The commander of Pacific Air Forces highlighted the importance of command and control during a panel discussion at the Air and Space Forces Association's annual Air, Space and Cyber Conference, Sept. 24, 2025.
Addressing a broad in-person and virtual audience during the "Exercising at Scale: What We're Learning" panel, Gen. Kevin Schneider shared the successes and lessons learned from Resolute Forces Pacific 2025.
"The first lesson was, we can do this," Schneider said. "It was a massive challenge, and at times we were operating at 50 locations, 5,000 miles north-south, 6,000 miles east-west. Only the United States Air Force can pull off something like this and support the combatant commander."
REFORPAC tested the readiness of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force for Department of Defense requirements. From July 8 to August 9, 2025, the exercise involved over 400 aircraft, more than 15,000 personnel and operations across 50+ locations. It reinforced alliances with Australia, Japan, Korea and the Philippines, while integrating other allies and partners, demonstrating the United States' commitment to mutual defense and regional stability.
REFORPAC required forces to sustain an operational campaign for extended periods, testing logistics, adaptability and the Air Force's agile combat employment model at a much larger scale than has been attempted before.
Schneider said, in a theater that is defined by distance and complexity, airpower proved its responsiveness and flexibility in how the Air Force delivers logistics and fires at speed and scale.
The general outlined three key areas for improvement: people, pipes and processes. This includes strategically positioning personnel and command nodes ensuring they are in the right place and have the training they need; ensuring robust and resilient communication pathways to operate effectively in a contested environment; and streamlining processes to allow for rapid response and adaptation.
For education and training, Schneider said the Air Force is working through this already through Air Education and Training Command.
"As we come out of REFORPAC, I think we are better equipped to go back to Headquarters Air Force and AETC to identify those skill sets and those things that need to enter Airmen's brains from day one as they come into our force to understand what it's like to operate in a contested environment and how to be effective."
Highlighting the importance of managing supply chains and resource allocation across vast distances, Schneider said, PACAF is being very deliberate and smart about where we put kit and where we put gear so that units that are falling into their fighting positions are ready to go immediately.
"We need to equally invest in time and thought and resources into the command and control of logistics and sustainment to give ourselves the best ability to generate air power," he said.
Finally, Schneider said the PACAF has to be flexible and agile in its C2 systems to push authorities forward into theater to a lower echelon of command. He emphasized that the ability to operate at such scale hinges on effective command and control and delegating authorities to the lowest level possible, which he has said are important factors in staying ahead of our adversaries.
As PACAF looks to the future, Schneider emphasized the lessons learned from REFORPAC will shape how the Air Force strengthens partnerships, refines command and control, and ensures the Joint Force is ready to meet any challenge in the Indo-Pacific.
"As we wrap up this summer's exercise series, our Airmen are better equipped to understand what it is means to operate in contested environments and remain effective," Schneider said. "Moving forward, we do this as a team. We do this with our Allies and partners. Building a system that is inherently interoperable and includes releasable enclaves from the ground up is essential to success."
