USAF has a major role as NATO's attempts to sustain a fragile peace. The Air Force in the

ince 1991, when Yugoslavia Balkans Sbegan to tear itself apart, international organizations have struggled to halt the violence. The UN and NATO have mounted various operations, both diplomatic and military, aiming to bring peace in 's deadliest conflict since 1945. The latest of these— Operation Joint Endeavor—began after Serbs, Croats, and Muslims signed a peace accord in Dayton, , on November 21,1995. IFOR's 60,000 troops (20,000 Americans) have been put in place to ensure the fighting does not flare up again.

The Air Force delivers NATO's forces to Bosnia-Hercegovina and protects them once they are in place. This F-16C from the 555th Fighter , Aviano AB, , is loaded with AIM-9 and AIM-120 missiles and has been fitted with an electronic countermeasures pod to help outwit the SAM threat. Such aircraft on patrol have kept the skies clear of hostile aircraft.

The First Wave of the Balkan illtr (December 4, 1995—January 18, 1996) lir Aircraft Type Missions Flown Passengers Carried Cargo Hauled (tons) Fuel Off-Loaded (tons) C-5 132 2,351 4,795 C-17 367 3,166 9,250 C-130 490 445 1,542 C-141 348 2,392 4,085 KC-10 11 114 67 KC-135 159 25 41 4,769 (combined) GRAF 28 2,440 1,011 Totals 1,535 10,933 20,791 4,769

In the early going, 's lifters and tankers (as well as some C- 130s from and US Air Forces in Europe) provided significant transportation support for Operation Joint Endeavor. "GRAF" means Civil Reserve Air Fleet, a pool of civilian aircraft from which AMC selected 747, 757, L-1011, and DC-8 aircraft for Balkan missions.

26 AIR FORCE Magazine / March 1996 AIR FORCE Magazine/March 1996 troops hadtoarrivebytruckorbus. brought inthethousandsoftons operations startedwitharush.Air hampered airliftatthestartof Mobility CommandC-17s(above operation, andsomeofthefirst The weathercleared,andairlift The typicallyfoulBalkanwinter right) andC-141s(aboveleft) equipment necessaryforthe operation. personnel, likeSgt.JohnAllen (left)of Among thefirstUSAFpersonnel to deploy wereaerialportsquadron the 615thAPS, TravisAFB,Calif. Joint EndeavoralsoemployedC-130s troops andcargo.ThisC-130hasjust Reserve AirFleetaircraft)tobringin (and KC-10s,KC-135s,andCivil landed atTuzla,Bosnia. 27

US AF photos by MSgt. nose s. Rey nolds Pho to by Geri Krom hout 23d AeromedicalEvacuationSquadron, 22d ServicesSquadron, 20th SpecialOperationsSquadron, 9th ReconnaissanceWingunitsandassets, Unit andhomestation Elements oftheseactive-duty,AirForceReserve,andNationalGuardunits 52d CivilEngineeringSquadron, 48th SecurityPoliceSquadron, 47th FighterSquadron(AFRES), 43d ElectronicCombatSquadron, 42d AirborneCommandandControlSquadron, 37th AirliftSquadron, 1st 62d AerialPortSquadron, 60th CivilEngineeringSquadron, 56th ServicesSquadron, 55th Wingunitsandassets, 50th AirliftSquadron, 16th SpecialOperationsSquadron, 90th FighterSquadron, 86th SecurityPoliceSquadron, 81st FighterSquadron, 76th SpaceOperationsSquadron, 235th AirTrafficControlFlight(ANG), 91st AirRefuelingSquadron, 303d FighterSquadron(AFRES), 302d FighterSquadron(AFRES), 457th FighterSquadron(AFRES), 436th AerialPortSquadron, 344th AirRefuelingSquadron, 175th FighterWing(ANG), 100th CivilEngineeringSquadron, 615th AirMobilityCommunications Squadron, 615th AerialPortSquadron, 510th FighterSquadron, 469th AirBaseSquadron, 4500th JointSTARSSquadron, 823d CivilEngineeringSquadron, 621st AerialPortSquadron, 555th FighterSquadron, According tothe AirForce,aunitisconsidered "deployed"ifithasbeenplaced undertheoperationalcontrol ofthecommander 28 in theareaofresponsibility. Special OperationsSupportSquadron, Little RockAFB,Ark. Ramstein AB, Spangdahlem AB,Germany Elmendorf AFB, McConnell AFB,Kan Aviano AB,Italy Aviano AB,Italy Luke AFB,Ariz. Rhein-Main AB,Germany McChord AFB,Wash. Baltimore, Md. Offutt AFB,Neb. Dover AFB,Del. McGuire AFB,N.J. Travis AFB,Calif. Malmstrom AFB,Mont. McConnell AFB,Kan. Ramstein AB,Germany RAF Lakenheath,UK Melbourne, Fla. Spangdahlem AB,Germany Barksdale AFB,La. Luke AFB,Ariz. Travis AFB,Calif. Whiteman AFB,Mo. ,Fla. Davis-Monthan AFB,Ariz. Carswell ARS,Tex. Falcon AFB,Colo RAF Mildenhall,UK Hurlburt Field,Fla. Hurl burtField,Fla. Fort WayneIAP,Ind. Pope AFB,N.C Deployed Forces Hurlburt Field,Fla. Beale AFB,Calif. Travis AFB,Calif. Davis-Monthan AFB,Ariz. (as ofFebruary1, deployed 1996) peace accord,theycan'thide." in supportofOperationJointEndeavor. ground promptedCol.Robert spotting vehiclesandtroopsonthe star performer.Itseffectivenessat ity untilnextyear,theE-8Joint achieve initialoperationalcapabil- Squadron commander,toassert Debusek, 4500thJointSTARS Radar Systemaircraftisalreadya Surveillance andTargetAttack that ifanyofthefactionsbreak Though it/snotscheduledto AIR FORCEMagazine /

