1 - The Black Vault

OPERATION ASSURED RESPONSE TO THE NEW MILLENNIUM
Guam for JCS Exercise Tandem Thrust 99. In addition
the group deployed 98 personnel and two
MH-53J helicopters from the 31st SOS based at
Osan AB, Korea. During the exercise 353d SOG
aircrews employed NVG/terrain-following systems,
performed air-drop and airland missions, and accomplished
low-level profiles during the course of
the exercise. Combined, the Combat Talon and
Combat Shadow aircraft flew 47 sorties and logged
83.5 flying hours. Also in March the 1st SOS deployed
to Ubon RTAFB, Thailand, for JCET Balance
Torch 99-4. The 15th SOS also deployed one
MC-130H from Hurlburt Field to participate in the
two-week long event. En route maintenance prob -
lems delayed the arrival of the Hurlburt Field
Talon by eight days, putting a strain on the 1st
SOS crew to accomplish scheduled exercise sorties.
The JCET was a success due to the exceptional
work by deployed maintenance specialists. Even
with the delay of the 15th SOS Talon, the JCET
enjoyed a 100 percent launch rate and a 93 percent
mission effectiveness rate. 152
The squadron returned to Korea in May for
Teak Knife 99-6 with two CT IIs. Emphasis was
placed on working with the ROKAF 255th SOS
and its C-130H aircraft. Mission rehearsals were
executed from 12 to 18 May, and the exercise culminated
on 19 May with a full-blown tactical
event. The JCET was the sixth of the year in Korea
for the 353d SOG. In July the squadron deployed
one Combat Talon II to Singapore for Merlynx
99-1, which was a JCET designed around a
naval scenario with US Navy SEALs and a royal
Singapore naval diving unit as the primary customers.
Airborne intercept training was also accomplished
between the 1st SOS Combat Talon
and F-15 fighters from the 497th Fighter Squadron,
which was also based in Singapore. The
JCET staged out of Paya Lebar AB, and shortfield
landings were completed at Sudong Island
airstrip. The Singapore 122d Fighter Squadron
also participated in airborne intercept training
during the exercise. 153
The squadron accomplished another first in
July when it deployed one MC-130H to Antananarivo
International Airport in Madagascar to
participate in Balance Mist 99-1. On 22 July the
1st SOS transported 12 members of the 2d Battalion,
1st SFG(A), to Madagascar, and remained in
country until returning to Kadena AB on 25 July.
Although no tactical sorties were flown in the host
country, the crew received valuable experience as
it transited locations in the Indian Ocean. The
crew stopped at Diego Garcia, Kuala Lumpur, and
Hong Kong before landing back at Kadena AB.
The landing in Hong Kong was significant because
it was the first time a US military aircraft
had been allowed to land there since the accidental
bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade,
Yugoslavia, by NATO forces on 7 May 1999. On
26 August, as Balance Mist drew to a close, a 17th
SOS Combat Shadow retraced the Talon’s route of
flight, and picked up the US team and returned it
to Kadena AB on 3 September. 154
The fall period was spent supporting Korean
exercises, including Ulchi Focus Lens and Foal
Eagle 99. In November the 1st SOS had the opportunity
to participate in a humanitarian relief
operation in Vietnam. As a result of damage
caused by severe flooding in six provinces and in
the provincial capital of Hue, the US ambassador
there determined that the situation was of such
magnitude that the US government should step
in and assist the Vietnamese government. One
MC-130H and one MC-130P launched from
Kadena AB and proceeded to Andersen AFB,
Guam, where the two aircraft onloaded 10 pallets
of general relief supplies from the Office of Foreign
Disaster Relief storage warehouse located
there. On 11 November the two aircraft flew from
Guam to Hue, and delivered 22,000 pounds of
plastic sheeting, 3,600 blankets, and 5,000 water
containers. The aircraft shutdown near the control
tower after taxiing past farmers using the
taxiways to dry their yellow rice. With no K-loaders
or specialized equipment to off-load the aircraft,
volunteers stepped in to unload the supplies by
hand. Working side by side 353d SOG personnel,
members of the Vietnamese military, and civilian
laborers swiftly removed the supplies from the
aircraft. The two aircraft departed the same day
and returned to Kadena AB. Although the effort
was a small one, it demonstrated to the people of
central Vietnam that the US government was
ready to help in time of need. 155
The year 1999 ended as it had begun with the
1st SOS deployed throughout the Pacific. The
Combat Talon II was a mature weapons system
that had demonstrated its ability to go anywhere
in the theater and accomplish its mission.
The 8th SOS to Become
First Active Associate Squadron
Operations at Hurlburt Field continued at a
high pace during 1999 for the two Talon squadrons
stationed there. For the 8th SOS the New
Year began with a deployment to Red Flag 99-2.
The squadron deployed two MC-130E Combat
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