Lt. Gen. Joel Carey speaks to reporters inside the Officers' Club after taking command of 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base, Japan, March 24, 2026. (Marcus Castaneda/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — A veteran fighter pilot who led air wings in Texas, Afghanistan and Okinawa has taken charge of 5th Air Force amid efforts to turn U.S. Forces Japan into a warfighting command.
Lt. Gen. Joel “Joker” Carey took command Tuesday during a ceremony attended by U.S. and Japanese troops and government officials at USFJ’s home in western Tokyo.
The change separates leadership of 5th Air Force from USFJ. The commands have been led by a dual-hatted Air Force general since USFJ was established in 1957.
Lt. Gen. Stephen “Jester” Jost, who held both roles for the past 18 months, relinquished command of 5th Air Force but will continue to lead USFJ as it transitions from a liaison role to a warfighting headquarters.
Lt. Gen. Laura Lenderman, deputy commander of Pacific Air Forces, hands the 5th Air Force guidon to Lt. Gen. Joel Carey at Yokota Air Base, Japan, March 24, 2026. (Marcus Castaneda/Stars and Stripes)
“Fifth Air Force and USFJ have grown in importance and responsibility,” Pacific Air Forces deputy commander Lt. Gen. Laura Lenderman said at the ceremony. “It’s now time to allow each command to move forward in critically important ways under separate commanders.”
Lenderman presided over the ceremony in place of PACAF commander Gen. Kevin Schneider, who was occupied with an “emerging mission,” Carey told the audience. PACAF, headquartered in Hawaii, did not immediately respond to an email requesting details that afternoon.
The change allows Jost to focus his full energy on the operation and evolution of USFJ and the alliance with Japan, Lenderman said.
Meanwhile, “Carey will concentrate his energy and talents on leading the men and women of 5th Air Force,” she added.
Carey was commissioned in 1992 and flew F-15 Eagle fighters at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, from 1998-2001. On a second tour at the base, from 2009 to 2012, he commanded the 44th Fighter Squadron, and then Kadena’s 18th Wing from 2019 to 2021.
Lt. Gen. Joel Carey gives his first salute as the first dedicated 5th Air Force commander at Yokota Air Base, Japan, March 24, 2026. (Marcus Castaneda/Stars and Stripes)
“His command tour at Kadena was his third wing command in a row having previously served as the 12th Wing commander at Randolph [Air Force Base, Texas] and the 438th Wing commander in Kabul, Afghanistan,” Lenderman told the audience.
Carey most recently served as chief of staff at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii.
The 5th Air Force — known as the Fighting Fifth — played a major role in World War II and the Korean War, recording thousands of aerial victories, Lenderman said.
The 5th Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force will deter “those who seek to undermine the peace and stability that we have known for decades,” she said.
Carey told those gathered that U.S. forces must be prepared for conflict in the region.
“Our potential adversaries continue to manipulate and exploit for their advantage especially toward weaker nations and actively work to weaken partnerships and security critical to enduring stability and prosperity in the region,” he said.
