An F-15EX Eagle II takes off from Portland Air National Guard Base in Oregon on July 12, 2024. (John Hughel/Air National Guard)

KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — The 18th Wing is prepared to use its incoming fleet of multirole fighters to counter China as it continues to “essentially bully the neighbors,” Brig. Gen. Nicholas Evans said in a recent interview.

The wing commander sat down with Stars and Stripes at his headquarters Thursday and discussed the Air Force’s relationship with the Japanese military and civilian community, the upcoming arrival of F-15EX Eagle II aircraft at Kadena and the threat posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Beijing has “every right to build a big military,” but it uses “economic and military coercion, in a sense, to try to get people to do China’s way,” Evans said.

Since beginning to phase out its 48 F-15C and D aircraft in December 2022, the wing has relied on a rotating force of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, including F-22s Raptors, F-35 Lightning IIs and advanced F-16 Fighting Falcons, to offset aggressive moves by China and Russia.

“The information and just the ability for those airplanes to be here, especially on the fifth-gen side, I think is important to counter some of what you see coming out of the [Chinese military],” Evans said.

In its 2022 National Defense Strategy, the Pentagon identified Beijing as the global “pacing challenge” and an aggressive presence in the East and South China seas.

Brig. Gen. Nicholas Evans, commander of the 18th Wing, poses in his office at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Dec. 12, 2024. (Brian McElhiney/Stars and Stripes)

“We’re going to fly aircraft and challenge many of these egregious air defense identification zones that China has tried to implement, whether it’s in the East China Sea or the South China Sea,” Evans said. “Every day, whether it’s our [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] aircraft, the RC-135, some of our tankers, our MQ-9s — they go out there and fly in airspace where they’re allowed by international law.”

Evans said he expects Kadena to receive the first of its 36 F-15EXs “somewhere between the next 12 to 16 months.” To prepare, the 18th Wing has been sending pilots and maintainers to Portland, Ore., to train on the aircraft.

“The goal there is to make sure that our personnel, both [operations] and maintenance, are ready to go as soon as the airplanes arrive,” he said.

The F-15EX, while not stealthy, boasts next-generation avionics and networking capability, is faster and carries more payload with longer range than other fighters, according to its maker, Boeing.

Evans said he is looking forward to working with the jets in cooperation with Japan’s F-15Js.

It’s no coincidence that the Air Force is sending F-35A aircraft to Misawa Air Base, where the Japan Air Self-Defense Force has its own Lightning IIs, he said. The same approach applies to Okinawa.

“We’re building on the C model legacy here with F-15EXs, and there’s Naha F-15s just down the road,” he said. “And so, there’s a lot of interaction and exchanges between our air crew and our maintainers.”

Evans also praised the relationship between Kadena and the Okinawan community, despite three sexual assault cases that roiled the island in recent months.

Senior Airman Brennon Washington was convicted Friday of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a minor in December 2023 and was sentenced to five years in prison. Two other pending cases this year — an attempted sexual assault charge against Marine Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton and a sexual assault charge against Lance Cpl. Michael Hofmaster — further exacerbated relations with the Okinawan government and community.

Evans said the cases were “one small aspect of the relationship.”

He called his relationships with Okinawa City Mayor Sachio Kuwae, who died in June, Chatan town Mayor Masashi Toguchi and Kadena town Mayor Hiroshi Toyama, “extremely positive.”

Toyama has worked with Evans to address noise complaints regarding aircraft, the general said.

“We’ve taken some of his feedback on how we can adjust the traffic pattern to mitigate noise and take a lot of other steps,” he said.