USAF unit leverages special ops skills for humanitarian missions

A US Air Force special operations unit brings a unique perspective and capabilities to the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission in the Asia-Pacific.

The 353^rd Special Operations Wing (SOW) is equipped with two of USAF’s most capable tactical transports: the Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II, and the Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor. The wing also operates the C-146A Wolfhound, USAF’s designation for the Dornier 328 turboprop.

The unit specialises in difficult missions. According to USAF’s fact sheet for the MC-130J, the aircraft is optimised for missions such as low-level infiltration in challenging conditions, and the air-to-air refuelling of helicopters and tiltrotors above “politically sensitive or hostile territories.”

Equipped with terrain following radar and threat countermeasures systems, the 353^rd SOW’s CV-22s conduct long-rang infiltration and exfiltration for special forces.

A key focus for the wing, which is based at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, is the ability to operate in difficult, remote conditions with limited outside support.

Curiously, it is these high-end warfighting capabilities that make the 353^rd SOW particularly well suited to providing humanitarian support in the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) theatre of operations, which extends from India in the west to Hawaii in the east.

“In terms of the skills we practice in the military, whether it’s alternate search and extraction methods, or aerial refuelling to help extend our range and reach, or landing in these austere environments, or operating under the cover of darkness at night-time…it’s not by design, but all of these things play into what the HADR situation will do to the affected location,” says Lt. Colonel Erik Towal, director of operations for the 353^rd SOW.

Towal lists several major calamities in which he 353^rd SOW has provided support, from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan in 2011, to Typhoon Haiyan, which pounded the Philippines in 2013. In 2018, aircraft from the 353^rd SOW operated into Northern Thailand in support of the “Thai Cave Rescue”, in which a boys soccer team was trapped in a flooded cave.

“We’re small, we’re nimble and we’ve got the fleet of aircraft that’s capable of operating in austere environments,” says Towal. “That’s where we have the capability to react at speed to get some of those critical supplies in.”

He estimates that the 353^rd SOW probably conducts a HADR mission every month. Most of these are small, such as bringing supplies to a remote community. Cargo can include food and water, or potentially generators and water purification gear.

Towal indicates that perhaps the biggest challenge when conducting HADR missions is the situation on the ground. Natural disasters can damage airport infrastructure. Runways may be very short with limited refuelling capability, ground power units may be unavailable, and the airfield’s electricity may be out.

For runways that can’t be accessed owing to damage or debris, Towal says access options can include using the CV-22 to land personnel to clear debris or repair damage, or even parachuting in specialists who can assess the situation on the ground. The 353^rd SOW can also operate to and from austere airfields at night, with specially trained airmen providing air traffic control in the absence of functioning control towers.

The SOW’s pilots also train to work from short airfields. In addition, the wing can set up forward air refuelling points based off the MC-130H. These can support “hub and spoke” HADR operations using the Ospreys. The C-146As can be used for medical evacuation work.

“You never quite know until you get folks on the ground or airplanes overhead in terms of what’s available,” says Towal. “So when we are taking critical supplies in, or opening the ability to evacuate folks from a disaster area, the central concern is the impact of the facilities.”

Towal also notes that the 353^rd SOW is accustomed to working with partners, including other US units, as well as other militaries.

“For us special operations airmen, one of the biggest things we bring is our interaction with partners and individuals from other countries, and our ability to blend together, as well as be joint interoperable,” says Towal.

“We build that connective tissue with a lot of partner nations and countries.”

Recent activities with partners include Thailand’s Cobra Gold exercise, where the unit practiced formation flying as well as the infiltration and exfiltration of troops with the Royal Thai Air Force. Cobra Gold also saw the unit conduct air-to-air refuelling operations with US Marine Corps Lockheed Martin F-35Bs.

Cobra Gold coincided with participation in Exercise Freedom Shield in South Korea. The South Korean mission saw an MC-130J fly an M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) vehicle to an undisclosed airfield, simulating the rapid deployment of a rocket launcher. In late 2022, a 353^rd SOW MC-130J became the first example of the Hercules variant to visit INS Hansa near the Indian city of Goa.

Regarding training work specific to the HADR mission, the 353^rd SOW conducts quarterly events. These involve taking a previous disaster, such as a typhoon hitting a country in the INDOPACOM region and working out to address it. Sometimes the work involves actual flights to a simulated disaster location.

“That allows us to rehearse a lot of the issues we might face, which will help our team be prepared and ready to respond to them,” says Towal.