The 320th was transferred to the 85th Fighter Wing on 15 June, but was under the operational control of the Thirteenth Air Force until 14 July. Over 20,000 American servicemembers, family members, and Japanese employees live or work aboard Kadena Air Base. It was inactivated on 15 March 1946. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. 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. The 320th included Combat Controllers, Pararescuemen, Combat Weathermen, and Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape specialists. The group is composed of geographically separated squadrons in five separate states; Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina and Washington. The United States Army Special Forces, colloquially known as the Green Berets due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army tasked with five primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, and counter-terrorism. Pararescuemen are United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and Air Combat Command (ACC) operators tasked with recovery and medical treatment of personnel in humanitarian and combat environments. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Reconstituted, and Redesignated as 320 Special Tactics Squadron, on 20 Feb 1992. It served as a major staging area for the Army in World War II and the Korean War. May 2011 – December 2013, Operations Superintendant, 320th STS, Kadena AB, … The 353rd Special Operations Group is an operational unit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command. A joint team of pararescuemen and combat controllers landed on the vessel from an MC-130H Combat Talon II and evacuated the men to a hospital on Guam. The 320th STS was originally constituted as the 320th Fighter Control Squadron, an aircraft warning unit, during World War II on 30 March 1943. In October it was transferred to XIII Fighter Command, and on 29 October moved to Luzon. Camp Stoneman was a United States Army military facility located in Pittsburg, California. On 1 March, it moved to Puerto Princesa, and was under the 85th Fighter Wing's operational control between 1 April and 1 June. [3]. The 320th was originally constituted in 1943 during World War II as an aircraft warning unit, the 320th Fighter Control Squadron. The 353rd Special Operations Group out of Kadena Air Force Base, Japan, has provided three MC-130s and three CV-22s, along with airmen from the Kadena’s 320th Special Tactics Squadron. Activated on 31 Mar, The 320th Special Tactics Squadron (320th STS) is a Special Tactics unit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command, based at Kadena Air Base. The 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, an Air National Guard unit based at Standiford Field, Ky., augments the 720th STG in supporting national security objectives, humanitarian efforts and training. It is stationed at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The 321st Special Tactics Squadron is an active ground unit, within the 752d Special Operations Group, United States Air Force, United States European Command, and is based at Royal Air Force station, RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, eastern England. It was activated on 1 April, part of the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics at Orlando Army Air Base. Between 24 July and 14 November 1944, the squadron was attached to the 13th Air Warning Group (Provisional). It is the U.S. Air Force component to Joint Special Operations Command. June 2014 – May 2016, Commander, 320th Special Tactics Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, JP 10. Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, in Operation Tomodachi, the relief effort, pararescuemen from the 320th flew numerous search and rescue missions. The 116th Operations Group is a Georgia Air National Guard unit assigned to the 116th Air Control Wing. It was reconstituted and reactivated in 1992 at Kadena as the 320th Special Tactics Squadron. YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- An HH-60G Pave Hawk flies over the Japanese countryside carrying members of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron from Kadena Air Base March 15. Other duties include combat search and rescue (CSAR), counter-narcotics, counter-proliferation, hostage rescue, humanitarian assistance, humanitarian demining, information operations, peacekeeping, psychological operations, security assistance, and manhunts; other components of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) or other U.S. government activities may also specialize in these secondary areas. The 320th was originally constituted in 1943 during World War II as an aircraft warning unit, the 320th Fighter Control Squadron. The 320th Special Tactics Squadron (320th STS) is a Special Tactics unit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command, based at Kadena Air Base . It was last assigned to Thirteenth Air Force, based at Manila, Luzon, Philippines. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command to United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), a unified combatant command located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. 