THE Resolute Force Pacific 2025 Community Day drew hundreds of Saipan residents on Monday, showcasing several U.S. Air Force aircraft participating in large-scale military rehearsals in the Indo-Pacific.
2nd Lt. Grace Brandt, public affairs officer of the 11th Air Task Force, said the Community Day event, held at the southern part of the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport, was an opportunity to showcase the aircraft involved in the largest contingency response exercise ever conducted by the U.S. Air Force in the Indo-Pacific region.
Brandt said the Commonwealth Ports Authority and the Commonwealth Bureau of Military Affairs have been very helpful in preparing for the community event — an example of the kind of partnership that, she said, “is important to us.”
The aircraft that members of the CNMI community — mostly children — were able to board and learn about included a C-130 aircraft used for transporting personnel and military equipment; an HH-60 helicopter used for search and rescue operations; three F-35 fighter jets; and one F-22 fighter jet.
During the Saipan Chamber of Commerce’s economic forum in April, Lt. Gen. Laura L. Lenderman, deputy commander of Pacific Air Forces, told members of the local business community that REFORPAC would involve nearly 300 aircraft spread across 25 different locations in the region.
The Pacific air exercise aims to demonstrate PACAF’s ability to “generate, sustain, and adapt airpower in a contested environment while working alongside regional allies.”
Members of the community are given the chance to board the C-130 on the tarmac of Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport during Resolute Force Pacific 2025’s Community Day on Monday.
Photos by Emmanuel T. Erediano
Saipan residents line up for a chance to board the HH-60 search and rescue helicopter during Resolute Force Pacific 2025’s Community Day.
Residents get a closer look at F-35 and F-22 fighter jets.
