24th Special Tactics Squadron
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24th Special Tactics Squadron |
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|---|---|
 Unit badge of the 24th Special Tactics Squadron |
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| Lineup | November 15, 1980 |
| Country |
 United States
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| Armed forces |
 United States Armed Forces
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| Armed forces |
 United States Air Force
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| Type | Special unit |
| Strength | unknown (secret) |
| Insinuation |
 Air Force Special Operations Command United States Joint Special Operations Command.svg){kind=small}
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| Location | Pope Air Force Base |
| Nickname | CCT, PJ |
The 24th Special Tactics Squadron ( 24th STS ; German 24th Special Tactics Squadron ) is a squadron of the US Air Force for rescue and recovery operations of all kinds, even under combat conditions and on any terrain ( United States Air Force Pararescue ). It is administratively (troops) part of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), but operationally subordinate to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
assignment
The application scenarios are:
- Search and rescue operations (SAR, S earch a nd R Escue)
- Search and rescue operations under combat conditions (CSAR, C ombat S earch a nd R Escue)
- Rescue and recovery support to NASA if requested.
- All other possible rescue and recovery operations.
organization
The 24th Special Tactics Squadron is stationed at Pope Air Force Base in the US state of North Carolina , where the headquarters of the JSOC is also located, not far from Fort Bragg , the headquarters of the Delta Force .
The organization of the unit, unlike the other Special Tactics Squadrons, is secret , as are the means, tactics and performance characteristics.
Recruitment and training
First, the aspirant goes through the Combat Control / Pararescue Selection (combat flight pilot / combat rescue aptitude test), in which his or her basic suitability for the career is checked. This phase lasts 12 weeks and takes place at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas . He will then be trained as a combat diver for five weeks in the Key West Naval Air Station in Florida in the Special Forces Combat Diver course. After graduation, the three-week parachutist training ( US Army Basic Airborne Course ) begins in Fort Benning in the US state of Georgia . Then the basic knowledge is deepened at the jump school in Fort Bragg , North Carolina and the aspirant is trained in HALO jumping techniques in the US Army Basic Military Freefall (HALO) course. This lasts four weeks. The future para-rescue soldier then undergoes three-week survival training at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington State ( US Air Force Combat Survival course). This is followed by the longest course (22 weeks), the Special Operations Combat Medic Course (special operations medical training under combat conditions). Finally, the aspirant goes through the last phase of training, the Pararescue Recovery Specialist Course (rescue and rescue in combat). This course lasts 20 weeks. Then he is fully trained for his later use in one of the Special Tactics Squadrons.
equipment
The 24th Special Tactics Squadron (24th STS) is predominantly equipped with helicopters of the type MH-60L Black Hawk , HH-60 Pave Hawk and HH-60 MedEvac.
history
Little is known about the actual history of the operation because of the secrecy, but it can be assumed that since the JSOC was founded, the unit has always been involved whenever rescue missions were required for soldiers in an awkward position.
On October 3, 1993, during the Battle of Mogadishu ( Operation Irene ), the 24th Special Tactics Squadron was involved in the rescue operation that was supposed to salvage the crew of the downed UH-60 Blackhawk.
From September 15 to 20, 2000, the unit took part in the Canadian Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) , a maneuver of the Canadian armed forces, together with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron . This was the first time US units took part in this annual exercise.
The unit was part of JSOC groupings Task Force 121 , Task Force 6-26 and Task Force 145 .
On August 6, 2011, three soldiers from this unit were killed when the Taliban shot down a helicopter. It was Air Force Tech. Sgt.John W. Brown , Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell, and Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe .
Web links
- 24th STS at globalsecurity.org (English)
- About Special Tactics Units of the Air Force in general (English)
- STS at delta-green.com (English) ( Memento from December 9, 2000 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Honor The Fallen - Honoring those who fought and died in Iraq and Afghanistan - MilitaryTimes.com ( Memento from August 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive )