24th Special Operations Wing


The 24th Special Operations Wing is an inactive United States Air Force wing that was activated on 12 June 2012 and which furled its colors on 16 May 2025. Its headquarters was at Hurlburt Field, Florida and it had component groups located in North Carolina, Georgia and Washington. It was the third special operations wing in Air Force Special Operations Command.
the 24th Wing was previously assigned to Twelfth Air Force, stationed at Howard Air Force Base, Panama. It was inactivated on 1 November 1999. The inactivation of the 24th Wing and the closure of Howard Air Force Base ended an 82-year United States Air Force presence in Panama, which began with the formation of the 7th Aero Squadron on 29 March 1917.

Mission

The 24th Special Operations Wing was the only special tactics wing in the Air Force. Its primary mission was to conduct global air, space, and cyber-enabled special operations across the spectrum of conflict to prepare to fight. The 24th was U.S. Special Operations Command's tactical air/ground integration force and the Air Force's special operations ground force that led global access, precision strike, personnel recovery and battlefield surgery operations.
24th Wing elements included:
Core capabilities encompassed airfield reconnaissance, assessment, and control; personnel recovery; joint terminal attack control; battlefield surgery; and environmental reconnaissance.

Organization

Prior to its inactivation, the wing was organized as follows:24th Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, FL

History

World War II

The 24th Composite Wing was activated on 25 December 1942 to control all Army Air Forces units on Iceland and subsequently disestablished in June 1944.

Post war era

From August 1946 until replaced by the Antilles Air Division in July 1948 the wing supervised large numbers of major and minor bases and Air Force units in the Caribbean area from Puerto Rico to British Guiana.

Panama and special operations

It was organized once more in November 1967 in the Panama Canal Zone, replacing the 5700th Air Base Wing. The wing assumed operation and maintenance responsibilities for Howard and Albrook Air Force Bases and a special operations mission that included air transport, paramilitary operations, exercise participation, civic actions in Central and South America, search and rescue missions, humanitarian operations, mercy missions, aeromedical evacuation, and support of Army Special Forces, U.S. military assistance units, and training of Latin American air forces. From its activation in 1967 until mid-1972, the 24th Wing operated the USAF Tropic Survival School at Albrook. It also controlled various rotational detachments from 1967–1987. The wing lost Bell UH–1 Hue helicopters and control of search and rescue missions in the area after 1 March 1983. The wing inactivated on 31 January 1987, its subordinate components were reassigned directly to the USAF Southern Air Division.
The 24th was reactivated on 1 January 1989, as the 24th Composite Wing again assuming responsibilities for Howard and Albrook. The wing flew combat sorties in the Invasion of Panama, December 1989 – January 1990. The wing trained foreign and domestic pilots in forward air control. It again flew search and rescue, aeromedical airlift and disaster relief missions in the Latin American region from 1989–1990. Members of the wing deployed to Southwest Asia to provide air liaison support between ground forces and air operations from 1 October 1990 – February 1991. When the 24th Composite Wing inactivated in 1991, its assets were placed under Air Forces in Panama.
On 11 February 1992 the wing again reactivated as the 24th Wing and became the senior USAF organization in Panama and replaced the previous command and division-level Air Force host units. In June 1992, it began operating the only Learjet C-21, Boeing CT-43 Bobcat, Alenia C-27 Spartan and special mission Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Air Combat Command. The wing provided control and support to multi-service units directed by United States Southern Command and United States Southern Air Force from 1992–1999. Missions included counter-narcotics operations, aerial command and control, intratheater airlift, security assistance and defense of the Panama Canal.
On 1 April 1997 the 310th Airlift Squadron was reassigned to Air Mobility Command's 21st Air Force. The 24th Wing was inactivated on 1 November 1999 with the closure of Howard and its turnover to the Panamanian government.

Special tactics

When the wing was reactivated in June 2012 it comprised the 720th Special Tactics Group and the Special Tactics Training Squadron based at Hurlburt Field, the 724th Special Tactics Group based at Pope Army Airfield. The Special Tactics Squadrons are made up of Special Tactics Officers, Combat Controllers, Combat Rescue Officers, Pararescuemen, Special Reconnaissance, Air Liaison Officers, Tactical Air Control Party operators, and a number of combat support airmen which comprise 58 Air Force specialties.
Special tactics airmen often embed with United States special forces including Navy SEALs, Army Green Berets and Rangers to provide various skills from combat air support to medical aid and personnel recovery.

Lineage

  • Established as the 24th Composite Wing on 19 November 1942
  • Reestablished as 24th Composite Wing on 5 August 1946
  • Activated on 30 October 1967
  • Activated on 1 January 1989
  • Redesignated '''24th Special Operations Wing'''

Assignments

Components

Groups
  • 24th Operations Group: 11 February 1992 – 1 November 1999
  • 130th Special Operations Group: attached 30 January 1971 – 27 February 1971, 5–14 February 1973
  • 134th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group: attached 1 November 1943 – 15 June 1944
  • 143d Air Commando Group: attached 8 February – 9 March 1969
  • 342d Composite Group: 25 December 1942 – 18 March 1944
  • 720th Special Tactics Group: 12 June 2012 – present
  • 724th Special Tactics Group: 12 June 2012 – present
Squadrons
Detachments
  • Det A, Fighter Command : attached 12 Feb – 15 June 1944
  • Det, 314 Troop Carrier Group: attached 1 October 1946 – 26 July 1948
  • TAC A-7 Rotational Element : attached 13 November 1972 – 30 September 1978
  • ANG A-7 Rotational Element : attached 1 October 1978 – 31 January 1987
  • ANG A-10 Rotational Element : attached Feb–Apr 1985
  • TAC C-130 Rotational Element : attached 8 November 1967 – 30 November 1974
  • MAC C-130 Rotational Element : attached 1 December 1974 – 30 September 1977
  • AFRES and ANG C-130 Rotational Element : attached 1 Oct 1977 – c. 1 December 1984

Stations

Aircraft

The 24th Special Operations Wing currently does not have any aircraft; it is composed of ground operators.