The 604th Air Support Operations Squadron is a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, 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 ...

unit located at

Camp Humphreys Camp Humphreys ( ko, 캠프 험프리스), also known as United States Army Garrison-Humphreys (USAG-H), is a United States Army garrison located near Anjeong-ri and Pyeongtaek metropolitan areas in South Korea. Camp Humphreys is home to ...

, Republic of Korea. The 604th provides tactical command and control of airpower assets through the use of joint terminal attack controllers to the

Joint Forces Air Component Commander Joint force air component commander (JFACC) is a United States Department of Defense doctrinal term. It is pronounced "Jay-Fack". It refers to a senior officer who is responsible for the air forces within a joint force; i.e., a military force com ...

and Joint Forces Land Component Commander for combat operations within the

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n peninsula.

Mission

The 604th provides joint terminal attack controllers and Air Liaison Officers to direct close air support to Army units with which they are embedded. The squadron's controllers coordinate air strikes with direct fire missions. The squadron's Air Liaison Officers advise

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

commanders on the optimum use of

airpower Airpower or air power consists of the application of military aviation, military strategy and strategic theory to the realm of aerial warfare and close air support. Airpower began in the advent of powered flight early in the 20th century. Airp ...

resources to support the Army.

History

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, ...

was first activated at

Wheeler Air Force Base Wheeler may refer to: Places United States * Wheeler, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, California, an unincorporated community * Wheeler, Illinois, a village * Wheeler, Indiana, a cen ...

, Hawaii in September 1968 as the 604th Direct Air Support Squadron to provide Air Force personnel to man a Direct Air Support Center, an element of the Tactical Air Support System coordinating air support at the Corps level. It absorbed the mission, personnel and equipment of the 7th Direct Air Support Flight, which had been performing the mission at Wheeler since October 1964 under 326th Air Division, and which was simultaneously inactivated. The squadron was inactivated in May 1971. Five years later, in June 1976, the squadron was activated once again in Korea, when it replaced the 603d Direct Air Support Squadron. Squadron members were stationed in detachments at

Camp Red Cloud Camp Red Cloud (CRC, ko, 캠프 레드 클라우드) was a United States Army camp located in the city of Uijeongbu, between Seoul and the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). CRC is being returned to the South Korean government. The installation w ...

, and Camp Casey, South Korea, where they train to support both United States and

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...

forces. The squadron supports the United States Eighth Army. From 15 December 1994 through 13 February 1998, the terminal air controllers were organized into a separate colocated unit, the 607th Air Support Operations Center Squadron. In 2018, in conjunction with the closure of

, the squadron was relocated to

, where it is currently located.

Lineage

* Constituted as 604th Direct Air Support Squadron on 26 August 1968 : Activated on 15 September 1968 : Inactivated on 17 May 1971 * Activated on 15 June 1976 : Redesignated 604th Air Support Operations Center Squadron on 15 December 1989 : Redesignated 604th Air Support Operations Squadron on 13 February 1998

Assignments

* 5th Tactical Control Group, 15 September 1968 – 17 May 1971 * 51st Composite Wing, 15 June 1976 * 5th Tactical Air Control Group (later 5th Tactical Control Group, 5th Air Control Group), 8 January 1980 * 51st Wing (later 51st Fighter Wing), 1 July 1993 * 607th Air Support Operations Group, 15 December 1998 – present

Stations

* Wheeler Air Force Base, Hawaii, 15 September 1968 – 17 May 1971 * Camp Red Cloud, Republic of Korea, 15 June 1976 – 1 November 2018 *Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea, 1 November 2018 – Present

Awards and campaigns

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

United States Army Garrison Camp Humphreys: 604th Air Support Operations Squadron
{{Air force infantry Air Support Operations 0604