920th Rescue Wing deploys for Naval exercise

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  • By 507th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  As the Rim of the Pacific exercise enters its final two weeks, more Air Force Reservists have winged their way to Hawaii to participate.

Two HC-130s Hercules aircraft and three HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters from the 920th Rescue Wing arrived July 17. The HH-60s mid-air refueling capability provides rescue crews with virtually unlimited range.

Based out of Patrick Air Force Base, Florida the 920th RQW is an Air Force Reserve Command combat-search-and-rescue unit. The 920th RQW will have a total of 117 Air Force Reservists participating in the exercise through the end of July. The wing mobilized to Afghanistan in 2009 under Operation Enduring Freedom for 14 months in where they were credited with more than 1,100 combat saves. Most recently they were activated from January through April this year where the Guardian Angels from the 304th, 306th, and 308th Rescue Squadrons completed four months in Afghanistan.

Previously the wing mobilized to Afghanistan in 2005 for Operation Enduring Freedom, making 54 combat rescues, including U.S. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, who documented his ordeal in the best-selling novel, "Lone Survivor."

RIMPAC is a series of multinational maritime exercises currently underway in the Hawaiian operating area. Held biennially by U.S. Pacific Fleet, the 2010 RIMPAC exercise is the 22nd time it has been held. Fourteen nations, 32 ships, five submarines, over 170 aircraft and 20,000 personnel will participate in the exercise in the Hawaiian operating area in, and around, the islands of Hawaii. In addition to U.S. military forces, military units from Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Netherlands, Peru, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Thailand will participate. The countries of Brazil, India, and New Zealand will send observers.

RIMPAC helps improve leadership at all levels, increase personnel proficiency, and hone leadership's ability to adapt to rapid changes. For the naval forces involved the exercise offers the opportunity for forces to hone their skills - from disaster response to anti-piracy operations -- in a complex, challenging, multinational environment designed to improve cooperation and command and control operations.

Immediately after their arrival on July 17, the 920th members unfolded their helos from the C-17 Globemaster IIIs and C-5 Galaxy aircraft used for shipment, participated in local in-briefs and began flying local familiarization flights around the island. The mission of the 920th is search for, locate and recover U.S. Armed Forces personnel during military operations. Their arrival at Hickam allows them to enter the exercise during the tactical phase where participants will transition into the execution of a combat operations scenario consisting of unscheduled events where participants will have the opportunity to operate as they would during actual real world contingency or conflict operations.

According to Col. Christopher Hannon, 920th RQW Operations Group commander, "This is our first time supporting RIMPAC and it will be unique experience. However, we have supported other exercises this year. Our most recent exercise was In February when we participated in Emerald Warrior and Angel Thunder that focused specifically on combat search and rescue."

The 920th brings an array of equipment and talent to this year's exercise. In addition to the Pave Hawk helicopters from it 301st RQS and Hercules tanker aircraft from its 39th RQS, Guardian Angels combat rescue officers and pararescuemen from its 308th RQS, there are also aircraft maintenance, operations support squadron and intelligence personnel.

"We plan on having our intel, group commander, a combat rescue officer, and mission planners embedded in the 613th Combined Air and Space Operations Center (at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii)," the colonel said.

Colonel Hannon said the benefits of participating in the 2010 RIMPAC will result in enormous training opportunities for the 920th. "The Air Force is the only service that has a dedicated personnel recovery force that trains for combat search and rescue operations in a major task force environment," he said. "This exercise gives us an invaluable operational opportunity to practice safely deploying, employing, and re-deploying combat search and rescue assets."

He continued saying, "This is a great opportunity to train our Combat Search and Rescue Task Force skills including working with C2ISR, AWACs, fighters for rescue combat air patrol high-up fighter protection, fighters/attack helicopters for low environment protection similar to operations in Afghanistan, helicopter air refueling with the HC-130, as well as rigged alternate method zodiac drops which is parachute operations for our boats and Guardian Angel teams to the ocean."

The colonel said the Reservists will also be practicing high altitude operations, brown-out landings, and transload operations.

"This gives us quick medical patient transfer from the combat zone to a rear hospital," he said. "We'll be conducting our rescue training both day and night using night vision goggles and practice one our special deck landing mission qualifications by landing on U.S. Navy ships."

The rescue teams will also work with the U.S. Coast Guard's Maritime Safety and Security Teams as they conduct helicopter visit board search and seizure operations.

"As we get ready for our deployment to Afghanistan next summer, this exercise will also give us an opportunity to train inexperienced wing personnel on deployed operations prior to our AEF," Colonel Hannon said.

The colonel said the joint and combined experience RIMPAC 2010 offers closely ties to current military operations in Afghanistan working with the International Security Assistance Forces.

"We hope to gain joint operational experience and cross-tell rescue tactics, techniques and procedures. We see this exercise will give us an opportunity to demonstrate U.S. Air Force CSAR capabilities to the sister services and the forces from the multiple participating countries while also receiving an excellent opportunity to hone our skills."