Unit Name: | 955th Air Expeditionary Squadron |
Dates: | 2009 - present |
Branch: | United States Air Force |
Type: | Combat & Combat Support |
Role: | Joint Expeditionary Tasked (JET) Airmen |
Command Structure: | U.S. Air Force Squadron |
Current Commander: | Lt Col Donald (Don) A. Morris, USAF |
Garrison: | Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar |
Motto: | "Sumus Omnes in Bello Pro Pace" (All in the Fight For Peace) |
Colors: | Black & Blue & Green |
Battles: |
The 955th Air Expeditionary Squadron of the United States Air Force performed Operational and Administrative Control (OPCON/ADCON) of Joint Expeditionary Tasking and Individual Augmentee (JET/IA) Airmen in Afghanistan. The squadron is assigned to the 405th Air Expeditionary Group.[1]
The Air Force set up the 955th Air Expeditionary Squadron (AES) to provide Operational Control (OPCON) and Administrative Control (ADCON) support to assigned Joint Expeditionary Tasking and Individual Augmentee (JET/IA) Airmen under the Tactical Control (TACON) of Coalition and Joint organizations across the world to further Operation FREEDOM'S SENTINEL and NATO's Resolute Support campaign.
The 955 AES is now headquartered at Al Udeid, AB, Qatar after having come Over the Horizon from Bagram Airfield (BAF) as part of a tactical realignment of Afghanistan. BAF is a militarized airport and housing complex located next to the ancient mile-high city of Bagram in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. The base is run by an Army division headed by a two-star general. All the Joint Expeditionary Tasked (JET) and Individual Augmenteer (IA) Airmen assigned to Northern and Eastern Afghanistan are ADCON to the 955 AES. This includes over 510 Airmen at BAF and 400 more at 70 combat outposts and bases.
The "Air" in Airpower represents Airman, not just aircraft. Airmen are an important part of the Air Force's contribution to the Joint mission in Afghanistan. The Air Force has delegated Tactical Control (TACON) over some of its Airmen in critical support billets to a Joint supervisor who may be from any branch of military service. But the Air Force retains ADCON over its Airmen. The Air Force lends its Airmen's skills, talents and temporary service to the Joint team, but Airmen still work for an Air Force Squadron: the 966AES is that squadron for those Airmen in Regional Command-East and Regional Command-North.
The 955th Air Expeditionary Squadron (955 AES), activated 5 May 2009,[2] was redesignated the 966th AES in November 2010. The 766th Air Expeditionary Squadron (766 AES) was moved from Forward Operating Base Sharana and inactivated on 23 March 2011; its mission was folded into the 966 AES.[1]
On 1 June 2016 the 966th Air Expeditionary Squadron was redesignated the 955th Air Expeditionary Squadron and realigned under the 455th Expeditionary Mission Support Group, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.[3]
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Lt Col Richard Goodman II sustained a continuous JTOC connection for 58:43 minutes on 28 Jun 2014