Wing playing key role in war

Mountain Home Air Force Base is playing a major role in the war against terrorism, Col. Irving L. Halter, Jr., commander of the 366th Wing, told members of the Military Affairs Committee last week.

"In terms of Air Force combat sorties (dropping bombs on targets), we've made over half" of all the strikes against Taliban targets in Afghanistan, Halter told the committee in an update of base operations.

Halter said that while the Navy had flown more bombing sorties, primarily from carriers stationed in the Persian Gulf and northern Indian Ocean, they have accounted for only a small number of the targets hit.

The bomber force, he pointed out, of which the base's 34th Bomb Squadron is playing a major role, "can hit a lot of targets" in a single sortie using JDAMs (Joint Directed Attack Munitions) bomb loads. That, combined with warheads that hit targets based on GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) coordinates, has meant large numbers of targets can be accurately hit in a single sortie.

"Our B-1s have been a big part of that," he told the MAC members.

Halter stressed that the war in Afghanistan "has really been a joint operation" with Air Force and Navy aircraft coordinating with ground forces to an unprecedented degree, but took time to wave the flag for the Air Force, noting that Air Force tankers provide all refueling capabilities for both Navy and USAF planes, provide all the photo and infrared reconnaissance, and are responsible for all the airlift bringing in ground troops and support personnel. "You can be proud of the Air Force," he said, while simultaneously praising the efforts of the other services involved.

Halter also said that the base now has over 1,200 personnel deployed to the war zones, and "in terms of people deployed, by several hundred, we've sent more than any other base in the Air Force.

"We're the on-call wing, and we got the call," he said, adding his own personal disappointment that he has been forced to stay behind and not join the troops he has sent to war.

Halter said the base's personnel are scattered throughout southwest Asia and the Indian Ocean, in some cases in units numbering several hundred, and in others just a small handful. So far the wing has deployed the 34th Bomb Squadron and its B-1B Lancer bombers, the 391st Fighter Squadron and its F-15E Strike Eagles, a portion of the 389th Fighter Squadron's F-16CJ "wild weasel" suppression of enemy air defense aircraft, and a number of support personnel ranging from medical to security forces. In exchange, about 100 National Guardsmen and Reservists have been assigned to the base to help fill in some of the holes created by the deployments.

The base's sole remaining "fighting" flying squadron, the 390th Fighter Squadron and its F-15C air superiority fighters also has played an active role in the war, as well. Halter noted they are currently tasked to provide CAP (Combat Air Patrol) flights over this area of the United States. Such CAP patrols were initiated after the Sept. 11 hijackings. The planes are tasked with shooting down any commercial airlines that may be hijacked, or any other aircraft deemed to pose a threat to American citizens.

During Halter's presentation last Wednesday he also discussed the ongoing force structure changes scheduled to take place at Mountain Home AFB.

"The only ones we can talk about right now are the 34th and the 22nd (Air Refueling Squadron)," he said. "I don't want to see them go, but it will happen over the next year."

The Air Force has announced plans to eliminate the 34th Bomb Squadron and allocate its aircraft and crews to other bases as part of a major move to consolidate the B-1 fleet. The 22nd ARS also will be taken down and its KC-135R tankers allocated to the Kansas National Guard.

In exchange, the Air Force has promised to keep the number of personnel at the base at current levels by increasing the number of aircraft in the fighter squadrons and support personnel for those plans, as well as adding some non-flying units to the base, possibly under the umbrella of the 726th Air Control Squadron, which provides radar battlefield management capabilities.

"I can't talk about the 726th right now," Halter said, "but it will see some growth."

"Change is painful, but in the end game we'll have the same number of bodies and eventually more aircraft." The Air Force has indicated it will boost the number of planes in the 391st FS from 18 to 24 as the first step in replacing some of the personnel and aircraft being lost, and eventually will do the same for the 389th and 390th fighter squadrons.

Halter said that despite the war, "the Air Force force structure changes are going forward." He said a planning team from Air Combat Command was expected to be on base this week to begin analyzing the best way to accomplish the moves announced recently by the Air Force, which has promised to make the transition as smooth as possible so as not to overly disrupt an already battered Mountain Home economy.

"When they walk out we'll probably have more questions than answers," Halter said, but the goal is to make the transition "work well for both the community and our people."

Some people have expressed concerns that the moves were eliminating the unique "composite wing" aspect of the base, which is only one of two in the nation designed to rapidly deploy a complete air campaign-capable unit to trouble spots around the world.

"Will this become a fighter wing?" Halter asked rhetorically. "Yes. That's true. It would be nice to have all the assets we have now, but the wing will still be a composite force, only with three different fighter types," and would retain its status as one of two USAF rapid reaction forces. Other units would be added on to the core of fighters as needed, and the wing constantly trains with those additional aircraft, including Navy EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare planes, and USAF AWACS air control and F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter/bombers.

Halter also took the opportunity to "thank all of you" in the community for the support shown the base during the recent crisis. "We have had no lack of offers of support" and area citizens have contributed greatly to programs such as Operation Warmheart, which provides assistance for needed Air Force families.

Halter also noted that for security reasons, the traditional holiday packages for "any service member" are not longer being accepted.

MAC members also saw a presentation of the wing's recent deployment of some of its troops to the Bright Star multi-national training exercise in Egypt, and received a brief intelligence overview of the current status of the war in Afghanistan.