New Pacific Air Forces chief takes reins

The head of U.S. Pacific Command provided some insight into where the Air Force is headed in the region at a change-of-command ceremony Friday for Pacific Air Forces.

"In no region in the world is air power more relevant than in the Asia-Pacific — a massive region that has been secure and prosperous for more than six decades," Adm. Samuel Locklear III said.

How Pacific Air Forces will look in the future is a little less clear.

Gen. Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, former Air Force deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements at the Pentagon, took over command of Pacific Air Forces on Friday from Gen. Gary "Nordo" North, who is retiring.

Carlisle, who was commander of the 13th Air Force at Hickam from late 2009 to late 2010, returns to Hawaii at a time when the U.S. is "re-balancing" to the Asia and the Pacific, cutting military funding and incorporating a relatively new air-sea battle strategy integrating the Air Force and Navy to counter threats to shipping lanes, particularly from China.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, who also presided at the command change, expressed the same high confidence in Carlisle that he had in North.

"These two officers are tested and proven Air Force leaders with serious wartime experience and credibility, and they are innovative, forward-looking and strategically minded — exactly the kind of leaders we need at the helm of Pacific Air Forces," Schwartz said.

Schwartz, who took part in his last change of command before he retires, is being replaced as Air Force chief by Gen. Mark Welsh.

Locklear said the Asia-Pacific region has been stable for six decades "because of the United States of America, and the forces and the dedication and the military power we dedicated to ensure a secure environment in the region."

Schwartz recently said the re-balance to the Pacific has "meant the absence of reduction" of U.S. military forces in the region.

U.S. Pacific Command covers half the globe, has 3.6 billion people and five of the largest armies in the world, Locklear said. One-third of U.S. trade passes through the region every day.

"The future, I think, of our children and grandchildren, and in some ways the future of our nation, rely on how we behave and how we operate in this vast theater, so this change of command is historic, as it always has been," Locklear told more than 800 people in attendance.

The change of command took place in Hangar 35 at Hickam with an F-22 Raptor fighter, a C-17 cargo aircraft and KC-135R refueler — the three main aircraft assigned to Hickam — parked just outside to form a backdrop.

Pacific Air Forces, headquartered at Hickam, has 45,000 airmen assigned to 10 wings operating more than 400 aircraft in Hawaii, Japan, South Korea, Alaska and Guam.

North, who led Pacific Air Forces since August 2009, was credited with leading the effort to bring F-22 Raptor fighters and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles to the Pacific.

He also was lauded for overseeing the evacuation of 7,400 Americans from Japan and delivery of close to 5 million pounds of relief supplies after a devastating tsunami and nuclear disaster hit Japan in March 2011.

Carlisle, an F-15 fighter and C-17 cargo aircraft pilot who also took part in a classified program flying Russian MiG aircraft, is a "perfect fit" for Pacific Air Forces, Schwartz said.

"Hawk, PACAF is ready once again to benefit from your breadth of experience, your depth of leadership and your passion for our airmen," Schwartz told Carlisle.