3. After arriving at Vancouver Barracks on 14 December, it was inactivated on 18 December. It was activated in 1992, when the Air Force implemented the Objective Wing organization, and was successively equipped with the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the Rockwell B-1 Lancer before converting to the E-8C in 2002. The 320th Special Tactics Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Group based at Kadena Air Base, Japan and the 321st STS, 352nd Special Operations Wing based at RAF Mildenhall, England are two other Special Tactics units, which the wing supports with training, personnel functions and resources. The XIII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The squadron relocated to Biak on 11 February 1945, then to Mindoro on 22 February. If activated to federal service, the wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. 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. Initially with the 720th Special Tactics Group, it was soon transferred to the 353d Special Operations Group. It was reconstituted and reactivated in 1992 at Kadena as the 320th Special Tactics Squadron. Members with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron and Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) watch as their teammates are hoisted into a CV-22 Osprey, during a fast rope and hoist training as part of exercise Keen Sword 21, at the Yokota Air Base, Japan, Nov. 3, 2020. It was fought over a vast area that included the Pacific Ocean and islands, the South West Pacific, South-East Asia, and in China. The island is mainly covered in dense tropical rainforest and has a mountainous interior. The 320th Special Tactics Squadron (320th STS) is a Special Tactics unit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command, based at Kadena Air Base. The earthquake was caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burma Plate and the Indian Plate. 8. The 24th Special Tactics Squadron is one of the Special Tactics units of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The cause of the incident is currently under investigation. In October it was transferred to XIII Fighter Command, and on 29 October moved to Luzon. It covers special operations forces units assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command in the United States Air Force. The 65th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. The training entailed day and nighttime helo-casting in cohesion with HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter support from the 33rd Rescue Squadron … Pararescueman from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron looks for trapped survivors March 16, 2011, at Sendai Airport, Japan.jpg 2,380 × 1,584; 2.88 MB PASKAU underwater training (090528-F-3695C-121).jpg 2,409 × 1,551; 726 KB A 9-line is a standardized format in which a JTAC gives targeting information to aircraft pilots. [2] On 1 January 1993, it was transferred to the 353d Special Operations Group. Between 24 July and 14 November 1944, the squadron was attached to the 13th Air Warning Group (Provisional). Special Operations Weather Team (SOWT) members at the 125 STS have the unique requirement to integrate fully into the existing combat controller (CCT) team structure, as well as perform the historical function of Special Operations Weather support to all special operations forces (SOF) capable military units, particularly Army Special Forces. The squadron was sent to the Pacific at the end of 1943 and served there until its inactivation and disbandment after the end of the war. Disbanded on 8 Oct 1948. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The 320th STS has combat controllers, pararescuemen and special operations weather teams to go anywhere and set up forward operating locations and impromptu runways. The Orlando Fighter Wing was a wing of the United States Army Air Forces. Part of the little-known Air Force Special Operations community and long an enlisted preserve, the Pararescue service expanded to include Combat Rescue Officers early in the 21st century. KADENA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) -- Airmen from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron conducted an amphibious training operation along the west coast of Okinawa Sept. 22-24 to refresh qualifications and retain proficiency in various special tactics skill sets. The 320th Special Tactics Squadron (320 STS) is a Special Tactics unit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command, based at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. Activated on Apr 1943. These special operations units are also used to support NASA missions and have been used to recover astronauts after water landings. The Group is composed of four squadrons, also located on Pope Field. Jessica R. Avallone) PHOTO DETAILS / DOWNLOAD HI-RES 3 of 6 Operation Unified Assistance was the American military's humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. The 320th included Combat Controller s, Pararescuemen, Combat Weathermen, and Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape specialists. A U.S. Air Force joint terminal attack controller assigned to the 320th Special Tactics Squadron fills in information for a 9-line at Draughon Range, near Misawa Air Base, Japan, June 15, 2020. [1], During Operation Unified Assistance, the relief effort after the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the squadron's combat controllers surveyed airfields for the reception of humanitarian relief. Its headquarters is at Hurlburt Field, Florida and it has component groups located in North Carolina, Georgia and Washington. It operates A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions. The 320th was disbanded on 8 October 1948. Most higher level SERE students are military aircrew and special operations personnel considered to be at high risk of capture. On 28 February 2006, squadron Master Sergeant David Beals' team was ambushed during a convoy operation, trapping the entire team in the insurgent kill zone. This is a list of United States Air Force special tactics squadrons. Squadron personnel training for personnel recovery, United States Air Force Special Operations Command, Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award w/Combat "V" Device, 85th Fighter Wing, 15 June 1945 (under operational control of. Air Force Special Operations Command(AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) is a program, best known by its military acronym, that provides U.S. military personnel, U.S. Department of Defense civilians, and private military contractors with training in evading capture, survival skills, and the military code of conduct. 