Airfield Management keeps Kadena’s runway mission-ready around the clock

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Nayeli Lopez, 18th Operational Support Squadron airfield management journeyman, reviews airspace at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Dec. 11, 2025. Airfield management Airmen conduct daily inspections and coordination to keep the airfield operational 24/7. (Photo by Senior Airman James Johnson/U.S. Air Force)

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan. — At the busiest combat airfield in the U.S. Air Force, the rhythm of takeoffs and landings rarely slows. Fighter jets, tankers, and cargo aircraft cycle through Kadena’s airspace in relentless succession — a living signal of U.S. resolve and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.