Is it normal practice for a 1st Lt. to be a flight leader? (USAF)

Question

Does this usually happen or is it usually Captains? If not, then what does a 1st Lt in the USAF do?

Secondly, what are the USAF squadrons (i.e. Eight Air Force et. al.) that get deployed should a crisis emerge, say, across the North Pacific Ocean? Which command is in charge of offshore military operations?

Answer 1

It's possible for a 1Lt to be lead, but very unlikely.  In a flying squadron, a 1Lt flies-that's his/her job.  Your second question gets into wartime tasking-and  you're probably not going to get an answer on that.  I will say that Pacific Command (PACOM) handles the Pac, and Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is the overall AF headquarters structure for that Area of Operations.

Answer 2

Lieutenant, Captain, Major.....it all depends on what kind of unit.  I've seen Lieutenant Colonels and 2nd Lieutenants as flight commanders.