320th STS personnel deployed alongside United States Army Special Forces to the War in Afghanistan. The Thirteenth Air Force was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, in Operation Tomodachi, the relief effort, pararescuemen from the 320th flew numerous search and rescue missions. On 26 September 2008, squadron personnel cooperated with the 1st Special Operations Squadron and 31st Rescue Squadron to rescue two crewmen injured in a crane accident aboard container ship Occam's Razor. The 125th Special Tactics Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air National Guard based in Portland, Oregon. The 320th STS ground team coordinated a ground search while the 459th Airlift Squadron searched from the air. It was one of the oldest continuously active numbered air forces in the United States Air Force. The Group is headquartered at Pope Field, North Carolina. Beals was credited with saving the lives of the entire team by repulsing the attack with his Humvee's M240 machine gun and 40mm grenades from his M203 grenade launcher, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. A U.S. Air Force joint terminal attack controller assigned to the 320th Special Tactics Squadron watches an F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 13th Fighter Squadron fly over a target at Draughon Range, near Misawa Air Base, Japan, June 15, 2020. KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Tech. The 1st Special Operations Squadron is part of the 353d Special Operations Group at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The squadron was reconstituted and redesignated as the 320th Special Tactics Squadron on 20 February 1992, and activated at Kadena Air Base with the 720th Special Tactics Group on 31 March. September 2003 – September 2006, Special Tactics Element Leader, 22d STS, McChord AFB, WA 4. Dunn, 320th Special Tactics Squadron special tactics officer. Sean Barton, from the 320th STS, and Tech. The 320th Special Tactics Squadron (320th STS)is a Special Tacticsunit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command, based at Kadena Air Base. Airmen assigned to the 13th Fighter Squadron and the 320th Special Tactics Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, conducted close air support training at Draughon Range, near Misawa Air Base, Japan, June 15-17. 320th STS personnel deployed alongside United States Army Special Forces to the War in Afghanistan. Many of their operational techniques are classified, but some nonfiction works and doctrinal manuals are available. Units. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific". The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. Its last assignment was with the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing, being inactivated at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona on 1 October 1976. Pararescuemen performing a hoist extraction during a training exercise. September 2006 – May 2011, Instructor/Flight Chief, OL-C 342d Training Squadron (AETC), Pope AFB, NC 5. The first two emphasize language, cultural, and training skills in working with foreign troops. A U.S. Air Force combat controller with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron and a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) combat controller with the RTAF Special Operations Regiment relay information to pilots in support of Exercise Cobra Gold 2020 at Chandy Range in Lopburi province, Kingdom of … United States special operations forces (SOF) are components of the Department of Defense's United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The 50th Operations Group is a component of the 50th Space Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Space Command. The training entailed day and nighttime helo-casting in cohesion with HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter support from the 33rd Rescue Squadron, … It was activated on 1 April, part of the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics at Orlando Army Air Base. On 30 September, it was moved forward to Toem, and on 15 December the 320th relocated to Wakde. On 26 September 2008, squadron personnel cooperated with the 1st Special Operations Squadron and 31st Rescue Squadron to rescue two crewmen injured in a crane accident aboard container ship Occam's Razor. It was inactivated on 30 June 1991. The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in the Pacific and Asia. After arriving at Vancouver Barracks on 14 December, it was inactivated on 18 December. They are Air Force Special Tactics members assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing, 320th Special Tactics Squadron, and 321st Special Tactics Squadron – all units under Air Force Special Operations Command. A search, evasion, resistance and escape specialist with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron searches for signs of a simulated isolated person during an open water search and rescue training