US Air Force Special Operations

Air & Space Power Journal, Spring, 2005 by Charles Tustin Kamps

CONSISTING OF PERSONNEL known as "the quiet professionals," Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) provides units and expertise to US Special Operations Command and to theater combatant commanders. As a force multiplier, it contributes to joint operations in five mission areas: precision employment/strike, information operations, special operations mobility, shaping the battlespace, and agile combat support.

Air Force special operations began in World War II, in both major theaters of war. In Europe in 1943 and 1944, several separate units assisted partisan activity in France, Italy, and the Balkans, and supported agents of the Office of Strategic Services. On the other side of the world, the 1st Air Commando Group transported and supplied the British "Chindit" raiding force and the US unit known as "Merrill's Marauders." All of these units disbanded after the war, and not until 1951 did air resupply and communications units form to conduct psychological operations and agent-infiltration missions during the Korean War.

The "Jungle Jim" program, begun in 1961 in response to communist insurgency efforts, soon became the birthplace of air commandos employed in the Vietnam War. Air commando squadrons (later renamed special operations squadrons) conducted aggressive personnel-rescue missions with a variety of aircraft, as well as interdiction/fire-support operations with a new platform--the fixed-wing gunship. Alter Vietnam, Air Force special operations units remained in the order of battle and have taken part in all major contingencies to date. A major change occurred in 1987 with the creation of US Special Operations Command, which manages--and sometimes commands--all of the services' special operations forces (SOF).

Headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, AFSOC includes one colocated wing with combat, training, and foreign internal defense squadrons; a special-tactics group; and a Reserve group. Operational groups in Europe and the Far East include fixed- and rotary-wing squadrons as well as special-tactics squadrons. A National Guard unit in Pennsylvania operates the EC-130E Commando Solo psychological-operations platform.

Fixed-wing special operations squadrons operate variants of the C-130, modified as gunships, refuelers, and deep-penetration SOF transports. Rotary-wing squadrons use modified versions of the H-53 helicopter. Both platforms are showing their age; indeed, the helicopters have begun to wear out.

Special-tactics teams deploy Air Force combat controllers and pararescue personnel to select assault zones, provide terminal guidance and control for the support, manage air traffic control, and conduct combat medical care and personnel evacuation. Combat weather teams support the collection and prediction of weather data in the operational area. In short, the highly smiled, quiet professionals of Air Force special operations receive worldwide recognition for their expertise.

To Learn More ...

Haas, Col Michael. Apollo's Warriors: US Air Force Special Operations during the Cold War. Maxwell AFB, AL: Air University Press, 1997.

Leary, William M. Fueling the Fires of Resistance: Army Air Forces Special Operations in the Balkans during World War II. Washington, DC: Air Force History and Museums Program, 1995.

Mason, Herbert A., Jr., Randy G. Bergeron, and James A. Renfrow Jr. Operation Thursday: Birth of the Air Commandos. Washington, DC: Air Force History and Museums Program, 1994.

Thigpen, Col. Jerry L. The Praetorian Starship: The Untold Story of the Combat Talon. Maxwell AFB, AL: Air University Press, 2001.