Released: February 17, 1998
ACC units prepare for deployment
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. - Air Combat Command airmen are putting the
final touches on preparations to their aircraft, equipment and themselves
for deployment to the Gulf Region.
For what could be the largest deployment of Air Force personnel and aircraft
since the Gulf War, ACC forces are rapidly responding to Defense Secretary
William Cohen's Feb. 7 order authorizing the deployment of 50 additional
aircraft to Southwest Asia.
The additional forces provided by ACC will include fighter, bomber, rescue,
and command and control aircraft.
"These aircraft provide a unique and increased air combat capability
to the already formidable air forces present in the Gulf," said Gen.
Dick Hawley, commander of Air Combat Command.
This deployment is in response to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's continued
refusal to allow U.N. weapons inspectors access to all potential production
sites for weapons of mass destruction.
While officials search for a diplomatic solution to this current standoff,
ACC aircraft and people will ready themselves for possible air strikes against
Iraq.
As the primary combat air force provider to several war-fighting commanders-in-chief,
ACC provides the tip of the combat sword in Southwest Asia. ACC and the
other Combat Air Forces commands maintain more than 170 aircraft and 7,400
airmen in the region on a rotational basis.
"This deployment will significantly increase these numbers in the
coming days and give the theater commander the decisive air power he will
need to enforce U.N. resolutions" said Hawley.
With the indispensable help of airlift and tanker support from Air Mobility
Command, ACC aircraft and people will soon be in place and ready to provide
to the theater commander the world's best air and space force, delivering
rapid, decisive and sustained air power-anytime, anywhere.
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