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 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 ...

, 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 (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. USARA ...

) and its 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 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 The 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division is an airborne infantry brigade combat team (BCT) of the United States Army. The unit is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska and is the only airb ...

, 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 (f ...

, 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 dire ...

, 1 June 1980 *

11th Tactical Control Group The 11th Air Control Wing is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force, last stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. It was assigned to the Pacific Air Forces' Eleventh Air Force and was inactivated in 1994. The wing was activated ...

(later 11th Tactical Control Wing), 1 July 1981 *

343rd Operations Group The 343d Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, where it was inactivated on 20 August 1993. The unit was formed at Eielson as the 343d Composite Wing a ...

, 27 January 1992 *

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. Overview The 354th Operations Group provides air-bridge su ...

, 20 August 1993 * 611th Air Operations Group, 1 July 1994 * 354th Operations Group, 14 February 2003 *

1st Air Support Operations Group The United States Air Force's 1st Air Support Operations Group is a combat support unit located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The group provides tactical command and control of airpower assets to the Joint Forces Air Component Comma ...

, 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 unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and was the first independent Air Force d ...

: 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