, is a United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 base in the towns of Kadena

Kadena, Okinawa

is a town located in Nakagami District, Okinawa, Japan.As of 2005, the town has an estimated population of 13,624 and a density of 915.9 persons per km². The total area is 15.04 km². Approximately 85% of the town is controlled by the US Government including Kadena Air Base, the second-largest...

 and Chatan

Chatan, Okinawa

is a town located in Nakagami District, Okinawa, Japan.In 2003, the town has an estimated population of 26,377 and the density of 1,936.64 per km². The total area is 13.62 km²...

 and the city of Okinawa

Okinawa, Okinawa

is the second-largest city in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, following Naha, the capital city. It is located in the central part of the island of Okinawa, about 20 km north of Naha....

, in Okinawa Prefecture

Okinawa Prefecture

is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing

18th Wing

The United States Air Force's 18th Wing is the host wing for Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan and is the Air Force’s largest combat wing. It is the largest and principal organization in the Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force....

 and a variety of associate units.
The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena AB. In addition, the base hosts associate units from five other Air Force major commands, the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

, and other Department of Defense

United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

 agencies and direct reporting units. Associate units operate more than 20 permanently assigned, forward-based or deployed aircraft from the base on a daily basis.

• 18th Wing
  Kadena Air Base is the home to the Air Force's largest combat wing—the 18th Wing—and a variety of associate units.