In an unique interview at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Col. Luke Spathes and Lt. Col. Reinier Villanueva focus on fast mobility, integration with F-22s, and the challenges of working within the huge Indo-Pacific.
It’s July 30, 2025, and the distant Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia has simply been rattled by a large magnitude 8.8 megathrust earthquake, the strongest quake within the area since 1952 and among the many strongest ever recorded globally. The quake triggered tsunami warnings throughout huge expanses of the Pacific: from Japan (the place almost two million individuals had been evacuated), to Hawaii, the U.S. West Coast, Chile, Ecuador’s Galápagos, and French Polynesia.
In these tense hours, the fifteenth Wing Operations Commander instantly tasked the 535th Airlift Squadron to be prepared to reply.
As quickly because the stories of the earthquake and tsunami warnings reached us, my first transfer was to make sure our mobility forces had been prepared. I requested the 535th to organize for any help mission: humanitarian aid, evacuation, or fast deployment. “Readiness on this theater means performing instantly, earlier than the disaster grows,” Col. Luke Spathes, Commander, fifteenth Operations Group.
“The second we bought the decision, we pulled our crews collectively and checked all the things: plane, engines, load plans, crews. The steering to my workforce was easy: be able to launch wherever, anytime. Whether or not it was Hawaii, Japan, or the U.S. West Coast, we had been mission-ready” Lt. Col. Reinier Villanueva, Commander, 535th Airlift Squadron.
The phrases above are only a chunk of an extended interview this Writer had the prospect to conduct in late August at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (JBPHH). On that event, this Writer spoke with Col. Luke Spathes, Commander of the fifteenth Operations Group, and Lt. Col. Reinier Villanueva, Commander of the 535th Airlift Squadron, in regards to the position of the fifteenth Wing and its C-17 Globemaster III fleet.
Come alongside for a walkaround of a C-17 from the 535th AS / fifteenth Wing and get a fast look inside its large cargo bay. Keep tuned for extra from our go to to Hickam. pic.twitter.com/yiF0X6h709
— The Aviationist (@TheAviationist) September 9, 2025
The dialog explored a number of key themes: the distinctive geography of the Pacific theater; the capabilities and flexibility of the C-17 Globemaster III; the combination between airlift, fighter, and tanker models on Oahu; the connection with the Hawaiian Air Nationwide Guard; and the significance of interoperability with allies and companions.
Right here’s what they informed The Aviationist in an unique interview.
Interview
The Aviationist: Might you begin by introducing yourselves, with a bit about your background and expertise?
Col. Spathes: I’m Colonel Luke Spathes. I’ve been in service for 23 years, and probably the most distinctive side of my background might be the number of plane I’ve flown—10 completely different weapon techniques in complete. These vary from the F-16, KC-10, C-21, C-12, MC-12, C-17, KC-135, KC-46, and my coaching plane, the T-37 and T-1. My present position is Commander of the fifteenth Operations Group, which suggests I oversee the C-17s, C-37s, F-22s, and the fifteenth Operations Help Squadron.
Lt. Col. Villanueva: I’m Lieutenant Colonel Reinier Villanueva, U.S. Air Pressure. I’ve been serving for 17 years, with over 3,000 complete flying hours, principally within the C-17 Globemaster III. I started my profession flying C-17s out of McChord Air Pressure Base in Washington State, then right here in Hawaii, and again to McChord. I additionally had the privilege of doing the Mansfield Fellowship with the Authorities of Japan in Tokyo for 2 years. After that, I labored at Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), returned to the Wing, and in Might of this yr I took command of the 535th Airlift Squadron, the place I lead 100 Airmen in missions throughout the theater.
Q: Out of your perspective as Group Commander, what position does the 535th Airlift Squadron play inside the broader fifteenth Wing and PACAF mission?
Col. Spathes: The C-17 is among the crown jewels of our operations. It represents fast international mobility—it could possibly go just about wherever, throughout huge distances, and ship results on the ahead edge with out essentially having to land. In a theater the place 50 p.c of the realm of accountability is water, that type of functionality is essential. The 535th supplies that maneuver aspect for the complete Indo-Pacific.
