PACAF commander discusses tour normalization, Osan priorities

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Terri Barriere
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea --  Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Gary North arrived here Oct. 7 with his wife Shelley to visit with Airmen and their families and to discuss the way ahead for Team Osan.

During his two-day visit, General North said the 51st Fighter Wing and 7th Air Force will continue to work with other assets available on the peninsula to ensure Team Osan's Airmen are ready to fight tonight.

"We will continue to work side by side with our counterparts here in the Republic of Korea, as well as continue the modernization of the infrastructure," he said.

The general lists training Airmen, properly aligning equipment and modernization as necessities to successfully complete the mission. In addition, tour normalization stands among his primary priorities for the Korean peninsula.

"The key reasons I was here, both at Kunsan and Osan, is to talk to our commanders, to be able to put personal eyes on our infrastructure and to look at the requirements we will have to ensure we are able to meet the mission necessities and bed down families as normalization continues," he said. "We also need to ensure we meet the quality of life requirements for education, health care, child care and adequate facilities for our families."

With tour normalization set to extend well into the next decade, General North is focusing on dormitory reconstruction and program development.

"Our primary projects right now focus on reworking old dormitories, continuing the development of programs which were in place from years before, and then focusing on those projects which will be required for normalization," he said.

In addition to tour normalization developments, the commander also outlined his top three priorities for Airmen stationed at Osan. 

"The top three priorities for individual Airmen as they arrive here on the peninsula is to bed down and be prepared to do their mission; get acclimated to the wing and understand that mission and, lastly, figure out how they can make themselves better both on the personal and professional level as they continue their tour--whether it's one, two or three years in the Republic of Korea."

Inside those priorities, General North said, "If every Airman understands how to be better at their job and make the Airman working next to them better, we're going to be a much better Air Force. At the individual level that's probably the most important thing I could pass on to them."

The general emphasized that there's nothing more important than for an Airman to understand their mission, their role in it and how it integrates into the missions of their squadron, group, wing and beyond.

"The most important thing we bring into the joint combined domain as military members is the technical and tactical capability of our Airmen at the unit level," he said. "Our Airmen are fabulous and I love what they are doing. They are very excited to be here in Korea and they are very, very good at what they do.

"We're proud of them."