off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 19, 2020. The 720th Special Tactics Group is one of the special operations ground components of the 24th Special Operations Wing, assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) of the United States Air Force. The 116th Group controls all operational Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint STARS aircraft of the 116th Air Control Wing. More than 12,600 Department of Defense personnel were involved in the relief effort. The 354th Fighter Squadron is part of the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The 320th Special Tactics Squadron pararescuemen and combat controllers provide for the establishment of drop zones, landing zones, air traffic … Guadalcanal is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of the nation of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. Air Force Special Operations Command's combat controllers are Special Tactics Airmen assigned to Special Tactics squadrons within the 24th Special Operations Wing, as well as the 321st Special Tactics Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, U.K., and 320th Special Tactics Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan. The 320th STS was originally constituted as the 320th Fighter Control Squadron, an aircraft warning unit, during World War II on 30 March 1943. Constituted as 320 Fighter Control Squadron on 30 Mar 1943. The group is headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It was last assigned to Thirteenth Air Force, based at Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines. It is assigned to the 53d Test and Evaluation Group, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. On December 28, 2004, elements of the Combined Support Force were deployed to U-Tapao International Airport in Thailand. It is garrisoned at Pope Field, North Carolina. Located at the Portland International Airport that is part of the 142nd Fighter Wing. Airmen and family members with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron and the 31st Rescue Squadron conducted a five-mile memorial ruck in honor of two fallen pararescuemen.U.S. After completing air defense training, it became part of the Orlando Fighter Wing on 1 November. On 30 September, it was moved forward to Toem, and on 15 December the 320th relocated to Wakde. “The 320th and the Force Reconnaissance Platoon conducted this training to build interoperability between our two units,” said Capt. A joint team of pararescuemen and combat controllers landed on the vessel from an MC-130H Combat Talon II and evacuated the men to a hospital on Guam. Between 20 November and 11 December, the 320th staged at Camp Stoneman, then was shipped to Guadalcanal, where it arrived on 30 December, becoming part of XIII Fighter Command. The 320th STS personnel added unique and extremely vital capabilities to support the group's mission. [2] On 1 January 1993, it was transferred to the 353d Special Operations Group. After completing air defense training, it became part of the Orlando Fighter Wing on 1 November. It was an undersea megathrust earthquake that registered a magnitude of 9.1–9.3 Mw, reaching a Mercalli intensity up to IX in certain areas. It is the third special operations wing in Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Lineage Established as 1720th Special Tactics Group, and activated, on 1 Oct 1987. Members of the 125th Special Tactics Squadron benefit from the extensive knowledge of their information technology support staff and these assets are considered "force multipliers" by both pararescuemen and combat control team members. The 320th was originally constituted in 1943 during World War II as an aircraft warning unit, the 320th Fighter Control Squadron. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on 26 December, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra. Redesignated 720th Special Tactics Group on 31 Mar 1992. Peter Kraines,, Sgt. The 320th was disbanded on 8 October 1948. Mar 2006 – Feb 2009, Intelligence NCOIC, 320th Special Tactics Squadron, Kadena AB, JP (Deployed: 1/1 Special Forces Group: India, Philippines, Republic of Korea, & Thailand) (Deployed: Jun 2008 - Feb 2009, Seal Team 5, JSOTF-P, Philippines) Feb 2009 – Mar 2010, Intelligence NCOIC, 353 OSS, Kadena AB, JP The 320th Special Tactics Squadron (320th STS) is a Special Tactics unit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command, based at Kadena Air Base. The 320th STS has combat controllers, pararescuemen and special operations weather teams who go anywhere and set up forward operating locations and impromptu runways. Sgt. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States. On 1 March, it moved to Puerto Princesa, and was under the 85th Fighter Wing's operational control between 1 April and 1 June. The squadron was sent to the Pacific at the end of 1943 and served there until its inactivation and disbandment after the … AFSOC provides all Air Force Special Operations Forces (SOF) for worldwide deployment and assignment to regional unified combatant commands. The Airmen cleared the house as part of training led by the Direct Action Resource Center, a two-week course where a group of pararescuemen , combat controllers and force reconnaissance Marines develop skills they can use when they deploy with other joint special operations teams. The squadron became part of XIII Bomber Command on 2 November and left Luzon for Vancouver Barracks on 30 November. The 24th Special Operations Wing is a United States Air Force active-duty wing that was activated on 12 June 2012. Lineage. A 320th Special Tactics Squadron operator draws blood from a simulated victim found on Camp Fuji, Japan, November 5, 2020. The 320th was transferred to the 85th Fighter Wing on 15 June, but was under the operational control of the Thirteenth Air Force until 14 July. Airmen from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron clear a hallway Nov. 19, 2015, in a shoot house at Camp Hansen, Japan. It operates MC-130 Combat Talon II aircraft providing special operations capability. April 2012 - June 2014, Commander, Special Tactics Training Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. 