OSAN AB, Republic of Korea -- Seventh Air Force and the Republic of Korea Air Force held their annual Air Boss Conference here Sept. 13.

More than 30 leaders from every branch of the U.S. military as well as more than 50 ROK military air leaders descended on Osan AB to receive briefings hosted by Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas, Combined Forces Air Component Commander, on the threat posed by north Korea and how the Combined Forces Command Airpower Team would conduct an air campaign in defense of the Republic of Korea.

"This is a chance for Lt. Gen. Jouas to see the leaders who would work directly with him during hostilities, look them in the eye and provide guidance on his vision of how we would operate during a contingency," explained Maj. Shawn Holsinger, 607th Air Operations Center Combat Operations Division chief of training and exercises.

In his opening remarks, Jouas left no doubt as to why the air power leaders were here. "The tensions in the political and military environment underscore the importance of today's discussions," Jouas told the assembled participants. "This year's conference is specifically designed to focus all Air Component members on what it takes to fight and win in the Korean theater of operations.

The one-day conference consisted of intelligence briefings and overviews of recently updated contingency plans in the event of North Korean aggression.

The most important part of the conference, Jouas said, is the feedback he gets from his Airpower team.

"Evaluate what you are being asked to do against what you can realistically accomplish under combat conditions," he told them. "If you see something wrong, or there is a better way to fight and win, let's make sure we identify it."

"Don't hold back," he said. "Consider this a flight debrief, and keep in mind that we will never know when we may have to execute this plan for real."