PACAF hosts CFACC course to bolster joint and combined airpower

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii — Senior U.S. military leaders and counterparts from allied nations convened at Pacific Air Forces headquarters Aug. 10-14 for the Combined Force Air Component Commander (CFACC) course, an event designed to prepare future commanders to lead complex, theater-level air operations.

Hosted by Air University’s Ira C. Eaker Center for Leadership Development, the course brought together senior leaders from Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and the U.S.

“The value of conducting the course here is that you’re in the theater the course is focused on,” said retired Lt. Gen. Russel Handy, class senior Air Force mentor. “By focusing the participants, subjects, and speakers on the Pacific and the Pacific Command AOR, we get a much richer experience. The students become teachers as they share their perspectives.”

Gen. Kevin Schneider, the Pacific Air Forces commander, emphasized the role of personal relationships in strengthening day-to-day coordination and security across the region. “The leaders sitting in this CFACC course represent the future of our combined airpower,” said Schneider. “By coming together to share our unique perspectives and align our strategies, we are removing the seams between our joint and allied forces. That level of integration—and the personal trust that comes with it—is exactly what we need to maintain stability and security across this theater.”

Participants also focused on the challenges posed by the scale of the Indo-Pacific. “The tyranny of distance became absolutely apparent throughout all our briefs this week,” said Royal Canadian Air Force Brig. Gen. Mark Hickey, vice director of operations at U.S. Pacific Command. “Understanding how difficult it will be to carry out military operations in this region showed me that none of us could do it alone.”

Course content continues to evolve alongside advances in technology and shifts in the character of conflict. “We stay plugged into real-world operations and bring those lessons into the classroom,” said Handy. “One of the bigger things about the evolution of the course is keeping up with technology and the way command and control has evolved, including the use of AI and large language models.”

The importance of integration across services and nations was reinforced by senior briefers, including Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Pacific Command; Adm. Rich Correll, commander of U.S. Strategic Command; Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command; Adm. Steve Koehler, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Gen. Kevin Schneider, Pacific Air Forces commander; Lt. Gen. Joel B. Vowell, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific; and Maj. Gen. David Mineau, commander of Twelfth Air Force (Air Forces Southern).

“As a young general officer, as a one-star, it’s amazing to be able to listen to their vision, get inside their heads a little bit and understand what they’re trying to do in this theater,” said Hickey. “This course has allowed me to build those relationships with senior leaders and general officers from different countries who are now serving in the region.”