1 - The Black Vault

PRAETORIAN STARSHIP
command of the squadron from McCaslin, thus
ushering in a new Combat Talon II era in Europe.
Three weeks later the 39th SOW was officially
inactivated, and the 352d SOG was activated in
its place at RAF Alconbury. The year 1992 had
been one of change and reorganization. As European
SOF approached the New Year, the 7th SOS
was operational with the Combat Talon II, with
the older CT Is being transferred back to the
United States. During the entire process there
was never a lapse in theater combat capability.
1993: Year of Change
throughout AFSOC
A Combat Talon II SATAF visited Kadena AB
in January to evaluate the suitability of Kadena
AB for CT II beddown during 1993, and it rated
the site unsatisfactory. The SATAF determined
that the support equipment and spares requirements
for the new aircraft could not be met in the
Pacific theater, thus making maintenance of the
new aircraft impossible. A shortage of spare parts
for the CT II at the already established CT II
locations would only be made worse by the long
supply chain from the United States to Okinawa.
84 Also, the lack of a second C-130–capable
hangar was identified as a shortfall that had to be
rectified before arrival of the new aircraft.
As a result of the SATAF findings, Headquarters
AFSOC completed an internal study and determined
that the programmed delivery of the
Pacific CT IIs had to be changed. A working
group convened at Hurlburt Field in March and
proposed several possible courses of action. From
these, Headquarters AFSOC agreed to change the
beddown of the five Kadena-bound CT IIs as
follows—15th SOS (three PAA and one BAI) and
the 550th FTS (Kirtland AFB) (one PAT); extend
the five PAA/one BAI HC-130s at Kadena AB
through FY 4-95; and continue growth of the 1st
SOS to four PAA/one BAI MC-130Es but maximize
beddown of helo-refuelable Talons at the 8th
SOS to accommodate US-based aerial refueling requirements.
Headquarters AFSOC recommended
delaying fielding of the CT II in the Pacific until
1995 and forwarded a program change request to
USCINCSOC in June. The new schedule had the
353d SOG receiving a total of four CT II aircraft
by the end of 1995, with the 17th SOS receiving
its new CT IIs during FY 4-95. 85
Pacific-Based Talons Rebuild
As the CT II beddown issue was being debated,
the 353d SOG and the 1st SOS concentrated on
their rebuilding program in the wake of the decision
to beddown the group at Kadena AB. In addition
to the beddown initiatives, the thrust of the
group’s activities focused on improving readiness
in preparation for its first ORI, which was scheduled
for the following November. For most of February
and March, the group deployed aircraft to
Thailand in support of Exercise Balance Torch.
The 1st SOS Combat Talons, and aircraft from its
sister squadrons in the group, participated in the
unconventional warfare exercise. In the midst of
executing the exercise, AFSOC was hit with an
18.5 percent reduction in flying hours (and associated
funding), and Headquarters AFSOC subsequently
reduced the 353d SOG’s allocation proportionately.
From Kadena AB, Stankovich
quickly notified the squadrons of the situation,
halted all purchases from supply, and canceled all
nonessential TDYs. For Balance Torch all flying
not directly in support of exercise-tasked missions
was canceled. The 17th SOS suspended flying for
10 days due to the crisis. Combat Talon missions
that had been planned for five to six hours were
cut to two hours, which was just enough time to
deliver the troops to their exercise areas and then
return to base. On 2 March AFSOC was able to
give the group an additional 75 hours to complete
Balance Torch . By the end of March the USSO-
COM had reinstated funding for AFSOC, and the
previously lost flying hours were restored to the
353d SOG. 86
In another step towards stability, Headquarters
PACAF issued orders on 29 March permanently
assigning the 31st SOS to Osan AB, Korea. For
the remainder of the group, Kadena AB continued
as its interim beddown location. 87 In May Admiral
Larson, CINCPAC, issued his commander’s intent
statement for FY 94. He reiterated the PACOM
strategy of cooperative engagement and emphasized
his goals of cementing US military ties
with Northeast Asian nations and furthering relationships
with Australia, Thailand, and the
Philippines. Japan and Korea continued to be
the two most important alliances in the Pacific
region. For the 1st SOS the squadron actively
supported the CINC’s cooperative engagement
strategy through its participation in the
SOCPAC JCET program. Reinholz’s diligence
the previous year in supporting all JCET and
JCS exercise commitments did not go unnoticed
throughout the region. 88
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