F-15E Strike Eagles assigned to the 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron have rotated out of Kadena Air Base, Japan, concluding a six-month deployment that included a groundbreaking three-month forward operation to U.S. Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia.
While stationed at Kadena AB, the 336th EFS deployed a detachment to the remote Indian Ocean outpost to establish and operate Detachment 336-marking the first sustained U.S. fighter presence on the island and a major milestone in the execution of Agile Combat Employment in the Indo-Pacific.
In response to an immediate request for forces from the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, 160 Airmen from Kadena AB, Yokota AB and Andersen Air Force Base deployed on May 13 to establish Detachment 336. Their mission is to project and sustain forward combat airpower from one of the most remote and strategically significant locations on Earth.
"This wasn't just a TDY," said Capt. Jimmy Boulton, 336th EFS F-15E pilot, "This was an operational ACE fighter detachment tailor-made for a rapidly developing, real-world mission. And we weren't just flying jets; we were building a joint team locked in on our purpose."
Over the course of the deployment, Detachment 336 achieved 24/7 alert operations, installed a mobile aircraft arresting system, and executed daily sorties, maintaining high mission-capable rates despite supply chains stretching halfway around the world.
"Our team had to develop innovative solutions to meet maintenance requirements in a location without standard fighter infrastructure," said Master Sgt. Jeremy McCoy, Det 336 maintainer, "So, we adapted quickly to keep jets and Airmen ready and in the fight."
In addition to flight operations, Detachment 336 assumed tactical command of joint defense forces, working alongside U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet, Marine Forces Pacific, and the 609th and 613th Air Operations Centers. Together, they executed air defense drills, base security scenarios and alert responses, establishing a fully integrated, layered defensive posture.
"We collaborated in real time with our Navy and Marine partners to develop joint solutions," said Capt. Brianna Kretkowski, 336th EFS intelligence. "Each mission strengthened our battle rhythm and sharpened our readiness as a unified force."
Life on the island also demanded rapid, ground-up innovation. Alongside Anderson Air Force Base's 36th Mission Support Group, Detachment 1, Airmen built and upgraded their tent city, nicknamed "Thundercove," transforming it into a resilient base of operations.
From power distribution and sanitation to morale spaces and maintenance and operational headquarters, every improvement was built on-site, enhancing sustainability and enabling high operational tempo.
"Every workaround and upgrade was about building momentum," said Tech. Sgt. Cid Bartolome, Det 336 civil engineer. "It was about making the location viable not just for this mission, but for future ones as well."
By the end of July, Detachment 336 had exceeded all mission objectives, demonstrating that a forward-deployed fighter force can operate, thrive and command from non-traditional bases, under exceptionally challenging logistical conditions.
"Our work is already shaping tactics, techniques and procedures across the theater," Capt. Boulton said.
As the final Strike Eagles returned to their shelters at Kadena AB, the scope of the accomplishment came into full view. This was more than a deployment, it was a blueprint for flexible, air power-centric combat operations in the Indo-Pacific.
"In practice, operational ACE required Detachment 336 to define new organizations, invent new processes, and-at the individual Airman and team level-aggressively move towards any and every risk to force or mission," said Lt. Col. Mitchell Fossum, 336th EFS commander. "Our stewardship of the joint defense of Diego Garcia may soon be catalogued as merely another proof of the United States' broad capability to rapidly deploy and reinforce deterrence with effective military power. To the Airmen of Detachment 336, however, this mission and the defense of this exceptional, strategic island was a high calling and a privilege."
