4404th Wing (Provisional)
Emblem of the 4404th Composite Wing (Provisional)
Active1991-1998
CountryUnited States
BranchUnited States Air Force
4404th Wing (Provisional) F-15C Eagles fly a routine patrol mission over Southern Iraq on April 4, 1998, in support of Operation Southern Watch.

The 4404th Wing (Provisional) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last was assigned to the Air Combat Command (ACC), stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.

The mission of the 4404th Wing (Provisional) was to serve as the front line defense against possible Iraqi aggression after the 1991 Gulf War. It enforced United Nations Security Council Resolutions 687, 688, and 949 and protected United States military forces stationed in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The wing was inactivated on 1 October 1998.

History

Established by Tactical Air Command at Prince Sultan Air Base, Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia, to partially replace provisional air divisions established during the 1991 Gulf War. The original aircraft, personnel, and equipment of the 4404th TFW came from the 4th TFW (Provisional), which had operated during the Gulf War. In June 1991 the wing relocated to King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Dahran, where it was officially activated as the 4404th Wing (Provisional) on 2 August 1991.

From the start of Operation Southern Watch, the Wing was structured and manned to carry out a temporary mission, insuring that Iraq complied with the post-Operation Desert Storm United Nations sanctions. It later was engaged in (Operation Provide Comfort, and later Operation Northern Watch were commanded by the US European Command (EUCOM)). The wing consisted of six provisional groups assigned at nine locations in the Persian Gulf region, including Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

In 1993 then Lieutenant Colonel Chuck Wilson commanded the 4402nd Reconnaissance Squadron (Provisional) (4402 RS), known as the Desert Dragons, at Taif Air Base, Saudi Arabia.[1][2]: 354  A provisional squadron is one created for a limited time to accomplish a specific mission.[3] The 4402 RS was formed to continue reconnaissance operations over Iraq after the end of the 1991 Gulf War in order to ensure compliance with United Nations (UN) resolutions.[4]: 312  U-2s from the 4402 RS flew Olive Branch missions to look for imagery evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.[4]: 312 [5]: 178  The Iraqi government did not approve of these overflights, and Wilson's first U-2 mission was targeted by Iraqi anti-aircraft weapons. The U-2s operating in-theater at this time had outdated defensive capabilities. Wilson's mission report was instrumental in obtaining funding for the "Band Aid" upgrades to the U-2's defensive systems.[4]: 313 

During the 1990s and early 2000s, more than 5,000 airmen made up the wing, manned primarily by airmen who rotated to Saudi Arabia on temporary duty assignments. During Operation Vigilant Warrior, the number of personnel peaked at about 7000. However, the wing was manned at minimum levels. This policy was intended to reduce the visibility of U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia, limit exposure to risk, reduce the impact on Air Force units worldwide from whom the airmen were assigned, and insure that they were fully committed during their short tours of duty. This manning provided little flexibility to respond to changes in threat or mission requirements.

Air Force flying squadrons were assigned as units to the 4404th Operations Group (Provisional) on 15-, 30-, 45-, 60-, and 90-day rotations depending on the type unit. Air Expeditionary Force III forces that deployed to Qatar from July through August 1996 were under the operational control of the 4404th Wing (Provisional), under the tactical control of either the Commander, Joint Task Force-Southwest Asia or the Commander, Joint Task Force-Rugged Nautilus (for which see ), but for force protection were under U.S. Liaison Office, Qatar which does not have the command authority to direct force protection actions.

After a terrorist truck bomb killed 19 airmen at Dhahran in June 1996 (Khobar Towers bombing), the wing was ordered to move to more secure location within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As a result, it was moved back to Prince Sultan Air Base.

It was inactivated and re-designated as the 363d Air Expeditionary Wing on 1 October 1998 as part of the implementation of the Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) concept.

Lineage

Assumed equipment and personnel of 4th Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional)
Re-designated: 4404th Composite Wing (Provisional), 17 June 1991
Re-designated: 4404th Wing (Provisional), 1 January 1993
Inactivated on: 1 October 1998
Personnel and equipment reassigned to 363d Air Expeditionary Wing

Assignments

Attached to: Joint Task Force Southwest Asia, United States Central Command, MacDill AFB, Florida

Units

Squadrons were manned and equipped from units in the United States, PACAF, USAFE and Alaskan Air Command on a rotating basis.

Stations

Aircraft

Fighters
  • F-4G
  • F-15C
  • F-15E
  • F-16
Electronic combat
  • E-3
  • EF-111A
  • EC-130
Aerial refueling
  • KC-135
  • KC-10
Reconnaissance
  • RC-135
  • U-2
Cargo/troop transport
  • C-130
  • C-21
Search and rescue
  • HC-130

References

  1. ↑ "Colonel Charles P. Wilson II". Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State. June 2004. Archived from the original on March 8, 2005. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  2. ↑ Jenkins, Dennis R. (2012). Dressing for Altitude: U.S. Aviation Pressure Suits—Wiley Post to Space Shuttle (PDF). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ISBN 978-0-16-090110-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Provisional unit". thefreedictionary.com. Farlex, Inc. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Pocock, Chris (2005). 50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the "Dragon Lady". Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military History. ISBN 978-0-7643-2346-1.
  5. ↑ Norris, Pat (2010). Watching Earth from Space: How Surveillance Helps Us – and Harms Us. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-1-4419-6938-5.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

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