U.S. Air Force Gen. Ken Wilsbach, commander of Air Combat Command, and Chief Master Sgt. Dave Wolfe, ACC command chief, visited Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, with their spouses, Feb. 13, 2025.

Wilsbach and Wolfe met with members from the 373rd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group and the 55th Operations Group Detachment 1.

“The intelligence you collect and disseminate is crucial to ACC and Elmendorf units as well as the greater Indo-Pacific,” Wilsbach said. “It allows all of those other units who are going out and doing hub-and-spoke operations in an agile combat employment construct to be able to do what they need to do.”

As a former 11th Air Force and Pacific Air Forces commander and command chief, Wilsbach and Wolfe understand the importance of Elmendorf AFB’s location near the Arctic and in the Pacific, which makes it a vital hub for monitoring and responding to potential threats.

“The ISR mission in the Arctic is unlike any other ISR mission in the world, and the importance of it is growing when it comes to our competitors,” Wolfe said. “Elmendorf plays a critical role in maintaining air and space superiority in the Indo-Pacific region.”

Cindy Wilsbach, wife of Gen. Wilsbach, and Dr. Doniel Wolfe, wife of Chief Master Sgt. Wolfe, met with various members of the Elmendorf Air Force Base community to discuss concerns, initiatives, and challenges for service members and their families. The topics focused on childcare, tenant unit challenges, local school systems, military housing and dormitories, and initiatives to improve the quality of life for single airmen.

Speaking to more than 150 Airmen at an all call, Wilsbach and Wolfe said they were thrilled to be back in Alaska. Wilsbach likened the work at Elmendorf to the recent Super Bowl.

“Think back to the beginning of the season when all the teams in the NFL were getting ready for the upcoming season,” he said. “They were pushing weight, doing drills, and running wind sprints. They knew what was coming, and they all wanted to win the Super Bowl.

“Does that sound like what we need to be doing? Of course it does, and we’re going to do that in our organizations. We’re going to have some very tough practices because this season is going to be hard.”

In discussing one of ACC’s priorities, taking care of Airmen and families, Wilsbach said mission-ready Airmen and families require firm support.

“If you’re a commander or a supervisor, you have a sacred responsibility to take care of the people who work for you,” Wilsbach said. “It includes their duty time and their off-duty time, to include their families. That’s one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is setting up an environment where you can work and develop Airmen who are massively tough and resilient, ready to take the fight to the enemy.”

Air Combat Command is responsible for providing combat airpower to the joint force. The command team’s visit helped assess the readiness and operational effectiveness of JBER’s surveillance assets, highlighting the importance of strengthening ISR capabilities and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region.