by Senior Airman Paul Ross
116th Air Control Wing
Public Affairs Office

Through five years of war, inspections and varying opinions, the only Total Force blended wing in the Air Force,  Robins’ 116th Air Control Wing has made a name for itself -- not only because of its unique make-up, but because of the continuing success of it equally unique E-8C Joint STARS mission.

      In October of 2002, the 116th Bomb Wing and the 93rd Air Control Wing combined to form the 116th Air Control Wing. This unique merger brought together Active-Duty and Air National Guard Airmen, Army Soldiers and civilians. Almost immediately after the activation of the wing, its troops and aircraft went to war.

      “To instantly do what had never been done, and many said couldn't be done, was incredibly exciting to be a part of,” said Brig. Gen. Tom Lynn, Headquarters Air Force Director of Aircraft and Weapons Maintenance and first commander of the 116th ACW. “To create a new family made up of Active Duty, Guard, Army and civilians was truly a sight to behold and to go off to war with almost the entire wing and all of the aircraft showed me that this was an amazing organization.  The 116th is an organization that could withstand any challenge -- one that would only get better with time.”

      The Joint STARS aircraft has logged more than 30,000 flying hours in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. With a low density, high demand mission platform, the 116th and its troops are in a constant state of deployment supporting Army, Marines and other military members. An instance in which JSTARS provided support for military on the ground came in March 2003.

      “On March 26, 2003, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, JSTARS detected a large convoy heading south out of Baghdad directly toward friendly forces during a severe sandstorm,” said Lt. Col. John Werner, 116th Standardization and Evaluation deputy chief. “Our crew was orbiting in Southeastern Iraq monitoring enemy movement in the vicinity of Baghdad. With our robust data links we were able to forward these tracks real time to the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) and to the 3rd IDs Common Ground Stations. We coordinated with AWACS and directed coalition fighters, F-16s and RAF GR-7s, onto the lead elements of the convoy. The fighters went low level to get a visual. They said the area was a snake pit and were unable to fly under the weather low enough to make a visual determination. We continued with other assets to get a positive I.D. but were unable throughout the mission. The data was also being sent to ground commanders through the common ground stations our jet was linked to. With this information, the ground commanders were able to determine location, size, and speed of the convoy and arranged with tactical air control parties to control B-52 strikes against them. The total time from initial detection to destruction of the convoy was less than 10 hours. Our contributions to this effort were appreciated by the ground forces who were threatened by the enemy and unable to effectively determine their movement throughout the sandstorm. Despite the weather, JSTARS provided the Combined Air Operations Center and the ground commanders the information they needed to get the job done.”

      The mission was called, “The turning point of the war,” by former Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. John Jumper.

      The unique wing has not only proved itself with real-world support of the Global War or Terrorism but has also brought home numerous awards including The Air Force outstanding unit award every year since the blending and four Air Force Association Battle Management Crew of the Year awards in the past five years. The unit has successfully completed an operational readiness inspection and a unit compliance inspection. In addition to all of the unit’s accomplishments, its individual members have won too many awards to mention. All of this has been done while logging more than 30,000 flying hours in support of the ongoing war.

      “There have been many opinions, internal and external to the wing, about the viability and success of the wing,” said Brig. Gen. Jim Jones, 55th Wing commander and former commander of the 116th ACW. “Look hard enough at any organization and you can find cracks and flaws -- but nobody can ever argue with the sustained contributions the JSTARS team has brought to the Global War on Terrorism. When you're engaged in a war that threatens our national security, there is no better measure for success.”

      Looking toward the future, the next five years are uncertain with respect to the Global War on Terrorism and the U.S. involvement, but one thing remains clear -- JSTARS is the Air Force’s premier platform performing command and control and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance within a single aircraft.

      “The work you do in the FOL is meaningful and makes a difference,” said Brig. Gen. Tom Moore, 116th ACW commander. “It requires continued commitment from the great men and women of the JSTARS Family. Not a day goes by that we’re not flying in the air, helping protect the lives of our forces on the ground, while defeating insurgents. What you do matters – and don’t you ever forget it.”