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Air Force 336th EFS Ends Kadena Tour After First Sustained Fighter Detachment to Diego Garcia

The forward operation validated Agile Combat Employment by keeping F-15Es on 24/7 alert from the remote island.

Overview

  • The Air Force said Nov. 18 that the 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron completed a six-month Kadena rotation that included a roughly three-month detachment to Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia.
  • Responding to an immediate INDOPACOM request, 160 Airmen from Kadena, Yokota and Andersen formed Detachment 336 on May 13 with six of the unit’s 12 F-15E Strike Eagles.
  • Det 336 stood continuous alert, flew daily sorties and installed a Mobile Aircraft Arresting System while maintaining high mission-capable rates despite long supply lines.
  • Airmen built out expeditionary infrastructure and worked with U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet, Marine Forces Pacific and the 609th and 613th Air Operations Centers on integrated air defense drills.
  • An F-15E landed safely at Kadena on Aug. 4 after a main gear wheel was discovered missing and later recovered at Diego Garcia, and leaders said the deployment produced new theater TTPs for future ACE operations.