Q: And particularly for the Pacific theater, with its distinctive distances and dispersed geography, how do the C-17s of the 535th contribute to U.S. presence and fast response?
Col. Spathes: The squadron brings the total vary of air mobility choices: airland missions, humanitarian airlift, emergency evacuation, and airdrop functionality. That complete portfolio is contained inside a single unit.
Lt. Col. Villanueva: What makes Hawaii distinctive is our location. We take the accountability of being within the Pacific very severely. Our crews prepare to function wherever, anytime—whether or not it’s touchdown at ready or semi-prepared fields, or performing airdrops with joint companions. The mindset is all the time: ship results wherever, anytime, in any means.
Q: The fifteenth Operations Group combines very completely different models—strategic and tactical airlift, fighters, VIP transport. Is a part of your position to make sure integration throughout these missions?
Col. Spathes: Sure, integration is vital. What we offer is determination area for commanders at each echelon, whether or not squadron, group, wing, or increased. Generally which means having models act independently, and generally it means combining their strengths to attain a unified impact. The flexibility of our mission set is what makes the group so worthwhile.
Q: Do you typically combine the F-22s with C-17s, creating composite packages?
Lt. Col. Villanueva: Completely. Being in Hawaii, with the Military, Navy, Marine Corps, Area Pressure and Air Pressure all current, we combine as a lot as potential. That permits us to study from one another’s ways and procedures and ensures we’re able to work collectively in future conflicts.
Col. Spathes: From the surface it could appear uncommon to pair F-22s with C-17s, however in actuality it’s pure. Gone are the times when airlift meant merely flying from level A to level B uncontested. In a future combat, if our traces of communication are contested, we have to pair with fighters that may shield us and guarantee mission success.
Q: Do you additionally prepare defensively—utilizing the F-22s as aggressors to check your means to evade interception?
Lt. Col. Villanueva: It is dependent upon the mission goals. In some instances, escorts are important to get us into contested airspace and obtain the mission. In different instances, we work alongside command-and-control property and different plane to coordinate massive formations of C-17s delivering mass results on drop zones. We’re additionally distinctive in Hawaii in having a detailed relationship with the 154th Wing of the Hawaii Air Nationwide Guard, which operates the F-22s and KC-135s. We share plane, fly collectively as blended crews, and prepare facet by facet.
Col. Spathes: Precisely. The fifteenth and 154th are totally built-in. What we do, we do collectively. It’s a drive multiplier and a part of our complete drive identification.
Q: In addition to fight and deterrence, the C-17 has vital humanitarian and evacuation roles. Do you additionally help particular operations?
Col. Spathes: The quick reply is sure. Our crews prepare for the total spectrum: standard, humanitarian, aeromedical evacuation, and particular operations help. The client doesn’t matter; the mission does. We’ve airlifted newborns in medical emergencies from distant corners of the world, simply as we’ve delivered fight forces and tools into austere environments. The C-17’s versatility is unmatched.
Lt. Col. Villanueva: I belief any of our crews to deal with no matter mission comes down—whether or not it’s a fancy tactical airfield operation at evening or a short-notice medical evacuation. For them, it’s simply one other Tuesday.
Q: Whereas the Indo-Pacific is your major space, do you additionally help missions globally?
Col. Spathes: Completely. Our yard is the Indo-Pacific, however we additionally share tasking with Air Mobility Command. That may imply flying wherever—from Alaska to Antarctica, from the Philippines to Europe. The C-17 is a world platform, and our squadron helps worldwide missions.
Lt. Col. Villanueva: Precisely. Individuals typically assume we solely function within the Pacific, however our crews are simply as more likely to be tasked eastward throughout the globe. Regardless of the requirement, we go.
Q: How do you see the position of the 535th Airlift Squadron evolving within the subsequent decade, given the present period of nice energy competitors?
Col. Spathes: The longer term is unpredictable, so we put together for all the things. The core of what the C-17 supplies is determination benefit for commanders. Which means coaching arduous now, for any surroundings, in order that when the second comes, we’re prepared. It’s not only a promise to the American individuals, but additionally to our allies and companions—we might be there.