San VitodeiNormanniAB,Italy Aviano AB,Italy;,Bosnia

Rhein-Main AB,Germany Rhein-Main AB,Germany Rhein-Main AB,Germany Rhein-Main AB,Germany Ramstein AB,Germany Ramstein AB,Germany RAF Mildenhall,UK Deployed location , Bosnia

Taszar, Taszar, Hungary Taszar, Hungary Aviano AB,Italy Aviano AB,Italy Aviano AB,Italy Aviano AB,Italy Aviano AB,Italy Aviano AB,Italy Aviano AB,Italy Aviano AB,Italy Aviano AB,Italy Aviano AB,Italy Aviano AB,Italy ,

Istres, Istres, France Tuzla, Bosnia Istres, France Tuzla, Bosnia Tuzla, Bosnia Tuzla, Bosnia Tuzla, Bosnia Tuzla, Bosnia Vicenza, Italy , Italy Brindisi, Italy Brindisi, Italy March 1996 Tanker AirliftControlCenter 439th AirliftWing 433d AirliftWing 621st AirMobilityOperationsGroup 437th AirliftWing 436th AirliftWing 319th AirRefuelingWing 305th AirMobilityWing 92d AirRefuelingWing 89th AirliftWing 86th AirliftWing 62d AirliftWing 60th AirMobilityWing 22d AirRefuelingWing Active-Duty 512th AirliftWing 507th AirRefuelingWing 459th AirliftWing 452d AirMobilityWing 446th AirliftWing 445th AirliftWing 434th AirRefuelingWing 349th AirMobilityWing 315th AirliftWing Air ForceReserve 624th AirMobilitySupportGroup 621st AirMobilitySupportGroup 615th AirMobilityOperationsGroup 375th AirliftWing Headquarters, AirMobilityCommand basis. Elements oftheseunitssupport Air NationalGuard 940th AirRefuelingWing 931st AirRefuelingGroup 927th AirRefuelingWing 916th AirRefuelingWing 514th AirMobilityWing AIR FORCE Magazine/ 151st AirRefuelingWing 141st AirRefuelingWing 134th AirRefuelingWing 128th AirRefuelingWing 126th AirRefuelingWing 108th AirRefuelingWing 107th AirRefuelingWing 105th AirliftWing 101st AirRefuelingWing deployed locations. Manyunitshaveoperated frommultiplesites. 186th AirRefuelingWing 172d AirliftWing 171st AirRefuelingWing 164th AirliftWing 163d AirRefuelingWing 161st AirRefuelingWing 157th AirRefuelingWing 155th AirRefuelingWing the operationasaugmentees. Moreover,thelistcontainsonlyinitialorprimary 190th AirRefuelingWing This listcontainsonlyAirForce units.ManyAirForceindividualshavetakenpartin Supporting Forces March 1996 Orr i t i M (as ofFebruary1,1996) I MPIPPR AllenC.ThompsonField,Miss. General MitchellIAP/ARS,Wis. McGhee TysonAirport,Tenn. Seymour JohnsonAFB,N.C. Niagara FallsIAP/ARS,N.Y. Wright-Patterson AFB,Ohio PittsburghIAP/ARS,Pa. SaltLakeCityIAP,Utah Grand ForksAFB,N.D. Ramstein AB,Germany SelfridgeANGB,Mich. Ramstein AB,Germany Westover McClellanAFB,Calif. Charleston AFB,S.C. Charleston AFB,S.C. McChord AFB,Wash. McChord AFB,Wash. McConnell AFB,Kan. McConnell AFB,Kan. Sky HarborIAP,Ariz. Fairchild