Western Pacific exercises heat up and looking back on a Phantom Ace
REFORPAC is to set the stage for operations in the Pacific and remembering an F-4 Ace
“The same factors as lead to success in anything. The basics. Preparation, teamwork—hard work—discipline, responsibility, integrity. And a ‘never give up’ attitude. The fundamentals are the same for success in any arena.”
-General Richard S. “Steve” Ritchie, F-4 Phantom Ace
Mission Briefing
Next summer the U.S. Air Force will conduct a significant exercise in the western Pacific, focusing on large-scale mobilization and deployment in preparation for a potential conflict with China. This 14-day exercise, named REFORPAC (Return of Forces to Pacific), will involve units from Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the continental United States converging in the Pacific. The announcement was made by Air Force Chief General David Allvin during a Hudson Institute event on August 17.
REFORPAC draws its name and concept from the Cold War-era exercise REFORGER (Return of Forces to Germany), where the U.S. practiced rapidly transporting troops and material across the Atlantic in response to Soviet threats. General Allvin highlighted how the U.S. and NATO were once well-prepared for a conventional war with a peer adversary—a focus that diminished after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. The subsequent "Unipolar era" and nearly three decades of counterterrorism shifted the military’s priorities, leading to fragmented deployments that are inadequate for the high-end warfare scenario that could unfold in the Pacific.
In the post-1991 era, the need for rapid, large-scale deployment from the homeland and forward bases waned. The Air Force's recent deployments to the Middle East have been more piecemeal, which, according to Allvin, is insufficient for the demands of a potential large-scale conflict in the Pacific. REFORPAC aims to "re-optimize" the force for this emerging Great Power competition, ensuring the Air Force is prepared to "exercise like we are fighting."
“We’re integrating REFORPAC into INDOPACOM’s campaign, combatant commanders’ exercises, plans, and our Pacific Air Forces’ approach to supporting those in a more robust and extended manner,” Allvin explained. His presentation included examples of deployments from Alaska, California, Guam, and Hawaii to far northeast Asia, potentially Japan and South Korea, over a 14-day period. REFORPAC will be a comprehensive exercise, focusing on all aspects of mobilizing for war in the western Pacific, unlike other drills that typically practice individual elements of a large conflict.
“You can part task train this. But until you’re there, doing it over a period of time, we’re not really going to uncover the issues you might not have discovered while doing it in pieces. You have to do it in a realistic scenario,” Allvin stated. REFORPAC, and possibly future large-scale exercises, are being “evolved to generate readiness for mission, rather than readiness at the task level.”
REFORPAC is expected to be integrated with Talisman Sabre, the largest bilateral joint defense exercise between Australia and the United States. This integration is crucial because, as Allvin noted, "we understand we’re going to fight with allies and partners."
Talisman Sabre has grown to include around a dozen countries and roughly 30,000 personnel and is expected to be even larger in 2025. In its 2023 iteration, Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force fired an improved variant of its Type-12 anti-ship missile from Australian territory, while American F-22s, KC-46s, and C-17s participated. Notably, USAF B-2 Spirit stealth bombers are currently in Australia for their first Bomber Task Force mission in two years, underscoring the evolving nature of these exercises in preparation for potential future conflicts.
This week in aviation history
28 August 1972: Captain Richard Stephen Ritchie of the U.S. Air Force, along with Weapons System Officer Captain Charles Barbin DeBellevue, led Buick flight in their McDonnell F-4D Phantom II and shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-21 interceptor. This victory marked Ritchie’s fifth confirmed aerial combat kill, officially earning him the prestigious title of "ace." DeBellevue would later be credited with six kills.
According to an official U.S. Air Force history:
"Ritchie flew the lead aircraft of a MiGCAP flight, with Capt. Charles B. DeBellevue as his WSO, during a Linebacker strike mission. 'We acquired a radar lock-on on a MiG 21 that was head-on to us,' Ritchie said.
'We converted to the stern and fired two AIM-7 missiles during the conversion. These missiles were out of parameters and were fired in an attempt to get the MiG to start a turn. As we rolled out behind the MiG, we fired the two remaining AIM-7s. The third missile missed, but the fourth impacted the MiG. The MiG was seen to explode and start tumbling toward the earth. The kill was witnessed by Captain John Madden, aircraft commander in number 3.'
Ritchie reflected on the encounter, noting that it was a unique situation: 'The MiG flew at a much higher altitude than any of my other MiG kills and at a much greater range. I don’t think the MiG pilot ever really saw us. All he saw were those missiles coming at him and that’s what helped us finally get him.'
Ritchie also took the opportunity to praise the ground crews who kept the F-4s combat-ready: 'There’s no way I could have done it without them,' he said. 'In fact, I got my first and fifth MiG in the same plane. Crew Chief Sergeant Reggie Taylor was the first one up the ladder when the plane landed, and you just couldn’t believe how happy he was. I think he was more excited than I was.'
DeBellevue, who achieved his fourth victory with this kill, emphasized the importance of teamwork: 'The most important thing is for the crew to work well together,' he said. 'They have to know each other. I know what Steve is thinking on a mission and can almost accomplish whatever he wants before he asks. I was telling him everything he had to know when he wanted it, and did not waste time giving him useless data.'"
In case you missed it
How the Raptor can help develop tech for the Raptor:
Photo Outlet
I always enjoy heritage flights, here is one between a P-51 Mustang and an F-16 Fighting Falcon, aka Viper:
Post Flight Debrief
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-Tog