Lt. Col. Villanueva: What gained’t change is our customary of excellence. Know-how evolves shortly, however what stays fixed is the professionalism and adaptableness of our crews. Whether or not in peacetime, disaster, or humanitarian aid, the 535th will all the time be related.
Q: Are you able to describe how the squadron is structured, and its relationship with the operations group?
Lt. Col. Villanueva: The 535th is about 100 Airmen, always rotating with new lieutenants and skilled captains. My job as commander is to make sure they and their households are cared for to allow them to deal with the mission. On the group stage, we combine with different commanders and models with completely different missions, however all with the identical bigger goal: supporting our Airmen and delivering results worldwide.
Col. Spathes: What makes the fifteenth distinctive is that we’re a composite wing, however we preserve interoperability. Any C-17 crew from wherever—lively, reserve, or guard—can be a part of us, get in our plane, and instantly execute missions collectively. We additionally focus closely on interoperability with allies and companions, as seen throughout workout routines like Talisman Sabre, the place integration prolonged past aircrews to upkeep, fuels, and logistics.
Q: Do you may have trade pilots or worldwide integration inside the squadron?
Lt. Col. Villanueva: Our squadron doesn’t have everlasting trade pilots, however the U.S. Air Pressure does. For instance, I educated with Canadian and German personnel, and at this time we’ve got U.S. pilots flying with the Royal Australian Air Pressure. Workouts like World Dexterity enable us to combine with allies such because the U.Ok., Canada, and Australia, generally even flying four-nation C-17 missions collectively.
Col. Spathes: And the secret’s interoperability, not redundancy. We don’t want one-for-one swaps of crews; we’d like cross-pollination, which is what these exchanges and workout routines present.
Q: The 535th was the primary squadron exterior the continental U.S. to function the C-17. Has the plane itself advanced a lot since then?
Col. Spathes: The platform has constantly improved by way of avionics and mission techniques, however the elementary strengths of the C-17 stay the identical: unmatched vary, payload, and flexibility. In recent times we’ve additionally expanded into the airdrop mission set, which provides an vital strategic functionality for commanders.
Lt. Col. Villanueva: I first arrived on the C-17 in 2011, and whereas the plane appears the identical, what has modified is how we make use of it. Our ways and planning have advanced dramatically. The professionalism and ingenuity of our aircrews have saved the plane related and deadly.
Q: By way of missions you frequently fly from right here, are you able to describe a median day? I do know there are deployments and help to completely different theaters, however do you do each day low-level coaching? Is a median sortie round 5 to 6 hours?
Lt. Col. Villanueva: That could be a nice query. Missions might be something the necessities demand, however to maintain that skilled edge we fly coaching nearly daily, day and evening, to maintain pilots present, proficient, and constantly enhancing. We prepare alongside our Complete Pressure companions within the 204th Airlift Squadron of the Hawaii Air Nationwide Guard, flying single-ship and formation. The portfolio contains airland to the opposite islands, low-level flying, air-to-air refueling, and quick or simulated semi-prepared floor operations, together with evening landings on NVGs. That’s the coaching envelope we work by right here.
Col. Spathes: If you don’t thoughts, I’ll reply your query from a barely completely different angle. Throughout that coaching profile there are stuff you can not actually replicate till you might be doing them for actual. Probably the most noble missions are sometimes humanitarian and catastrophe aid. I’ve to think about that when individuals are at their lowest and hoping for assist, listening to and seeing a C-17 arrive with responders, water, diapers, or child components can imply all the things. We can not rehearse the urgency and human dimension of that, however when the decision comes, our crews line as much as be on that flight. It’s not about recognition. It’s a couple of lineage that goes again to the Berlin Airlift. That DNA stays in our airlift squadrons. When individuals are in want, we present up and produce hope. That’s how I’d reply what an “common” day prepares us to do.
Q: You share airspace and an airport with the civilian facet. How is that relationship? Is it easy, and are there synergies? Many massive U.S. air bases are purely army, whereas right here the army facet is an element of a giant worldwide airport.
