1 - The Black Vault

PRAETORIAN STARSHIP
1991 the 1550th CCTW merged with the 1606th
ABW to form the 542d CTW. General Higham
assumed command of the 542d CTW, and a former
Combat Talon I operator, Colonel Vycital
(previously the commander of the 1550th CCTW),
was appointed vice commander of the 542d. Manpower
and resources were transferred to the 542d
CTW, and all former unit designations of the
1606th were inactivated. 64
The merging of the two wings was only temporary.
At the Corona Fall 92 commander’s conference,
plans were unveiled by CSAF (General
McPeak) to transfer Kirtland AFB from MAC
(now Air Mobility Command) to Air Force Materiel
Command (AFMC) because the latter held the
preponderance of forces assigned to the base. The
transfer of the base became effective on 1 January
1993. The impact of the base transfer resulted in
the establishment of a new AFMC host base wing
using support units from the 542d CTW. In late
December 1992 approval from Air Staff was received
to activate the 377th ABW as Kirtland
AFB’s new host base wing. 65
The 542d CTW remained a separate crew training
wing assigned to AMC and a tenant unit at
Kirtland AFB throughout its operational life. It
was solely responsible for the aircrew training
mission. The pattern of constant change continued
through 1993, when on 1 July, the 542d CTW was
transferred to AETC located at Randolph AFB,
Texas. The move to AETC was brought on by
CSAF initiatives associated with USAF reorganization
and alignment. The constant change and
turmoil had their impact on the new Combat
Talon II training program, but thanks to dedicated
individuals committed to making the effort a success,
the schedule was not impacted to a point
where student training was impeded. 66
Decision Made to Base
Pacific Units at Kadena AB
The year 1992 found the 353d SOW still in
limbo after Mount Pinatubo, with forces located
at Kadena AB and Futenma MCAS on Okinawa.
Since evacuating Clark AB on 11 June 1991, and
with the subsequent denial of the government of
the Philippines to continue the lease there, Headquarters
AFSOC had continued to look for a suitable
beddown location. As the months passed and
personnel returned to the United States, much of
the wing’s functions were performed by temporary
duty augmentees provided by the 1st SOW at
Hurlburt Field. As the wing approached its 180-
day temporary duty limit, AFSOC was forced to
redesignate the wing so that it could continue to
operate in the Pacific. On 31 December 1991 the
353d SOW was redesignated the Special Operations
Wing Provisional, 353d. Operating under
provisional status allowed the wing to continue its
mission until a basing decision was made. From
31 December 1991 to 5 February 1992, the wing
functioned with a handful of people permanently
assigned, while most other personnel were attached
to the provisional wing in TDY status under
a program known as Scimitar Sweep. During
this period AFSOC kept the provisional wing
manned at approximately 55 percent—297 personnel,
excluding 177 assigned to the 17th SOS
already at Kadena AB (total of 474). 67 On 17
January 1992 the American embassy in Tokyo informed
the government of Japan of the proposed
interim relocation of the 353d SOW to Kadena
AB. General Hurd, who had taken over as the
18th Wing commander, softened the impact on
Okinawa by privately informing Governor Ota before
the public announcement. Headquarters AF-
SOC publicly announced the decision on 11 February.
Surprisingly, there was no public outcry,
and Headquarters PACAF quietly issued orders
officially moving the 353d SOW from Clark AB to
Kadena AB, effective 5 February 1992. 68
Following the beddown decision, agreements between
Air Force and base level personnel managers
allowed a steady increase in the wing’s manning
by about 75 personnel each month as new
permanent party members began arriving and
Scimitar Sweep augmentees departed. By the end
of September 1992, all TDY manning for the 353d
SOW had ended, while the 31st SOS (which had
moved to Osan AB, ROK, from Futenma MCAS)
maintained a few TDY personnel through December.
With the 353d SOW reconstituted, Headquarters
AFSOC deactivated the Special Operations
Wing Provisional, 353d, on 28 February 1993. 69
No formal public announcement was made on
the decision to relocate the 31st SOS from
Futenma MCAS to Osan AB, ROK, and the decision
was kept classified until 1 April 1993. Even
after declassification, no public announcement
was made at the request of the Republic of Korea.
South Korea was in peace negotiations with
North Korea and did not want the new special
operations unit to become entangled in that process.
Although the beddown decision had been
made, one stipulation in the wording of the decision
continued to affect the permanent status of
the 353d SOW and its assigned squadrons—the
decision to locate the wing in Okinawa and in
384