The commander of Pacific Air Forces said the administration’s shift to the Pacific is feeling the effects of military operations in the Middle East, yet remains a priority as a means of engagement with Asian militaries.
Specifically, Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson said forces in the Pacific have yet to use Predator or Reaper drones because of the high demand for them in Central Command.
“We haven’t deployed Predator or Reaper in theater because of the demand signal that’s coming from [U.S. Central Command], so we take advantage of what we have in the theater for [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance], that includes Global Hawk,” she said Wednesday morning at a Defense Writers Group breakfast.
The administration has been pushing the U.S. military’s “pivot” to the Pacific for years, but threats in other parts of the world keep drawing attention elsewhere. As terrorist attacks in Paris and operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria dominate headlines, Robinson was asked if she had the resources she needed to deal with a busy Pacific region, including the South China Sea.
Robinson said that, despite threats and the need for military resources in other parts of the world, engagement is continuing in the Pacific, including a recent trip in which eight air chiefs from other Pacific countries visited Washington and attended a Nationals baseball game.
“That kind of engagement is incredibly important for the rebalance,” she said.
Robinson also said she is traveling to India next month to visit with their air chief and see their air bases. India will participate in Red Flag Alaska training exercise for the first time in the spring.