Col. Luke Spathes: With the complexity of what we do daily, some friction is pure, however it’s not adversarial. From the group commander perspective, the friction tends to return from individuals who all care in regards to the mission and wish to get after it. Approaches could differ, however the relationship is wholesome and there may be willingness to return collectively. Once we say companions and allies, that doesn’t exclude civilian companions off base or the Hawaiian points of the mission. It contains the airport, the FAA, and international companions who fly with us. The main focus shifts each day, however there are numerous dedicated individuals who wish to remedy issues collectively.
Lt. Col. Villanueva: In a earlier position as Chief of Security, I frequently attended FAA conferences, visited the tower, and mentioned enhancements. Generally direct communication fades, so we create alternatives to search out and take away friction factors. Good relationships are key. Having one another’s numbers means we will name and work points out. All of us need protected flight operations, and that shared goal, plus relationships, results in nice outcomes.
Col. Spathes: Like a household. Sibling rivalry can occur, but when somebody messes together with your little brother, the squabbling stops and the household stands collectively. We put these numbers in our telephones not simply to ask for assist, however to be there after they want us. That could be a actual relationship. When the rubber meets the street and a name goes out from one cellphone to a different, they’re there as a result of we constructed that belief.
Lt. Col. Villanueva: And it really works each methods. Once we see one thing occur — for instance a civilian crash final yr — we choose up the telephone and ask what they want.
Col. Spathes: The current tsunami is one other instance. In personal conversations throughout that occasion, we didn’t know the way it could develop. We had been eager about individuals close to the epicenter, however there was additionally ambiguity about potential results right here. I texted Reinier to get crews prepared. There could possibly be a process coming. Get jets prepared, get crews prepared, and as quickly as we all know whether or not it’s water, diapers, or garments, we will reply within the Hawaiian Islands or farther away. You can’t simply look forward to the decision. We’d like preparation to construct the appropriate crew pairings and guarantee we’ve got sufficient prepared crews to reply to an ambiguous surroundings.
Q: Do you may have plans to evacuate plane in case of a tsunami? Are there contingency plans that require plane to get airborne inside particular timelines?
Col. Spathes: There are all the time plans to handle uncertainty. Within the C-17 we’re prepared to reply to no matter occurs, and circumstances will change case by case. Don’t forget the C-17 has glorious loiter time. If wanted, we will take off and easily maintain till the risk passes. With our Complete Pressure Integration wing — the fifteenth and 154th collectively — we’ve got C-17s, tankers, and fighters. If we have to filter out shortly, we take off, loiter, maintain overhead, then land when it’s protected. It will not be a flashy reply, nevertheless it reveals the flexibility you had been asking about.
Q: Final query. Is there something I didn’t ask that you just wish to add in regards to the squadron or the group?
Lt. Col. Villanueva: I’d emphasize the accountability we give to younger aircrews. Some are of their early twenties, a few years out of pilot coaching and 4 years out of faculty. We belief them to take a C-17 around the globe and attain any mission. We prepare them to a stage the place they might not be capable to name residence or attain increased headquarters, but we belief them to care for the plane, their crews, and the mission wherever on the planet. As I grow old, I’m much more impressed by that. No different Air Pressure can match what our crews do.
Col. Luke Spathes: I’d add this to your readers. When one thing occurs, it’s not one software for one drawback. It’s not one C-17 and one particular person. There may be an interconnected, interwoven relationship throughout this theater and throughout echelons of command. Are we able to performing alone if wanted? Completely. However that’s not how we prepare or combat. In garrison we depend on the workforce, the identical maturity, to unravel complicated issues with complete options. This goes past the fifteenth Wing. Whether or not within the Pacific or Europe, there’s a bigger workforce behind each motion. We’d like our teammates they usually want us. Our mindset is to unravel the issue collectively.
Contained in the Life and Coaching of a C-17 Crew
Working throughout the huge distances of the Pacific requires not solely plane that may endure marathon missions but additionally crews that may maintain themselves by demanding schedules. As C-17 pilot Capt. Hailee Macias defined, “a giant focus for us is figuring out and consuming in a means that’s going to maintain having the ability to do that again to again to again. The longest mission I’ve flown lasted 28 days. We didn’t fly each single day, however throughout that interval we had been flying 24-hour missions each different day.”
