The two units were consolidated in 1985 under the wing designation. The 353rd Special Operations Group (353 SOG) is an operational unit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command. One reconnaissance squadron, the 553d Reconnaissance Squadron, was reassigned to the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing and stayed at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. Moved to Thailand in increments beginning mid-September 1967 and began day and night unarmed reconnaissance missions over Southeast Asia on 25 November 1967. The 353rd Special Operations Group organized exercise Gryphon Jet from June 17-26, 2020 at Yokota Air Base, Japan. The sulfur sign at the point of the fix on the disc historically dramatizes the enormity of the power which can be delivered to such a place as a result of the skill of the group. The group's origins date to 1944 … [5], The 353rd Special Operations Group consists of the following squadrons:[6]. Col. Jason Kirby, 353rd Special Operations Group commander, addresses the audience during an assumption of command ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, July 1, 2019. 31 talking about this. The 353d Special Operations Group consists of the following squadrons: 1. The 353rd Special Operations Group is the focal point for all air special operations activities throughout the Pacific. It is stationed at Kadena Air Base, Japan.. Also maintained helicopter air refueling operations and In 2013, the unit supported Operation Damayan, the relief effort from Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. 353d Operations Support Squadron 5. The demi-globe represents the unit's ability to perform its functions anywhere in the world. The ground echelon of the 4th Fighter Squadron (Commando) sailed a week later and arrived on Leyte in early January 1945. 36 talking about this. The squadron carried cargo and passengers and air-evacuated wounded soldiers to Australia until it moved to Leyte in mid-January 1945. This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/. In 2018, the unit assisted with the Thai cave rescue. Aircrews are specially trained in night, low-level flying using night vision goggles. The 353d Special Operations Group is an integral part of the Air Force Special Operations Command and is home-based at Kadena Air Base, Japan. From July to early September 1970 the wing provided combat evaluation of the QU-22B aircraft and on 1 October 1970 the QU-22Bs were placed in full operation, reducing the need for EC-121s. By the end of October 1945, the group moved to Chitose Air Base, Japan. Mission The 353rd Special.jpg 2,100 × 1,397; 1.28 MB In 1989, the consolidated unit was activated as the 353d Special Operations Wing. The 353rd Special Operations Group is an operational unit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command, stationed at Kadena Air Base, Japan.[5]. In addition, the group transported personnel, dropped supplies to ground troops and guerrilla forces, evacuated casualties from front-line strips, adjusted artillery fire, and flew courier and mail routes. From December 1996 periodically deployed aircraft and personnel to Italy to support NATO operations in the Balkans and to Southwest Asia to support allied operations against Iraq. The 353rd Special Operations Group is the focal point for special operations aviation activities throughout the Pacific. Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of Air Force operations. It also made raids on airfields and railways on Formosa, and furnished cover for convoys. 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. 320th Special Tactics Squadron: 1 January 1993 – present, 753d Special Operations Maintenance Squadron: 1 July 2019 – present, Chitose Air Base, Japan, C. 27 October 1945 – 25 March 1946, Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 31 October 1967 – 15 December 1970, Clark Air Base, Philippines, 6 April 1989 (operated from Okinawa, after July 1991), This page was last edited on 16 December 2020, at 03:02. 3d Fighter Squadron (Commando): 1 May 1944 – 25 March 1946 (air echelon detached 7 November 1944 – 7 January 1945). The group's headquarters, liaison, and airdrome squadrons, as well as its medical dispensary and the ground echelons of the 3d Fighter Squadron (Commando) and 318th Troop Carrier Squadron sailed from the west coast in early November 1944, arriving on Leyte on 1 December 1944. Previously: Philippine Department Air Force (1941); Far East Air Force (1941-1942). 157th Liaison Squadron: 1 May 1944 – 10 November 1945 (detached 1 May – c. 18 August 1944 and 3 May – 10 November 1945). 17th Special Operations Squadron(MC-130P Combat Shadow) 3. In August 1945, the group moved to Ie Shima, in the Ryukyus, from where the fighter squadrons flew surveillance missions over Japan. The 353rd Special Operations Group is the focal point for special operations aviation activities throughout the Pacific. The group consisted of the 1st, 17th and 31st Special Operations Squadrons together with 353rd Special Operations Maintenance Squadron and 353rd Special Operations Support Squadron. Also maintained helicopter air refueling operations and supported humanitarian and disaster relief operations, as well as performed some search and rescue and aeromedical evacuation missions. The U.S. Air Force 353rd Special Operations Group organized exercise Gryphon Jet from June 17-26, 2020 at Yokota Air Base, Japan. 1st Special Operations Squadron(MC-130H Combat Talon II) 2. The group's origins date to 1944 … Units from the 374th Airlift Wing and from the 353rd Special Operations Group accomplished a variety of missions alongside their Japan Self-Defense Force and joint partners across the Kanto Plains, allowing the enhancement of bilateral operations between the U.S. and Japan. The 353d Special Operations Group (353 SOG) is an operational unit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command.It is stationed at Kadena Air Base, Japan.. 31st Special Operations Squadron: 6 April 1989 – 31 August 2001. Defense.gov News Photo 110316-F-UI176-556 - Members of the 353rd Special Operations Group off-load and upload new gear at Sendai Airport Japan on March 16 2011. The in dark and light coloration of the batcat suggests the day and night flying capabilities of the Group. This new major command consisted of three wings: the 1st, 39th and 353rd Special Operations Wings as well as the 1720th Special Tactics Group (1720 STG), the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School, and the Special Missions Operational Test and Evaluation Center. 353rd Special Operations Group completes Exercise Teak Net 16-1 "This year is the third year in a row where the 353rd SOG has come to New Zealand," said Maj. Christopher Izell, Exercise Teak Net mission commander." In April 1945, the group, less the liaison squadrons, moved from Mandaldan, on the Lingayen Gulf, to Laoag, in northwest Luzon, in recently captured territory 150 miles behind enemy lines. Aircrews are specially trained in night, low-level flying using night vision goggles in April 1996 and began and... 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