Kadena Air Base

Kadena Air Base is a United States Air Force base located immediately adjacent to and SE of the town of Kadena, 1 mi S of Koza, and 12 mi NNE of Naha, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.

Units

The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena AB. In addition, the base hosts associate units from five other Air Force major commands, the United States Navy, and numerous other Department of Defense agencies and direct reporting units. Associate units operate more than 20 permanently assigned, forward-based or deployed aircraft from the base on a daily basis.

• 18th Wing
  Kadena Air Base is the home to the Air Force’s largest combat wing—the 18th Wing—and a variety of associate units. Together they form “Team Kadena”—a world-class combat team ready to fight and win from the Keystone of the Pacific. Kadena’s fleet of F-15C/D Eagles; KC-135R/T Stratotankers; E-3B/C Sentries; HH-60 Pave Hawks; MC-130H Combat Talon II’s; MC-130P Combat Shadows; RC- and WC- 135s; and Navy P-3 Orions project U.S. deterrence throughout the Western Pacific and South-East Asia, promoting regional peace and stability.

• 353rd Special Operations Group
  The 353rd Special Operations Group is an element of the Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida. The 750 Airmen of the group are organized into three flying squadrons, a maintenance squadron, a special tactics squadron and an operations support squadron. The flying squadrons operate three separate and uniquely different airframes: the MC-130P Combat Shadow, MC-130H Combat Talon II and, at Osan, the MH-53J Pave Low III helicopter.

• 733rd Air Mobility Squadron
  The more than 320 people of the 733rd Air Mobility Squadron manage all passengers and cargo traveling by air in and out of Kadena. This Air Mobility Command unit supports about 650 aircraft arrivals and departures every month, moving more than 12,000 passengers and nearly 3,000 tons of cargo.

• 82nd Reconnaissance Squadron
  Air Combat Command's 82nd Reconnaissance Squadron maintains aircraft; prepares combat-ready aircrews; and analyzes, processes, and disseminates intelligence data launch in support of RC-135V/W Rivet Joint, RC-135U Combat Sent and WC-135 Constant Phoenix missions flown in the Pacific Theater. Of special value to the Pacific Command and national command authorities, information obtained is used at all levels of the Department of Defense and within other government agencies. The squadron works closely with the 390th Intelligence Squadron.

• 390th Intelligence Squadron
  Air Intelligence Agency's 390th Intelligence Squadron conducts information operations by providing tailored combat intelligence and assessing the security of friendly command, control, communication and computer systems to enhance warfighting survivability, situation awareness and targeting.

• Associate units
  961st Airborne Warning & Control Squadron
  909th Air Refueling Squadron
  Tactical Support Centers (TSC)
  NAVCOMM Det Okinawa

Notable Areas

• Main Street (The Tiki)
• Gate 2 Street
• Kadena Tarmac
• Kadena BX
• Schilling Community Center
• Airmans Club

• NCO Club
• Officers Club
• Kadena High School
• Kadena Middle School
• Bob Hope Primary School
• The Asian Division of University of Maryland University College (UMUC)[1]

BRAC 2005

In November 2006, the U.S. Army's 1-1 ADA Battalion, a Patriot PAC-III unit, deployed to Kadena from Fort Bliss Texas. They are assigned to the 94th AAMDC, PACOM, they were assigned to 31st ADA Brigade at Fort Bliss. The move was part of the BRAC consolidation of U.S. Army bases and security agreements between the U.S. and Japan. The battalion's mission is to defend the base against tactical ballistic missiles from North Korea. The deployment was controversial in Okinawa. The unit was greeted by protests.

In 2006, the U.S. Air Force announced that Kadena will transition to the the F-35 Lightning II airframe from the current F-15 Eagle. The base is currently undergoing environmental testing to find the environmental footprint the F-35 would cause.

History

World War II

Kadena Air Base history dates back to just before the April 1, 1945, US invasion of Okinawa, when a local construction firm completed a small airfield named Yara Hikojo near the island's village of Kadena. The airfield, used by Japanese warplanes, was one of the first targets of the US 10th Army and was captured just hours after American troops stormed the island.

What the Americans captured was nothing more than a 4,600 foot strip of badly-damaged coral runway. Army engineers quickly made repairs and, by nightfall the same day, the runway could accept emergency landings. Eight days later, and after some six inches of coral were added, the airfield was declared operational and put into immediate service. By August 1945, an additional runway was built and the original runway lengthened and improved to accommodate bombers. Kadena Air Base was born.

