Brig. Gen. John Gallemore gives his first speech as commander of the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, July 14, 2025. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
Airmen from Kadena Air Base on Okinawa are deployed “in harm’s way” as part of U.S. military operations against Iran, the 18th Wing commander said during a recent livestreamed interview with American Forces Network.
U.S. military action against what Brig. Gen. John Gallemore described as “the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world” has an impact across all services because of its size and scale, he said Friday in response to a listener question during the radio program.
Asked how the “situation in Iran” is affecting Kadena, Gallemore said wing personnel are deployed in support of Central Command, which is carrying out operations against Iran.
Gallemore said he could not say where, specifically, those airmen are serving.
“But the bottom line is we do absolutely have families on Kadena Air Base or who are assigned to Kadena Air Base that have loved ones in harm’s way,” he said.
“And, so, what I can tell you is, rest assured that they are as ready as they possibly could be going out the door to do whatever that mission is,” Gallemore said during the half-hour session livestreamed on Facebook.
Gallemore and wing Command Chief Master Sgt. William Cupp spoke the same day an F-15E Strike Eagle was downed over Iran. One crewman was rescued shortly afterward, the other the next day in an operation that reportedly involved hundreds of special operations troops and two airlifters destroyed after they were disabled.
No casualties were reported from the second rescue operation, although President Donald Trump wrote on social media that the rescued officer was injured.
Every airman serving at Kadena is briefed on arrival about the security threats the Air Force faces in the Indo-Pacific region, Cupp told AFN’s listeners.
“And, you know, sure, we have the ones that are close, right, that are in our own backyard, but the whole time we’ve been here, essentially, we’ve been supporting CENTCOM missions as well,” he said.
Central Command on Wednesday listed 26 varieties of aircraft, from B-1 Lancer bombers to LUCAS one-way attack drones, in use in Operation Epic Fury.
“U.S. strikes into Iran continue as U.S. Central Command forces dismantle the Iranian regime’s ability to project power beyond its borders,” the command said without elaboration in a statement Sunday.
The Air Force has reported 36 individuals wounded in action and six deaths as of Friday, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System. A total 365 U.S. service members have been injured and 13 have died.
In mid-March, 2,500 members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit based on Okinawa departed with the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, based in Sasebo, Japan, for the Middle East to support Operation Epic Fury. The Tripoli arrived about two weeks later, according to Central Command.
Another 2,500 Marines, the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer and its escorts left San Diego on March 20, also bound for the Middle East, according to news reports.
AloJapan.com