15th Wing Public Affairs
10/7/2014 - JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aircraft that have been temporarily relocated to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, due to airfield construction at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay commenced flying operations Oct. 1.
The 18 aircraft from Kaneohe Bay, which include 12 P-3 Orions, four C-20 Gulfstreams, two MK-58 Hawker Hunters and more than 175 maintainers and aircrew members, will perform their primary mission of anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance from JBPHH for the next two months.
According to Glen Bailey, 15th Wing Plans and Programs support agreements chief, this is the fourth time K-Bay has deployed its fixed-wing aircraft to JBPHH in the past six years due to an ongoing runway construction project. The units are expected to return in 2015 and 2016 as well.
While at JBPHH, the unit will continue to execute 24-hour operations, providing maintenance and aircrew support as normal.
"We wouldn't have been able to do our mission if we had not relocated here," said Navy Cmdr. Katrina Hill, VP-9 commanding officer. "With the runway work going on at K-Bay, we could not do what we do as an air wing without the help of the JBPHH team."
Hill said the move required support for ground equipment and personnel and training on local security and safety procedures.
"The relocation has gone great, because we are continuing to work on the relationships we built last time we were here," she said. "We could not have asked for more hospitality from the Air Force."
Navy Capt. Lance Scott, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Two commander, said the temporary relocation has provided the two units an opportunity to strengthen the working relationship between services.
"We had no concerns coming into this based on the strong relationship we share with the wing," he said. "This is another opportunity for us to reinforce our joint relationship and interoperability which is critical to how we fight as a military."
Scott attributes the unit's seamless transition from K-Bay to JBPHH to the strong partnership between the units.
It took a combined effort between the 15th Wing, Joint Base and 735th Air Mobility Squadron personnel to make the bed-down a success.
"We're happy to help out our Navy counterparts during their airfield construction," said U.S. Air Force Col. Randy Huiss, 15th WG commander. "This is what being a mission partner means ... that we're all part of one big defense team."
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