A wing activation ceremony will take place on Thursday at Hickam Air Force

Base.

The 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing will be created as part of an "en route" structure in the Pacific, the Air Force said.

The 515th will be the first wing Air Mobility Command has established overseas since the command's formation in 1992.

Supporting Air Mobility Command aircraft and crews transiting the Pacific, the wing becomes the headquarters for the existing 715th Air Mobility Operations Group at Hickam, and the new 515th Air Mobility Operations Group at Yokota Air Base in Japan.

"This new wing will provide an enhanced level of control for our en route structure in the Pacific, which includes critical locations for getting people, cargo, and patients to and from war zones," said Col. Richard A. McClain, who was named the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing commander.