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Approximately 300 members of the Maryland Air National Guard’s 175th Wing deployed to the United States Central Command area of operations for an approximately 100-day deployment at multiple locations supporting three separate and ongoing operations: Inherent Resolve, Spartan Shield, and Poseidon Archer.
The maintenance Airmen, pilots, and staff operated as the 104th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron out of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing and the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing logging over 3,800 flying hours, while conducting more than 900 sorties in route to a 79.3% mission capable rate.
“Our Airmen outperformed all expectations during every facet of this deployment,” said Maryland Air National Guard Chief Master Sgt. Jeff Golabiewski, 175th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron senior enlisted leader. “They consistently stepped up and overcame every challenge and obstacle to meet mission requirements. Our Airmen created innovative problem-solving and showcased high levels of teamwork.”
While deployed, most of the missions by 175th Wing Airmen were in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, which aims to counter the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and to provide regional stability in eastern Syria and western Iraq.
The missions conducted during Operation Spartan Shield strengthened partner-nation relationships and supported freedom of movement in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Operation Poseidon Archer missions between the United States and the United Kingdom aimed at freedom of movement in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Bab Al-Mandab Strait against the Houthis, an Islamic political and military organization operating in Yemen.
Airmen of the 175th Wing trained extensively to prepare for real-world deployments requiring them to perform simultaneous missions from multiple locations. In 2023, they traveled to Europe to participate in the German-led exercise Air Defender 2023, the largest Air Force deployment exercise since NATO was founded. In 2022, the wing participated in Exercise Swift Response and Defender Europe 22, with simultaneous operations nearly 2,000 miles apart in North Macedonia and Norway.
According to Lt. Col. Ryan Yingling, 175th Operations Support Squadron commander, the Airmen were “uniquely challenged” more so than any of the eight previous combat deployments with Maryland A-10s over the last 20 years.
“In our pre-deployment spin up, we had to thoroughly prepare for every single mission set that the A-10 is capable of, as the area of responsibility was so dynamic and we didn’t know what we would face,” said Yingling. “We were manned and equipped for consolidated operations, however, we executed split operations for the duration of the deployment with significant challenges in ease of movement throughout the theater and equipment resupply barriers.”
In addition to conducting operations for their routine mission sets, 175th Wing Airmen encountered other hurdles to overcome. After the impacts of two severe weather events with flooding, 75 personnel assisted with immediate cleanup, which helped limit impact to operations. Working in an Agile Combat Employment environment with split operations, Wing personnel also found creative ways to move parts and personnel around the theater of operations by building relationships with logistical partners.
“The Maryland Air National Guard has always set the bar high during its deployed operations and that includes their primary mission sets but also in improving quality of life for all personnel and working towards facility improvements,” said Yingling. “We repurposed, revamped, and improved four operations facilities, eliminated communications and network limiting factors, rewrote contingency plans, and contributed design layouts for a new aircrew facility at one operating location.”
In addition to real-world operations from multiple locations, 175th Wing Airmen also supported and participated in two separate exercises while deployed: Desert Flag 2024 and Eager Lion 2024.
From April 21 to May 10, the United States and nine other countries participated in Desert Flag 2024, utilizing 12 different aircraft from an undisclosed location. According to a U.S. Air Forces Central Command press release, Desert Flag 2024 was a Red Flag-style exercise that enabled the participating countries to execute some of their primary mission sets, including close-air support, forward air control, and combat search and rescue.
“We contributed as mission planners, package leads, individual training elements, intelligence leads, and maintenance partnerships,” said Yingling. “While it was important training for U.S. personnel, especially integrating with coalition partners and overcoming integration and communication barriers, it was even more important to show key regional allies that we value their efforts in cooperation and operational and tactical growth and that we want to play a part in their improvement.”
Eager Lion 2024 was hosted by Jordan from May 16-23 and involved 27 nations with over 2,200 personnel at six locations. It involved air, sea, land, and special forces that acted as a Combined Joint Task Force.
“The 104th EFS participated in live-fire exercises with 30 millimeter and GBU-38’s at a local Jordanian range,” said Maryland Air National Guard Col. Daniel Griffin, 104th Fighter Squadron commander. “We would then execute forward arming and refueling where MC-130s refueled our A-10s and our maintenance team reloaded GBU-38s and 30MM so we could go back into combat lines.”
Throughout the deployment, squadron leadership stated how the Maryland Airmen demonstrated professionalism each day and exemplified the Air Force Core Values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do.
During two medical emergencies, Maryland Air National Guard Lt. Col. Robert Clontz, a 175th Medical Group flight doctor, and Staff Sgt. Kimberly Webster, a flight operations medical technician with 175th Medical Group, jumped into action to help a person who suffered a knife wound behind the knee near a major blood vessel. They also provided timely care to an individual who walked into the clinic complaining of chest pain. During both incidents, Clontz and Webster provided timely and crucial life-saving care that helped both patients survive.
After the April 13 Iranian missile attack on Israel, multiple 175th Wing munitions personnel supported F-15E integrated combat turns while under direct fire. They were individually recognized and received a coin from CENTCOM and AFCENT leadership. Three pilots from the 104th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron were recognized as AFCENT safety superior performers for recovering A-10Cs with an engine and oxygen generation system failure.
The majority of the Airmen returned home to Maryland on the 4th of July and were greeted by Governor Wes Moore, Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead L. Birckhead, adjutant general for Maryland and Brig. Gen. Drew Dougherty, assistant adjutant general for Air, in addition to family and friends at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
“The value of our citizen-Airmen cannot be overstated as the only way we succeeded in this challenging environment was by leaning on the expertise, maturity, adaptability, and ingenuity of our people,” said Yingling. “We have and will continue to recruit the best people because with this as our strength, we can face and overcome any challenge. It is what America has and needs for continued success in the face of ever-growing global challenges.”
| Date Taken: | 11.01.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.01.2024 09:08 |
| Story ID: | 484424 |
| Location: | MIDDLE RIVER, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 188 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Maryland Air National Guard returns home after supporting multiple operations during Middle Eastern deployment, by MSgt Christopher Schepers, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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