AFB,Wash. O'HareIAP/ARS,Ill. Fairchild AFB,Wash. PeaseANGB,N.H. Memphis IAP,Tenn. McGuire AFB,N.J. LincolnMAP,Neb. McGuire AFB,N.J. ForbesField,Kan. McGuire AFB,N.J. McGuire AFB,N.J. Andrews AFB,Md. Andrews AFB,Md. Grissom ARB,Ind. Stewart IAP,N.Y. Tinker AFB,Okla. Travis AFB,Calif. Travis AFB,Calif. Travis AFB,Calif. March AFB,Calif. March AFB,Calif. DoverAFB,Del. DoverAFB,Del. KellyAFB,Tex. Pope AFB,N.C. Bangor IAP,Me. Key Field,Miss. sion-by-missi I ScottAFB,Ill. ScottAFB,Ill. ScottAFB,Ill. ARB, Mass. air baseperimeteratTuzla.Below, SSgt. ChristopherDockery,aC-17 Above, A1CTimothyBulgerofthe concerns forthedeployedtroops. Landmines andsnipersaremajor S. C.,donshisflakvestjustprior RAF Lakeimeath,UK,patrolsthe crew chieffromCharlestonAFB, 48th Se—rityPoliceSquadron, to touchdownintheBosnian capital, Sarajevo. 29

USAF photo by SrA. Karl Olson ted Kingdom Major Sites for USAF Mildenhall Joint Endeavor Deployments (as of February 1, 1996)

Balkans Zagreb, Croatia Tuzla, Bosnia Sarajevo, Bosnia

Genoa

San Vito dei Normanni AB

lds Major USAF Systems Rey no

S. Deployed (as of February 1, 1996) Rose

Fighter/Attack t. A/OA-10 F-15E F-16 Electronic Warfare EC-130H Compass Call Reconnaissance/Surveillance U-2 RC-135 C31/Battle Management EC-130E ABCCC E-8 Joint STARS KC-10 KC-135 Medical Lift C-9 Tactical Airlift C-130 Strategic Airlift C-5 C-17 It would be charitable to call Tuzla C-141 and some of the other Balkan Special Operations bases "austere." Such units as the AC-130H 823d Civil Engineering Squadron MH-53J RED HORSE of Hurlburt Field, HC-130P/N Fla., had to work furiously to Spacecraft achieve some semblance of GPS comfort for the arriving troops—a DMSP far cry from recent major deploy- Milstar ments to Haiti and Kuwait, where DSCS subzero temperatures were the Others least of their worries.

AIR FORCE Magazine / March 1996

n ma Bow James t. TSg

by to ho USAF p

Some ANG and AFRES units deployed to Europe with their A-10s and 0A-10s to be ready to provide to the troops on the ground. ANG's 175th Fighter , and the Reserve's 47th and 303d Fighter Squadrons brought their aircraft to Aviano AB, Italy (above), less than an hour away from Bosnia as the "Warthog" flies. lds no Rey S. e Ros t. Sg M by tos F p ho

USA USA F's special operations assets have turned out in force for the mission. Above, a MH-53 Pave Low gets a jolt of fuel from an HC-130 tanker over the Adriatic.

C-130 Hercules loadmaster TSgt. Douglas Sanders of the 37th Airlift Squadron accompanies another load of supplies to Tuzla from Ramstein AB, Germany..

AIR FORCE Magazine / March 1996 31