SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Just as the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing continues to have a significant role in today’s mission, their storied history show the significant contributions they gave to the success of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In December of 2002, while the war in Afghanistan continued to be a prominent fixture in American current events, the 386th AEW began to transform its tiny Southwest Asia undisclosed location from a small steady-state base to, at the time, the largest air base in U.S. Central Commands area of responsibility.
For years, the regime of Saddam Hussein had been threatening its neighbors and defying United Nations inspectors. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush, in concurrence with the U.S. Congress, linked the Hussein regimen to terrorist organizations and sought to ensure the prevention of future attacks like those at the World Trade Center Towers in New York.
On March 19, 2003, U.S. Air Force aircraft entered Iraq signaling the start of OIF. In a short four months the 386th AEW went from 91 to 312 aircraft and reached a max capacity of 13,000 personnel, including Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and coalition forces.
The magnitude of this accomplishment can only truly be measured when it takes into account that previous to this build-up, the 386th AEW didn’t have an operation group commander, a function that was run by the wing commander prior to the war.
During the height of the build-up, the 386 Expeditionary Operations Group oversaw daily airfield operations for flying units from five nations and four services branches.
One of the greatest contributions to OIF was the implementation of new technology for intelligence-gathering missions. Coalition Air Forces flew nearly 1,000 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance sorties during the initial weeks of Operation Iraqi Freedom, collecting 42,000 battlefield images and more than 3,000 hours of full motion video.
By December 2002, the 15th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron was maintaining permanent operations at the 386th AEW. The unit consisted of a combined four RQ-1 and MQ-1 aircraft, 72 personnel, and a ground control station and satellite system. On Feb. 28, 2003, three pilots, 12 maintainers and a new GCS were added to the operation. In only two days, the operational capability increased reconnaissance to 24-hour surveillance over Iraq.
As the war continued, vital resources became more and more scarce. The 386th AEW was the last stop before the Iraqi border. Large units entering Iraq eventually depleted the once-abundant base water supply. On the verge of a critical water shortage, the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron worked with host nationals to solve the issue, allowing transiting units to get water while maintaining wing effectiveness.
On May 1, 2003, major combat operations were declared over in Iraq; however the situation in the area remained unstable. Since 2003, the U.S. Air Force has maintained an uninterrupted presence at the 386th AEW, providing continuous support to the Iraq and the CENTCOM AOR.
Editor’s note: Information provided by the 386th AEW historian’s office, Air Force Historical Research Agency and af.mil.