193rd Special Operations Wing
193rd Special Operations Wing | |
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MC-130J |
The 193rd Special Operations Wing is a unit of the
Mission
The 193rd's primary wartime and contingency operations mission is to broadcast radio and television signals to target populations from an airborne transmitter, jamming existing television and radio signals where necessary. Messages are not developed within the wing itself, but are provided by staff of the
Units
- 193rd Special Operations Wing
- 193rd Special Operations Group
- 193rd Special Operations Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Support Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Maintenance Group
- 193rd Special Operations Maintenance Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Maintenance Operations Flight
- 193rd Special Operations Mission Support Group
- 193rd Special Operations Security Forces Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Civil Engineering Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Communications Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Force Support Squadron
- 193rd Special Operations Medical Group
- 193rd Air Operations Group[note 1]
- 193rd Air Intelligence Squadron
- 193rd Combat Operations Squadron
- 193rd Air Communications Squadron
- 193rd Regional Support Group[note 2]
- 148th Air Support Operations Squadron
- 201st RED HORSE Squadron
- 211th Engineering Installation Squadron
- 271st Combat Communications Squadron
- 203rd Weather Flight[2]
- 193rd Special Operations Group
History
Background
In the Spring of 1964, the 140th Aeromedical Transport Squadron's mission and designation changed to 140th Air Transport Squadron and the Air National Guard operation at
Following
Tactical electronic warfare
Threatened by the closure of Olmsted Air Force Base (now Harrisburg Air National Guard Base) and by the downsizing of all conventionally powered transport aircraft, the National Guard Bureau volunteered the unit for a psychological warfare capability named "Coronet Solo" in 1967.
The first Lockheed EC-121S Coronet Solo was delivered to the unit on 16 July 1968.[3] In July 1970, the Joint Chiefs of Staff directed the deployment of a task force of two EC-121s and supporting personnel to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base as Operation Coronet Cobra. The task force arrived at Korat on 31 July, where it began Operation Commando Buzz, retransmitting civilian radio broadcasts to outlying areas of Cambodia until improved ground transmitters were available to cover the area. The 193rd deployed guardsmen on temporary duty for periods of thirty to sixty days to support this mission. Although Commando Buzz was intended to last only ninety days, flights continued until 24 December, and the task force returned to the United States in early January 1971.[6] Throughout the 1970s, the wing earned a reputation as being the most deployed Air National Guard unit, sometimes deploying 10 times in a single year.[4]
In August 1977, the group received its first
The 193rd participated in the rescue of American citizens in
Special operations
Shortly after supporting Urgent Fury, and recognizing the importance of the group's psychological warfare mission when compared to its electronic jamming mission, on 15 November 1983, the group became the 193rd Special Operations Group and, along with all other reserve force special operations units, its gaining command became Military Airlift Command's Twenty-Third Air Force.[6]
In 1989, Volant Solo was instrumental in the success of coordinated psychological operations in
During this mission it broadcast throughout the initial phases of the operation, helping to end the Noriega regime.In 1990,
Following the agreement of Governor
Due to the threat of
In 1992, the 193rd received its first EC-130E upgraded to Commando Solo II configuration. In 1994, the Commando Solo II aircraft were used to broadcast radio and TV messages to the citizens and leaders of Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy. President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was featured in these broadcasts, which contributed to the orderly transition from military rule to democracy.[4]
The Air National Guard reorganized its units to reflect the Combat Wing Organization in 1995. As a result, the group became the 193rd Special Operations Wing with three subordinate groups.
Continuing its tradition, in 1997 the 193rd and Commando Solo supported the United Nations' Operation Joint Guard with radio and TV broadcasts over Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of stabilization force operations. In 1998, the unit and its aircraft participated in Operation Desert Thunder, a deployment to Southwest Asia to convince Iraq to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions. The Commando Solo II was again sent into action in 1999 in support of Operation Allied Force. The aircraft was tasked to broadcast radio and television into Kosovo to prevent ethnic cleansing and assist in the expulsion of the Serbs from the region. In 2001, the Commando Solo II aircraft broadcast messages to the local Afghan population and Taliban soldiers during Operation Enduring Freedom.