The surrender of Japanese forces in the Ryukyu Islands came Sep 7 the same year. General Joseph Stilwell accepted the surrender in an area that would later become Kadena's Stearley Heights housing area. The 316th BMW remained at Kadena until deactivation in 1948.

Cold War

Although Kadena originated as a fighter base, a B-29 organization -- the 316th Bombardment Wing -- was the first element responsible for operating the base. An advance element of the 316th was prepared to fly combat and returned to Kadena in June 1950 when the 19th Bombardment Group arrived from Andersen AB, Guam to fight in the Korean War. In August 1950, the 307th Bombardment Group arrived at Kadena from MacDill AFB, FL, adding to the base's growing bomber force.

When the Korean War ended, the B-29s departed and, by 1954, had been replaced with F-86F fighters from the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing. In March 1955, the 313th Air Division was activated at Kadena, replacing 20th Air Force as the senior US Air Force organization in the Ryukyus.

Post Cold War

It is located on Okinawa Island, and was captured from the Japanese by American forces early in the Battle of Okinawa in World War II. The 18th Wing is the host unit.

Kadena Air Base history dates back to just before the United States invasion of Okinawa during World War II. A local construction firm completed a small airfield near the island's village of Kadena. The airfield, used by Japanese warplanes, was one of the first targets of the U.S. Tenth Army.

On 16 July 1945, Headquarters Eighth Air Force was transferred, without personnel, equipment, or combat elements to Kadena from RAF High Wycombe England being assigned to the U.S. Army Strategic Air Forces to train new bomber groups for combat against Japan. In the planned invasion of Japan, the mission of Eighth Air Force would be to conduct B-29 Superfortress raids from Okinawa.

By August 1945, repairs were made and an additional runway was built and the original runway lengthened and improved to accommodate bombers. The atomic bombings of Japan led to the Japanese surrender before Eighth Air Force saw action in the Pacific theater

The surrender of Japanese forces in the Ryukyu Islands came 7 September the same year. General Joseph Stilwell accepted the surrender in an area that would later become Kadena's Stearley Heights housing area.

Although Kadena originated as a fighter base, a B-29 organization -- the 316th Bombardment Wing -- was the first element responsible for operating the base. The 19th Bombardment Group arrived from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam to fight in the Korean War. In August 1950, the 307th Bombardment Group arrived at Kadena from MacDill Air Force Base , Florida, adding to the base's growing bomber force.

When the Korean War ended, the B-29s departed and, by 1954, had been replaced with F-86 fighters. In March 1955, the 313th Air Division was activated at Kadena. The Air Division was incorporated into the 18th Composite Wing in 1992.

During the Vietnam War Kadena acted as a host base for B-52s conducting Operation Arc Light and Operation Linebacker bombing missions in Southeast Asia, for A-12 and SR-71 strategic reconnaissance aircraft, and for the KC-135 tankers which provided aerial refueling support for them. The deployment of the SR-71 was notable among local Okinawans, who coined it the Habu based on the similar color and profile of the aircraft to the local snake species. The nickname continues to remain popular among the SR-71 community.

Air traffic control

CLR	123.300	235.000
GND	118.500	275.800
TWR	126.200	236.600	315.800
APP/DEP(North)	119.100	335.800
APP/DEP(South）	126.500	258.300
18 WG COMD POST	311.000	355.200
AIRLIFT　COMD POST	128.000	349.400
PTD	131.400	266.000
BASE OPS	266.000
MET	344.600
ATIS	124.200	280.500

The U.S. air force (the 5th air force) takes charge of control.

In addition, the airspace control of Okinawa Island and the circumference of it are not under Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, but under the OKINAWA approach control (the common name is Kadena Rapcon(嘉手納ラプコン,Kadena rapukon)Radar APproach CONtrol) of U.S. air force in the Kadena base.

The management of control charge is due to be transferred to Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in the near future, and the air traffic controllers belonging to the ministry are training it towards change of jurisdiction as of December, 2006.

Beacon

Name	type	Call sign	Frequency	Operating time
Kadena	VOR	KAD	112.000	24hour
	TACAN	-	1018.000

The U.S. air force takes charge of maintenance.

See also

• United States Pacific Air Forces

References

This article incorporates information from the 18th Wing Public Affairs Office's and 18th Wing secure socketed Wing Staff page. Web site. [2]

External links and references

• Kadena's official site
• globalsecurity.org on Kadena
• 498th Tactical Missile Group at Kadena