Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Kevin Schneider used a high-profile stage at the Air and Space Forces Association’s annual Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Sept. 24 to underscore how command and control will shape the Air Force’s ability to operate at scale across the Indo-Pacific.
Speaking during the “Exercising at Scale: What We’re Learning” panel, Schneider drew on lessons from Resolute Forces Pacific 2025, or REFORPAC, a monthlong series that tested readiness across the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. The July 8–Aug. 9 exercise involved more than 400 aircraft, over 15,000 personnel and operations at more than 50 locations, reinforcing ties with Australia, Japan, Korea and the Philippines while integrating other allies and partners.
“The first lesson was, we can do this,” Schneider said. “It was a massive challenge, and at times we were operating at 50 locations, 5,000 miles north-south, 6,000 miles east-west. Only the United States Air Force can pull off something like this and support the combatant commander.”
The expansive drill stressed sustained operations, logistics and the Air Force’s agile combat employment model at a scope not previously attempted. Schneider emphasized that in a theater defined by distance and complexity, airpower’s speed and flexibility are central to moving materiel and delivering effects.
He pointed to three priorities for improvement—people, pipes and processes—calling for strategically placed personnel and command nodes with the right training; resilient communications to function in contested environments; and streamlined procedures that enable rapid response. On education and training, he said Air Education and Training Command is already working the problem set. “As we come out of REFORPAC, I think we are better equipped to go back to Headquarters Air Force and AETC to identify those skill sets and those things that need to enter Airmen’s brains from day one as they come into our force to understand what it’s like to operate in a contested environment and how to be effective.”
Schneider also highlighted deliberate pre-positioning of equipment and the need to manage supply chains across vast distances so units can “fall into their fighting positions” ready to execute. “We need to equally invest in time and thought and resources into the command and control of logistics and sustainment to give ourselves the best ability to generate air power,” he said.
Looking ahead, he said PACAF must keep its command-and-control architecture flexible and agile, pushing authorities forward to lower echelons to maintain speed and advantage at scale.
“As we wrap up this summer’s exercise series, our Airmen are better equipped to understand what it is means to operate in contested environments and remain effective,” Schneider said. “Moving forward, we do this as a team. We do this with our Allies and partners. Building a system that is inherently interoperable and includes releasable enclaves from the ground up is essential to success.”
