SKIES OF ALLIANCE: HOW JOINT AIR EXERCISES RESHAPED GLOBAL AEROSPACE SECURITY IN 2025

From July 10 to August 8, 2025, the U.S. Pacific Air Forces ran Resolute Force Pacific (REFORPAC), the largest air contingency exercise ever held in the Pacific. More than 300 aircraft and thousands of personnel from the United States, Japan, Australia, South Korea, and other partners took part. The operation focused on complex, high-pressure scenarios designed to test how multinational air units respond to contested airspace, electronic disruption, and rapidly shifting threats.

Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, PACAF commander, said the exercise was about strengthening decision-making and command integration across nations. Crews synchronized data from satellites, drones, and ground systems while practicing long-range strikes, air defense, and refueling under simulated cyber and electronic interference. REFORPAC made clear that modern air power depends on the ability of allies to operate as one networked force.

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REFORPAC reflects a broader surge in multinational drills throughout 2025. In Washington State, Enduring Partners 2025 brought together the U.S. National Guard and Thailand’s Royal Air Force for expanded multi-domain training that included cyber defense, space operations, air-to-air refueling, and coordinated responses to natural disasters. Nearly 150 U.S. personnel joined Thai forces in exercises aimed at improving regional crisis management.

In Europe, NATO’s Joint Air Power Competence Centre marked its 20th anniversary by advancing common standards for air-to-air refueling. These updates are intended to ensure that any Allied aircraft can take fuel from any Allied tanker an efficiency improvement with major implications for long-range missions and sustained deterrence.

Not all cooperative activity in 2025 has been stabilizing. China and Russia continued to deepen their military cooperation, building on joint bomber patrols near Alaska in mid-2024. By September 2025, China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force had conducted nine joint exercises more than any other branch of its military. These included anti-submarine and air-defense drills in the Sea of Japan and along key maritime routes. Analysts note that such coordination strengthens both countries’ ability to challenge U.S. operations in the Pacific, complicating American and allied planning for sea-lane protection and rapid deployment.

The strategic effects of these exercises extend beyond aircraft performance. Interoperability remains the most widely cited benefit. Shared procedures shorten response times during crises and reduce the likelihood of miscommunication among partner forces. During REFORPAC, mixed teams practiced coordinating air campaigns across different command systems, an essential skill if a real-world contingency requires simultaneous responses from multiple nations.

Technical collaboration is advancing as well. Following their April 2024 leaders’ statement, the United States and Japan together with Australia are working on networked air-defense systems that combine sensors, artificial intelligence, and early-warning capabilities. Joint exercises provide the environment needed to test these technologies and ensure that they can function across diverse fleets.

For many governments, the principal outcome is deterrence: the visible demonstration that alliances can mobilize quickly and operate in integrated formations. The United Kingdom’s 2025 Air and Space Power review confirmed an expanded RAF presence in the Indo-Pacific, with six aircraft rotating into regional exercises to reinforce cooperation with NATO and regional partners. Such deployments signal commitment without direct confrontation.

Still, joint exercises carry risks. Highly publicized drills may reveal operational patterns that adversaries can study. Smaller partners must balance the advantages of training with larger militaries against the possibility of being drawn into major-power rivalries. Financial pressures are also significant. Large-scale events like REFORPAC require extensive funding for fuel, logistics, maintenance, and personnel at a time when defense budgets compete with domestic programs, infrastructure needs, and climate-resilience projects.

Environmental concerns are growing as well. Large formations of military aircraft produce emissions and contrails that contribute to warming. Several participating nations have begun exploring more efficient flight profiles, synthetic fuels, and alternative training methods such as simulation and virtual integration to reduce environmental impact without sacrificing readiness.

Despite these challenges, 2025 has shown that multinational air exercises play a central role in global security. They allow nations to test how their forces and technologies function together, clarify shared responsibilities, and strengthen political trust. In an increasingly competitive international environment, the ability to coordinate quickly and reliably may be as important as any single platform or weapon system.

As one Thai pilot observed after Enduring Partners 2025, cooperation in the air builds confidence on the ground. For many governments, that confidence and the stability it supports remains the strongest argument for expanding joint exercises in the years ahead.