955th Air Expeditionary Squadron
The 955th Air Expeditionary Squadron of the United States Air Force performed Operational and Administrative Control of Joint Expeditionary Tasking and Individual Augmentee Airmen in Afghanistan. The squadron is assigned to the 405th Air Expeditionary Group.
Mission
The Air Force set up the 955th Air Expeditionary Squadron to provide Operational Control and Administrative Control support to assigned Joint Expeditionary Tasking and Individual Augmentee Airmen under the Tactical Control of Coalition and Joint organizations across the world to further Operation FREEDOM'S SENTINEL and NATO's Resolute Support campaign.History
The 955 AES is now headquartered at Al Udeid, AB, Qatar after having come Over the Horizon from Bagram Airfield as part of a tactical realignment of Afghanistan. BAF is a militarized airport and housing complex located next to the ancient mile-high city of Bagram in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. The base is run by an Army division headed by a two-star general. All the Joint Expeditionary Tasked and Individual Augmenteer Airmen assigned to Northern and Eastern Afghanistan are ADCON to the 955 AES. This includes over 510 Airmen at BAF and 400 more at 70 combat outposts and bases.The "Air" in Airpower represents Airman, not just aircraft. Airmen are an important part of the Air Force's contribution to the Joint mission in Afghanistan. The Air Force has delegated Tactical Control over some of its Airmen in critical support billets to a Joint supervisor who may be from any branch of military service. But the Air Force retains ADCON over its Airmen. The Air Force lends its Airmen's skills, talents and temporary service to the Joint team, but Airmen still work for an Air Force Squadron: the 966AES is that squadron for those Airmen in Regional Command-East and Regional Command-North.
The 955th Air Expeditionary Squadron, activated 5 May 2009, was redesignated the 966th AES in November 2010. The 766th Air Expeditionary Squadron was moved from Forward Operating Base Sharana and inactivated on 23 March 2011; its mission was folded into the 966 AES.
On 1 June 2016 the 966th Air Expeditionary Squadron was redesignated the 955th Air Expeditionary Squadron and realigned under the 455th Expeditionary Mission Support Group, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
List of Commanders
- Lt Col William E. Wade, USAF
- Lt Col Kenneth B. Bowling, USAF
- Lt Col Jeffrey A. Collins, USAF
- Lt Col Thomas G. Single, USAF
- Lt Col William Rondeau, USAF
- Lt Col Peter Janyska, USAF
- Lt Col Thomas S. Shields, USAF
- Lt Col Monique L. Farness, USAF
- Lt Col Patrick O’Rourke, USAF
- Lt Col J. Corey Reed, USAF
- Lt Col Rebb S. Jones, USAF
- Present Commander, Lt Col Donald A. Morris, USAF
Unit Locations
- Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
- Al Udeid AB, Qatar