In 2002, it was announced that the unit would replace three of its EC-130Es with EC-130Js. The modification of C-130Js would be done in two phases. Phase I added an information warfare station and
In 2003, the Commando Solo II was deployed to the Middle East in support of
On 17 September 2022, the wing made its last broadcast with an EC-130J during an airshow at
Lineage
- Constituted as the 193d Tactical Electronic Warfare Group on 1 September 1967[15]
- Activated on 17 September 1967[6]
- Redesignated 193d Electronic Combat Group on 10 October 1980[6]
- Redesignated 193d Special Operations Group on 15 November 1983[6]
- Redesignated 193rd Special Operations Wing on 1 October 1995
Assignments
- Pennsylvania Air National Guard, 16 September 1967 – present
- Gained by Tactical Air Command, 16 September 1967
- Gained by Twenty-Third Air Force, Military Airlift Command, 1 March 1983
- Gained by Air Force Special Operations Command, 22 May 1990 – present
Operational components
- 193rd Operations Group, 1 June 1995 – present
- 193rd Special Operations Squadron, 16 September 1967 – 1 June 1995
Stations
- Olmsted Air Force Base (later Harrisburg International Airport, Harrisburg Air National Guard Base), Pennsylvania, 16 September 1967 – present
Aircraft
- Lockheed C-121C Constellation, 1967–1977[6]
- Lockheed EC-121S Coronet Solo, 1968–1979[16]
- Lockheed C-130E Hercules, 1977-1979[6]
- Lockheed EC-130E Volant Solo (later Commando Solo), 1979–2004[6]
- Lockheed C-130H Hercules, 1991-1995[17]
- Lockheed EC-130J Commando Solo, 2001 – present[18]
- Lockheed MC-130J Commando II, 2023 - present[19]
Decorations
Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
[20] |
References
Notes
- Explanatory notes
- ^ This group and its components are not gained by Air Force Special Operations Command.
- ^ This group and its components are not gained by Air Force Special Operations Command.
- ^ The 193rd's web page attributes this interest to the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict, but the program predates that war. van Geffan, p. 6
- ^ van Geffen indicates that the Commando Solo name change occurred later, when the unit's EC-130Es were modified with Worldwide Color Television and Horizontal Trailing Wire Antennas, in 1997. van Gellen, p. 12.
- Citations
- ^ Kennedy, Harold (February 2002). "Why Special Ops Prefer C-130s for Many Missions". National Defense Magazine.
- ^ "193rd Special Operations Wing Units". 193rd Special Operations Wing. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ a b van Geffan, p. 6
- ^ a b c d e f Hart, pp. 13-14
- ^ "History of the 193rd". 193rd Special Operations Wing. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j van Geffen, p. 7
- ^ Haulman, pp. 135. 141
- ^ Allen, p. 171
- ^ van Geffen, pp. 7-9
- ^ van Geffen, pp.9-10
- ^ van Gellen pp.11-12
- ^ van Geffen, pp. 12-13.
- ^ Kaminski, Tom (11 October 2022). "193rd SOW prepares to take on new MC-130J mission". Key.Aero. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
- ^ Cenciotti, David (19 September 2022). "EC-130J Psychological Warfare Aircraft Performs Final Broadcast". The Aviationist. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
- ^ AFOMO Letter 777n, 13 September 1967, Subject: Constitution and Allotment of Air National Guard Units.
- ^ van Geffan, pp. 6-7
- ^ van Geffen, p. 11
- ^ van Geffen, pp. 12-13
- ^ "193rd Special Operations Wing welcomes new aircraft, mission".
- ^ "Air Force Personnel Services: Unit Awards". Air Force Personnel Center. Retrieved 9 May 2017. (search)
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Allen, William J. (2000). "Intervention in Panama: Operation JUST CAUSE". In Warnock, A. Timothy (ed.). Short of War: Major USAF Contingency Operations 1947-1997 (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Air University Press. ISBN 978-0-16050411-2. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- Allen, William J. (2000). "Crisis in Haiti: Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY". In Warnock, A. Timothy (ed.). Short of War: Major USAF Contingency Operations 1947-1997 (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Air University Press. ISBN 978-0-16050411-2. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- Hart, Paul (1996). "193rd Special Operations Wing Pennsylvania Air National Guard". The Friends Journal (Summer 1996).
- Haulman, Daniel L. (2000). "Crisis in Grenada: Operation URGENT FURY". In Warnock, A. Timothy (ed.). Short of War: Major USAF Contingency Operations 1947-1997 (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Air University Press. ISBN 978-0-16050411-2. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- van Geffen, Theo (Summer 2022). "Joint Task Force Proven Force and the Gulf War (part 2)" (PDF). Air and Space Power History. 69 (2). Air Force Historical Foundation. Retrieved 17 June 2022.