Lengthy-duration flights within the Indo-Pacific typically exceed the usual crew responsibility day, which suggests missions are often flown with augmented crews. “Every time responsibility goes over 16 hours, which is nearly all the things out right here as a result of the Pacific is so huge,” the pilot mentioned. “We all the time have three pilots and two loadmasters at least, and often one flying crew chief, a maintainer who travels with us to repair issues. For a primary mission underneath 16 hours you’d solely want two pilots and one loadmaster, however that nearly by no means occurs right here.”
Relaxation is important, and the C-17 is supplied with bunks that enable crews to rotate by intervals of sleep. “As an unstated rule, pilots take the underside bunk and loadmasters sleep on the highest. It’s only a handshake settlement we’ve all made,” Macias defined. Improvisation can be frequent on packed missions. “Some individuals carry hammocks and tie them within the cargo bay. Getting back from Talisman Sabre, we had so many individuals on board, with Military troops downstairs, that one man simply laid on the ground. However we attempt to use the bunks at any time when we will.”
Whereas helmets aren’t usually worn throughout routine flights, there are eventualities the place they’re required. “Usually we don’t put on helmets, however for high-altitude airdrop missions above 10,000 ft you want supplemental oxygen throughout the drop. In these instances we put on helmets and oxygen masks. We additionally put on NVGs at evening. For emergencies we’ve got quick-don oxygen masks that match over the headset.”
A typical mission from Hawaii lasts round six hours, typically with departures within the night and returns close to midnight. “Six hours is a fairly customary sortie,” the C-17 pilot mentioned. “Generally we fly shorter profiles, and generally longer if it’s a particular coaching mission.” In contrast to many U.S. bases, Hawaii lacks army coaching routes over land. “All of our low-level coaching is over water. We simulate terrain or obstacles, and at evening we could fly close to volcanoes on the Massive Island. We additionally apply patterns at Kaneohe, John Rodgers, Kona, and Hilo,” the pilot famous. For practical low-level mountain coaching, crews journey to Alaska on off-station coach missions.
The C-17 is licensed to fly at very low altitudes when required. “We use 300 ft above floor stage because the lowest for many certified crews,” the pilot defined. “At a 60-degree financial institution, our wingspan leaves simply over 200 ft of clearance, so that’s what has been decided protected for coaching.”
To fly the marathon missions throughout the Pacific or deal with demanding low-level sorties, pilots should first full a rigorous path of coaching. Turning into a C-17 pilot is an extended journey. Commissioning might be achieved by Officer Coaching Faculty, ROTC at civilian schools, or the Air Pressure Academy. “I went by the Air Pressure Academy after which to Preliminary Flight Coaching in Pueblo, Colorado, flying the DA-20,” mentioned Capt. Macias. “From there I went to Laughlin Air Pressure Base in Texas, flew the T-6 and T-1, earned my wings, after which went to Altus for C-17 coaching.” The method continues to evolve, with newer pilots generally bypass the T-1 and transfer instantly from the T-6 to the C-17. Coaching timelines range, however at this time it takes roughly eight to 9 months to go from the T-6 to the C-17, adopted by 4 to 6 months of C-17 qualification at Altus earlier than becoming a member of an operational squadron.
These insights spotlight not solely the complexity of Pacific operations but additionally the demanding routine of the crews who hold the C-17 mission prepared worldwide.
Acknowledgements
The writer needs to thank Col. Luke Spathes, Commander, fifteenth Operations Group; Lt. Col. Reinier Villanueva, Commander, 535th Airlift Squadron; and Capt. Hailee Macias, C-17 pilot, 535th AS, for his or her time and for answering all questions. Particular thanks additionally go to 1st Lt. Casey E. Sturdivan, Chief of fifteenth Wing Public Affairs, and to the complete fifteenth Wing for his or her help earlier than, throughout, and after the go to to JBPHH.
An enormous thanks to our contributor, Oahu-based @aeros808, for the good images of the C-17s working out of Hickam.
