3d Air Support Operations Squadron

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3d Air Support Operations Squadron
Pacific Air Forces.png
Firing down range.jpg
A squadron Joint Terminal Attack Controller fires an M4 carbine during Cascade Challenge
Active1964-1968; 1980-present
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
BranchFlag of the United States Air Force.svg  United States Air Force
RoleAir Support Operations
Part of Pacific Air Forces
Garrison/HQ Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
Engagements Iraq War [1]
Decorations Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm [1]
Insignia
3d Air Support Operations Squadron emblem (approved 28 October 1981) [1] 3d Air Support Operations Squadron.PNG

The 3d Air Support Operations Squadron is a combat support unit of the United States Air Force, located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

United States Air Force Air and space warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the fourth in order of precedence. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world. The Air Force articulates its core missions as air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.

Contents

Mission

The squadron trains, equips, and deploys airborne qualified Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) members, air liaison officers, Joint Terminal Attack Controllers, and air mobility liaison officers to support commanders of United States Army Alaska (USARAK) and its 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

Squadron (aviation) military aviation unit size

A squadron in air force, army aviation, or naval aviation is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force. Land based squadrons equipped with heavier type aircraft such as long-range bombers, cargo aircraft, or air refueling tankers have around 12 aircraft as a typical authorization, while most land-based fighter equipped units have an authorized number of 18 to 24 aircraft.

United States Air Force Tactical Air Control Party

A United States Air Force Tactical Air Control Party, commonly abbreviated TACP, refers to an individual or team of United States Air Force personnel with AFSC 1C4X1, who are aligned with a conventional United States Army or United States Marine Corps combat maneuver unit or to an Air Force, Army, Marine, or Navy special operations unit, to provide precision terminal attack guidance of U.S. and coalition fixed- and rotary-wing close air support aircraft, artillery, and naval gunfire; establish and maintain command and control (C2) communications; and advise ground commanders on the best use of air power.

United States Army Alaska command of the United States Army

United States Army Alaska is a military command of the United States Army located in the U.S. state of Alaska. A subordinate command of the United States Army Pacific, USARAK is the ground element of the Alaskan Command. USARAK is headquartered at Fort Richardson and commanded by a major general.

Detachment 1 of the squadron trains, equips, and deploys TACP members, air liaison officers, joint terminal attack controllers, and air mobility liaison officers to support the commanders of USARAK's, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. [2]

Stryker family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles

The IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems Canada for the United States Army. It has 4-wheel drive (8×4) and can be switched to all-wheel drive (8×8).

Fort Wainwright United States Army post adjacent to Fairbanks in the U.S. state of Alaska

Fort Wainwright is a United States Army post adjacent to Fairbanks in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. Since 1978 Fort Wainwright has been investigating and cleaning up soil and water contamination from a landfill and drum burial site, fuel terminal, coal storage yard/fire training pits, open detonation area and underground storage tanks. It was Superfund-listed in 1990.

History

Lineage

Organized on 8 October 1964
Inactivated on 15 September 1968
Activated on 1 June 1980
Redesignated 3d Air Support Operations Squadron on 6 January 1989 [1]

Assignments

Pacific Air Forces Major command of the United States Air Force responsible for the Indo-Pacific region

Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Hawaii, and is one of two USAF MAJCOMs assigned outside the Continental United States, the other being the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa. Over the past sixty-five plus years, PACAF has been engaged in combat during the Korean and Vietnam Wars and Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Northern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Alaskan Air Command 1945-1990 United States Air Force major command, predecessor of the Eleventh Air Force

Alaskan Air Command (AAC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command originally established in 1942 under the United States Army Air Forces. Its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise direct control of all active measures, and coordinate all passive means of air defense. In addition, the command also supported Strategic Air Command elements operating through and around Alaska. It was redesignated Eleventh Air Force on 9 August 1990 and, concurrently, status changed from a major command of the United States Air Force to a subordinate organization of Pacific Air Forces.

354th Operations Group

The 354th Operations Group is a component of the 354th Fighter Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces. The group is stationed at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.

Stations

Kadena Air Base U.S. Air Force base in Japan

Kadena Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific". Kadena Air Base is home to the USAF's 18th Wing, the 353d Special Operations Group, reconnaissance units, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery, and a variety of associated units. Over 20,000 American servicemembers, family members, and Japanese employees live or work aboard Kadena Air Base. It is the largest and most active US Air Force base in the Far East.

Fort Richardson (Alaska) United States Army installation in Alaska

Fort Richardson is a United States Army installation in the U.S. state of Alaska, adjacent to the city of Anchorage. In 2010, it was merged with nearby Elmendorf Air Force Base to form Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Decorations

8 October 1964 – 5 June 1965
6 June 1965 – 31 December 1966
1 July 1982 – 30 June 1984
1 July 1985 – 30 June 1987
1 July 1990 – 30 June 1992
1 July 1994 – 30 June 1996
1 October 1999 – 30 September 2001
17 September 2003 - 16 September 2005
17 September 2005 - 20 October 2006
1 November 2008 - 13 September 2010
1 October 2012 - 30 September 2014 [1]
1 April 1966 – 15 September 1968 [1]

Related Research Articles

Eleventh Air Force Numbered air force of the United States Air Force responsible for the Alaskan region

The Eleventh Air Force (11 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska.

Ladd Army Airfield

Ladd Army Airfield is the military airfield located at Fort Jonathan Wainwright, located in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was originally called Fairbanks Air Base, but was renamed Ladd Field on 1 December 1939, in honor of Major Arthur K. Ladd, a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps who died in a plane crash near Dale, South Carolina on 13 December 1935.

Alaskan Command

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611th Air and Space Operations Center

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381st Intelligence Squadron

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673d Air Base Wing

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16th Air Support Operations Squadron

The 16th Air Support Operations Squadron was a combat support unit of the United States Air Force, located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Inactivated 2010 and replaced by the 3d Air Support Operations Squadron at the same location.

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The 17th Special Tactics Squadron is one of the ten Special Tactics Squadrons of United States Air Force Special Operations Command. It is garrisoned at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Tod D. Wolters US Air Force general

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References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Haulman, Daniel (8 May 2017). "Factsheet 3 Air Support Operations Squadron (PACAF)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  2. ↑ "3 ASOS, Fort Wainwright, Alaska". 3d Air Support Operations Squadron. 15 September 2006. Archived from the original on 28 February 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

Bibliography

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/ .

Air Force Historical Research Agency

The Air Force Historical Research Agency is the repository for United States Air Force historical documents. The Agency's collection, begun during World War II in Washington, D.C. and moved in 1949 to Maxwell Air Force Base, the site of Air University, to provide research facilities for professional military education students, the faculty, visiting scholars, and the general public.

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