1st Special Operations Wing
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| 1st Special Operations Wing | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 1st Special Operations Wing |
| Dates | 1944–present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Special operations |
| Role | Special operations aviation |
| Garrison | Hurlburt Field, Florida |
1st Special Operations Wing The 1st Special Operations Wing is the United States Air Force special operations wing assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command and based at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The wing conducts low‑level, precision aviation and support missions in coordination with United States Special Operations Command, Joint Special Operations Command, United States Central Command, and allied partners. Its missions integrate air mobility, attack, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and personnel recovery capabilities in support of combatant commanders and interagency operations.
Mission and Role
The wing provides specialized airpower for direct action, unconventional warfare, counterterrorism, personnel recovery, and clandestine infiltration and exfiltration for United States Special Operations Command, United States European Command, United States Indo‑Pacific Command, and United States Africa Command. It supports operations alongside units such as the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces, Marine Raiders, and Air Force Special Tactics squadrons. The wing enables theater campaign plans developed by combatant commanders and contributes to multinational exercises like Exercise Red Flag, Exercise Green Flag, Exercise Talisman Sabre, and NATO Allied Spirit.
History
The wing traces lineage through antecedent units active in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, with historical associations to the Army Air Forces, Tactical Air Command, and Pacific Air Forces. During the Vietnam era the wing’s predecessors supported operations tied to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Operation Rolling Thunder, and Operation Linebacker with platforms similar to the AC‑130 gunship and C‑130 transport fleets. Post‑Cold War restructuring under Air Force Special Operations Command tied the wing to operations including Operation Just Cause, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and multinational campaigns such as Operation Inherent Resolve. The wing has evolved through doctrinal shifts influenced by publications like Joint Publication 3‑05 and lessons from the RAND Corporation, shaping expeditionary basing and precision strike employment.
Organization and Components
The wing comprises operations, maintenance, mission support, and medical groups, with subordinate squadrons that include special tactics, combat weather, operations support, intelligence, and aircraft‑specific squadrons. It integrates units comparable in function to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 34th Special Operations Squadron, 319th Special Operations Squadron, and 353rd Special Operations Group elements when task‑organized for contingency deployments. The wing coordinates with Air Force Reserve Command, Air National Guard units such as the 125th Special Tactics Squadron, United States Army aviation brigades, and Marine Corps aviation squadrons for joint task force constructs. Administrative alignment follows Department of the Air Force policies and Air Force Instructions governing special operations forces’ basing and personnel management.
Aircraft and Equipment
Platforms assigned or historically associated include variants of the Lockheed C‑130 Hercules series, AC‑130 gunships, CV‑22 Osprey tiltrotors, Bell Boeing CV‑22B, General Atomics MQ‑9 Reaper, Pilatus PC‑12, and rotary assets analogous to the MH‑53 and MH‑60 families. The wing employs sensors and munitions such as AGM‑114 Hellfire, GBU‑39 Small Diameter Bomb, GBU‑44 Viper Strike, AN/AAQ‑28 LITENING targeting pods, AN/APG‑68 radars, synthetic aperture radars, EO/IR systems, precision navigation systems including GPS/INS hybrids, and electronic warfare suites. Support equipment encompasses aerial refueling systems like the KC‑135 Stratotanker, forward arming and refueling points, air traffic control nodes, and intelligence processing platforms compatible with Distributed Common Ground System infrastructure.
Operations and Deployments
The wing has executed deployments in support of contingency operations across Southwest Asia, the Persian Gulf, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, and the Indo‑Pacific theater. It has contributed to campaigns such as Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq, Operation Odyssey Dawn over Libya, and counterterrorism operations against ISIS and al‑Qaeda affiliates. Missions have included close air support for coalition forces, interdiction of maritime threats in concert with United States Navy carrier strike groups, overland interdiction with United States Army maneuver elements, long‑range infiltration with Special Operations Forces, and humanitarian assistance following hurricanes and earthquakes in coordination with United States Northern Command and USAID.
Training and Readiness
Training integrates advanced tactical courses, exercises, and certifications including the Weapons Instructor Course‑equivalent tactics syllabi, joint terminal attack controller coordination with Army and Marine elements, airborne and parachute qualification with the Airborne School and Special Tactics training pipeline, and survival training at locations such as the Combat Diver School and SERE programs. Readiness is measured by deployment‑rated crew qualifications, mission capable rates, and compliance with combatant commander tasking under the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff–directed readiness assessments. The wing participates in exercises like Emerald Warrior, Silver Flag, and multinational combined arms training with NATO partners, the Australian Defence Force, Japan Self‑Defense Forces, and the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.
Honors and Notable Personnel
The wing and its antecedents have received unit awards and campaign streamers reflecting service in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Global War on Terrorism, and other contingencies. Notable personnel associated indirectly with the wing’s history include Medal of Honor and Air Force Cross recipients, senior leaders who advanced Air Force Special Operations doctrine, and aviators influential in special operations aviation innovation. The wing’s heritage is linked to figures and organizations such as General Charles "Chuck" Yeager, Lieutenant General John Mulholland, Major General Bryan Radliff, Brigadier General Donald Wurster, and institutions like the Air Force Special Operations School, Air Command and Staff College, Naval Special Warfare Command, and Special Operations Command Europe.