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By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
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A United States military hub, in the Western Pacific Ocean near China, displayed America's air power by massing a group of aerial refueling and airlift aircraft.
Why It Matters
Kadena Air Base is on Okinawa, a Japanese island that is part of a blockade known as the first island chain with Taiwan and the Philippines under a U.S. defense concept, which attempts to leverage the islands to contain the Chinese military in the Pacific Ocean.
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At a distance of just 370 miles, Kadena is the closest American air base to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China has long claimed as its own territory and has reserved the right to use force against. Kadena also hosts a number of fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email.
What To Know
The U.S. Air Force's 18th Wing, which is the host aviation unit for Kadena Air Base, published photos on Thursday that showed at least nine KC-135 aerial refueling and airlift aircraft, also known as Stratotanker, lining up on a flight line at the base last Friday.
The aircraft are assigned to the Kadena-based 909th Air Refueling Squadron, providing aircrews to support both "peacetime operations and conflicts" in the Indo-Pacific theater.
The 18th Wing told Newsweek in an email that it conducted an emergency rapid response exercise at Kadena from January 8 to 15, which aimed at testing the unit's ability to rapidly deploy forces and sustain operations under what it called "degraded conditions."
"Kadena's ability to rapidly generate airpower is a key function of air operations, ensuring stability and security of the Indo-Pacific region," one of the photo captions read. The U.S. military views the Indo-Pacific as its priority theater, where China is the pacing challenge.
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The Stratotanker, which has a maximum range of 11,015 miles, provides aerial refueling support to U.S. and allied nation aircraft. It is also capable of transporting passengers and patients for aeromedical evacuation, as well as carrying up to 83,000 pounds of cargo.
The aircraft lineup in the photos is known as an "elephant walk," which is a U.S. Air Force term for a close formation of aircraft taxiing en masse before takeoff.
The War Zone, a specialist outlet, said an "elephant walk" is not just a photo opportunity. It is an opportunity for high-tempo training and internal evaluation, which can test a unit's abilities to generate as many aircraft sorties as possible in a minimal amount of time.
What People Are Saying
The 18th Wing told Newsweek: "[The] Elephant Walk showcased Kadena's ability to rapidly generate airpower as part of this [emergency rapid response] exercise, highlighting the readiness of our Airmen and the strategic capabilities of our fleet ... Exercises like this reinforce our readiness to respond effectively to any contingency or operational demand."
The U.S. Air Force, in a fact sheet: "The KC-135 Stratotanker provides the core aerial refueling capability for the United States Air Force and has excelled in this role for more than 60 years. This unique asset enhances the Air Force's capability to accomplish its primary mission of global reach."
Kadena Air Base, on its website: "Operating from the largest U.S. installation in the Asia-Pacific region, the 18th Wing defends U.S. and Japanese mutual interests by providing a forward power projection platform with integrated, deployable, combat power."
What Happens Next
Kadena Air Base will continue to serve as an air power projection platform, where its Stratotanker fleet provides aerial refueling support to U.S. and allied military aircraft.
Update 01/22/25, 02:49 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from the U.S. Air Force's 18th Wing.
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