MILNET: U.S. Air Force Air Commandos

USAF Special Operations Command

The Air Force allocates 9,500 Air Commandos who provide special infiltration helicopters, transport planes, aerial refueling tankers, and gunships.

Officially known todya as the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command this unit of Air Force special operators has a long history of special operations stretching back before World War II, and in most cases active combat prior to any others in military operations, often inserting agents, equipment and resupplies before open warfare has broken out.

Sometimes known as the Air Commandos, this elite group of combat controllers, night pilots, forward air controllers, and yes even paramedics provide transport support, aim potent air delivered munitions as is fired by the almost mystical AC-130 Spectre gunships (150mm cannon, 40mm BOFORS and 20mm Vulcan guns), or bring that professional airman touch to movement of Special Operations forces into the target zone.

In his book, From A Dark Sky ¹, Orr Kelly does an excellent job of describing the long history of the Air Commandos, starting back in 1944, and finishing with some rather frank evaluations of Desert Storm and Mogadishu. Of keen interest is the battle of Gunships versus anti-aircraft fire like that encountered by AC-130 gunships during the Invasion of Panama, Operation Just Cause.

Orr's book helps to underline the necessity for full allotment of forces needed in the Air Support mission, and removal of the interservice rivalry that most likely continues in the Army dominated special forces arena.

For example, Mr. Kelly does a supreme job of pointing out the differences between the Army's FARRP (Forward Area Refueling and Rearming Point) hop-skip- and-jump method of positioning special forces and the Air Commandos long trip, single round trip, in-air-refueling based methodology.

And just as key, is the realization that a fighting force needs to be just that, a fully allocated and provisioned force, no matter the size of the mission. You need essential elements for both transport, command and control, as well as the flexible forces in hand in order to make up for the unknown contingencies. This doesn't mean huge numbers of troops, but rather, well prepared forces with the proper equipment to counter those unknowns.

Examples given are not just helicopters to do the transport, but backups for the "oh yeah, check that out" or "ooopss, go get those guys out of there", or "go check that hanger out" type of operations that Air Commandos are especially adept at accomplishing. When it comes to low level, low speed stealthy or quick in-and-out missions, Air Commandos are not excelled. And with their added Spooky gunship support from AC-130 or protected heavy load support with Combat Talons (MC-130), the Air Force Special Operations teams bring a nice rounding out of force disposition and flexible ordnance delivery needed in even the most thoroughly planned operation.

Gleaned from the Air Force Special Operations strengths throughout history, here is a list of what these units can deliver:

• Professional, experienced delivery of anything from a single agent to platoon level troops to a clandestine landing zone.
• Low level, precise night time delivery in all weather combat zones
• Stealthy approach and retreat
• Clandestine landing field survery, delivery and control for spec ops.
• Superior flexible firepower from the skies at the edge of friendly forces with zero collateral or friendly fire damage.
• Wide area mine clearance or instant defoilage operations via MC-130H and Daisy Cutter (BLU-82) 15,000 bombs.
• Forward Air Controller operations down in the dirt and operations from uncontrolled airfields.

Of course in order to perform their mission, these folks need to control, totally the assets needed in support. This includes:

• Low Level, slow but reliable ground attack aircraft such as A-10
• Low Level, night capable helicopters with top-of-the-line navigational equipment useable not only for precision long flight instrument navigation but fire and control systems that can be linked down to troops and up to AWACS as well as gunships for support fire and ordanance delivery.
• Trained personnel for:
  • combat control operators
  • egress airflow control such as evac of wounded, prisoners, repatriated prisoners or hostages, or even evacuees.
  • paramedically trained support teams to prevent unneeded loss of life at combat control points
  • low level piloting for FAC, Search and Rescue, and transport crews
• air and ground refueling equipment, tankers, etc. to facilitate clandestine landing area operations at combat control points
• forward air controller aircraft, low, slow, and armored, to allow for adequate aerial direction of air support aircraft...perferably better armed than in the past, please!
• technologically reliable, but continualy improving the means for marking troops, equipment, lines of battle, etc., to allow ordanance delivery without incidence of friendly fire. This is a request for both research AND delivery of new technology systems to improve already excellent equipment...an investment in troop survivability in emergency situations.

This is only a beginnings of such a list, and comprises, we hope, the kinds of lists already in effect for air operations to support and supplement U.S. Special Operations capabilities today.

milnet@milnet.com