EXCLUSIVE: Kevin Schneider to Become Commander of U.S. Forces in Japan

November 23, 2018

Washington--Air Force Maj. Gen. Kevin Schneider, chief of staff at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, has been informally nominated to become commander of U.S. Forces Japan, U.S. administration sources told Jiji Press on Thursday.

Schneider will replace Air Force Lt. Gen. Jerry Martinez as early as next year and will double as commander of 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, the sources said.

Schneider will play a key role in strengthening Japan-U.S. security cooperation, considered the foundation of stability in East Asia, at a time when the threats of China and North Korea are growing.

Schneider, born in Bremerton, Washington, was commissioned in 1988 from the U.S. Air Force Academy. The command pilot with more than 3,800 flight hours has been chief of staff at the Indo-Pacific Command since July 2016.

The Indo-Pacific Command was renamed from the Pacific Command in May in line with the U.S. administration's effort to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. Jiji Press