9. Beals was credited with saving the lives of the entire team by repulsing the attack with his Humvee's M240 machine gun and 40mm grenades from his M203 grenade launcher, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device. Special Reconnaissance Airmen (SR) are special operators with advanced meteorological and oceanographic skill sets. On Jan. 1, 1993, the 320th Special Tactics Squadron was officially assigned to the 353rd SOG. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. [1], The squadron was reconstituted and redesignated as the 320th Special Tactics Squadron on 20 February 1992, and activated at Kadena Air Base with the 720th Special Tactics Group on 31 March. The squadron became part of XIII Bomber Command on 2 November and left Luzon for Vancouver Barracks on 30 November. Air crews are trained in night low-level flying, using night vision goggles. The 418th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Between 20 November and 11 December, the 320th staged at Camp Stoneman, then was shipped to Guadalcanal, where it arrived on 30 December, becoming part of XIII Fighter Command. Members of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron from Kadena Air Base submerge into the ocean during an amphibious operations exercise Sept. 22, 2015, off the west coast of Okinawa, Japan. The XIII Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces formation. The squadron performs operational testing of all fighter aircraft and munitions entering and in operational use by Air Combat Command. It is garrisoned at Pope Field, North Carolina. Sean Barton, an Air Force Special Operations Command pararescueman assigned to the 320th Special Tactics Squadron, died Oct. 30 from injuries sustained after a rappelling training incident during a joint exercise training event near Kathmandu, Nepal. The 24th Special Tactics Squadron is one of the Special Tactics units of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). [1]. KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Airmen from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron conducted an amphibious training operation along the West Coast of Okinawa Sept. 22 - 24 to refresh qualifications and retain proficiency in various special tactics skill sets. Established by the U.S. Air Force at the end of World War II, it was extended and consolidated during the Vietnam War (1959–1975) to the U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy and in the late 1980s to the U.S. Army. It was inactivated on 15 March 1946. The 122d Fighter Wing is a unit of the Indiana Air National Guard, stationed at Fort Wayne Air National Guard Station, Fort Wayne, Indiana. [3], Squadron personnel training for personnel recovery, Pages containing cite templates with deprecated parameters, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Special tactics squadrons of the United States Air Force, United States Air Force Special Operations Command, Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics, http://www.afhra.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/432162/320-special-tactics-squadron-afsoc/, http://www.353sog.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/459665/353rd-special-operations-group/, http://www.353sog.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/459664/353rd-special-operations-group-history/, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/320th_Special_Tactics_Squadron?oldid=4660203, Pages using duplicate arguments in template calls, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award w/Combat "V" Device, 85th Fighter Wing, 15 June 1945 (under operational control of. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. Air Force Tech. The group is stationed at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado. May 2016 – September 2016, Deputy Commander, 353d Special … [1]. Its last assignment was with United States Air Forces in Europe, assigned to Seventeenth Air Force, being stationed at Lindsey Air Station, Germany. An Airman from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron swims to a vessel after performing a long-range jump from a C-17 Globemaster III into the Pacific Ocean Nov. 22, 2016. Initially with the 720th Special Tactics Group, it was soon transferred to the 353d Special Operations Group. The squadron was sent to the Pacific at the end of 1943 and served there until its inactivation and disbandment after the end of the war. Special Tactics Teams can access, open, and control major airfields to clandestine dirt strips in either permissive or hostile locations, providing strategic access and power projection for our nation’s military. The squadron relocated to Biak on 11 February 1945, then to Mindoro on 22 February. It is the U.S. Air Force component to Joint Special Operations Command. They are attached to other SOF teams from all branches to conduct other operations as appropriate. On 28 February 2006, squadron Master Sergeant David Beals' team was ambushed during a convoy operation, trapping the entire team in the insurgent kill zone.