The 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron is a combat support unit of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, located at

Fort Wainwright Fort Wainwright is a United States Army installation in Fairbanks, Alaska. Fort Wainwright is part of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the coterminous Fairbanks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The installation is managed by U.S. Army Garrison ...

, Alaska.

Mission

The

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

trains, equips, and deploys

Tactical Air Control Party The Tactical Air Control Party, commonly abbreviated TACP, is a small team of military personnel who provide coordination between aircraft and ground forces when providing close air support. Australia Australian TACPs are provided by the RAAF ...

(TACP) members, air liaison officers, Joint Terminal Attack Controllers, and air mobility liaison officers to support commanders of the

11th Airborne Division The 11th Airborne Division ("Arctic Angels") is a United States Army airborne formation, first activated on 25 February 1943, during World War II. Consisting of one parachute and two glider infantry regiments, with supporting troops, the div ...

(previously

United States Army Alaska United States Army Alaska (USARAK or "America's Arctic Warriors") was a military command of the United States Army located in the U.S. state of Alaska. A subordinate command of I Corps, USARAK was the ground element of the Alaskan Command. USARAK ...

) and its 1st Infantry

Brigade Combat Team The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the U.S. Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver brigade, and its assigned support and fire units. A brigade is normally commanded by a ...

, at

, Alaska. Detachment 1 of the squadron trains, equips, and deploys airborne-qualified TACP members, air liaison officers, joint terminal attack controllers, and air mobility liaison officers to support the commanders of the 11th Airborne Division and its 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, at

Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson is a United States military facility in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. It is an amalgamation of the United States Air Force's Elmendorf Air Force Base and the United States Army's Fort Richardson, which ...

, Alaska.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 3d Direct Air Support Flight and activated on 17 September 1964 (not organized) : Organized on 8 October 1964 : Inactivated on 15 September 1968 * Redesignated 3rd Air Support Operations Center Flight on 16 May 1980 : Activated on 1 June 1980 : Redesignated 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron on 6 January 1989

Assignments

Pacific Air Forces 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 (fo ...

, 17 September 1964 (not organized) * 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, 8 October 1964 – 15 September 1968 *

Alaskan Air Command 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 ...

, 1 June 1980 * 11th Tactical Control Group (later 11th Tactical Control Wing), 1 July 1981 * 343rd Operations Group, 27 January 1992 * 354th Operations Group, 20 August 1993 * 611th Air Operations Group, 1 July 1994 * 354th Operations Group, 14 February 2003 * 1st Air Support Operations Group, 1 October 2008 – present

Stations

Kadena Air Base (IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic 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" because of its highl ...

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, 8 October 1964 – 15 September 1968 * Fort Richardson, Alaska, 1 June 1980 *

, Alaska, 1 July 1991 * Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 13 September 2010 – present

Decorations

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the Awards and decorations of the United States Department of the Air Force, unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the A ...

: 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 * Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm :: 1 April 1966 – 15 September 1968

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

3d Air Support Operations Squadron official homepage

{{Air force infantry Military units and formations in Alaska Air Support Operations 0003