oahu and Kokee Air Force Station in Kauai. The SFS commander also serves as the liaison to the joint base commander as the JB2, performing integrated base defense and law enforcement throughout the main base and all JBPHH annexes (e.g., West Loch, Wahiawa, Lualualei). This includes providing entry control, vehicle inspection, Pass & ID, combat arms and military working dog (drug and explosive detector) support for JBPHH.

The Civil Engineer Squadron organizes, trains and equips expeditionary civil engineers providing warfighting-ready engineering support for facilities and infrastructure, emergency management, fire protection and explosive ordnance disposal. The CES commander also serves as the liaison to the joint base commander as the deputy JB4 role, accountable for lifecycle management of NAVFAC/CNIC real property, product and service delivery, Supported Command interface, project execution and performance assessment spanning the joint base. CES is a vital squadron on JBPHH that manages over 4,200 facilities, 30,000 acres, four dry docks and 31 piers valued at more than $19.4 billion, supporting 38,000 military and civilian personnel in more than165 tenant commands and activities.

The Logistics Readiness Squadron organizes, trains and equips expeditionary logistics professionals in five distinct AFSCs and provides Air Force combat mobility support. The LRS commander also serves as the liaison to the joint base commander as the JB41/NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center-Pearl Harbor Code 450, managing $42 million in aircraft parts and inventory, support equipment and chem-gear. LRS also provides 24/7 Air Force transportation ops, Total Force Integration cargo movement between the15th Wing and HIANG, and installation reception, deployment and redeployment, and is responsible for the Air Force War Reserve Materiel.

The Contracting Squadron provides warfighting-ready contracting Airmen. The 647 CONS directly supports HQ PACAF, PACOM, tenant units, 15 WG, 647 ABG, Bellows AFS and the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies customers. CONS executes over $138 million contract actions annually, manages a $1.2 billion contract portfolio, oversees a $5 million government purchase card program, and supports combat operations and humanitarian missions in several areas of the world, which include AFCENT, CENTCOM and PACOM, for a total of 2,364 deployed man-days in 2012. In October 2013, 647 CONS was redesignated as 766 Specialized Contracting Squadron under the Air Force Installation Contracting Agency.

The 747 Communications Squadron delivers warfighting communications and information capabilities for HQ PACAF, Hickam and 67 tenant units totaling over 9,000 users, manages a $160 million network, 140 antennas, executive communication support, telephone support, airfield communication, COMSEC and Information Assurance, and serves as the joint base interface for communications and information capabilities that affect the entire Hickam population.

Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command

The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command conducts global search, recovery and laboratory operations to identify unaccounted-for Americans from past conflicts to support the Department of Defense’s personnel accounting efforts.

The command on the island of Oahu was activated Oct. 1, 2003. Employing more than 500 joint military and civilian personnel, JPAC continues its search for the more than 83,000 Americans still unaccounted for from past conflicts. The laboratory portion of JPAC, referred to as the Central Identification Laboratory, is the largest and most diverse forensic skeletal laboratory in the world.

The command maintains three permanent detachments to assist with command and control, logistics and in-country support during investigation and recovery operations. Detachment 1 is in Bangkok, Thailand; Detachment 2 is in Hanoi, Vietnam; and Detachment 3 is in Vientiane, Laos.

The core of JPAC’s day-to-day operations involves researching case files, investigating leads, excavating sites and identifying Americans who were killed in action but never brought home. This process involves close coordination with U.S. agencies involved in the POW/MIA issue, including the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, the appropriate Service Casualty Office, the U.S. Pacific Command, Department of State, the Joint Staff, Defense Intelligence Agency, the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory and the U.S. Air Force’s Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory.