The 604th Air Support Operations Squadron is a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

unit located at

Camp Humphreys Camp Humphreys (), also known as United States Army Garrison-Humphreys (USAG-H), is a United States Army garrison located near Anjeong-ri and Pyeongtaek metropolitan areas in South Korea. Camp Humphreys is home to Desiderio Army Airfiel ...

, Republic of Korea. The 604th provides tactical command and control of airpower assets through the use of

joint terminal attack controller Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) is the term used in the United States Armed Forces and some other military forces for a qualified service member who directs the action of military aircraft engaged in close air support and other offensive ...

s to the

Joint Forces Air Component Commander Joint Forces Air Component Commander (JFACC) is a United States Department of Defense doctrinal term. It is pronounced "Jay-Fack". It refers to a senior officer who is responsible for the air forces within a joint force; i.e., a military force c ...

and

Joint Forces Land Component Commander Joint Force Land Component Commander (JFLCC), is a United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal gover ...

for combat operations within the

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n peninsula.

Mission

The 604th provides

s and

Air Liaison Officer An air liaison officer is generally an air force official acting as an intermediary between the air force they represent and another organization, although this role can vary based on country. United Kingdom In World War II, air liaison officers ...

s to direct

close air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...

to Army units with which they are embedded. The squadron's controllers coordinate air strikes with direct fire missions. The squadron's Air Liaison Officers advise

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

commanders on the optimum use of

airpower Airpower or air power consists of the application of military aviation, military strategy and strategic theory to the realm of aerial warfare and close air support. Airpower began in the advent of powered flight early in the 20th century. A ...

resources to support the Army.

History

The squadron was first activated at Wheeler Air Force Base, Hawaii in September 1968 as the 604th Direct Air Support Squadron to provide Air Force personnel to man a Direct Air Support Center, an element of the Tactical Air Support System coordinating air support at the Corps level. It absorbed the mission, personnel and equipment of the 7th Direct Air Support Flight, which had been performing the mission at Wheeler since October 1964 under 326th Air Division, and which was simultaneously inactivated. The squadron was inactivated in May 1971. Five years later, in June 1976, the squadron was activated once again in Korea, when it replaced the

603d Direct Air Support Squadron 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...

. Squadron members were stationed in detachments at

Camp Red Cloud Camp Red Cloud (CRC, ) was a United States Army camp located in the city of Uijeongbu, between Seoul and the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). CRC was transferred to the South Korean government in February 2022. The installation was renamed after ...

, and

Camp Casey, South Korea Camp Casey () is a U.S. military base in Dongducheon (also sometimes spelled Tongduchŏn or TDC), South Korea, 40 miles (64 km) north of Seoul, South Korea. Camp Casey was named in 1952 after Major Hugh Boyd Casey, who was killed in a plan ...

, where they train to support both United States and

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the largest of the military branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces with 365,0 ...

forces. The squadron supports the

United States Eighth Army The Eighth Army is a U.S. field army which commands all United States Army forces in South Korea. It is headquartered at the Camp Humphreys in the Anjeong-ri of Pyeongtaek, Pyeongtaek, South Korea.607th Air Support Operations Center Squadron 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...

. In 2018, in conjunction with the closure of

, the squadron was relocated to

, where it is currently located.

Lineage

* Constituted as 604th Direct Air Support Squadron on 26 August 1968 : Activated on 15 September 1968 : Inactivated on 17 May 1971 * Activated on 15 June 1976 : Redesignated 604th Air Support Operations Center Squadron on 15 December 1989 : Redesignated 604th Air Support Operations Squadron on 13 February 1998

Assignments

* 5th Tactical Control Group, 15 September 1968 – 17 May 1971 * 51st Composite Wing, 15 June 1976 * 5th Tactical Air Control Group (later 5th Tactical Control Group, 5th Air Control Group), 8 January 1980 * 51st Wing (later 51st Fighter Wing), 1 July 1993 *

607th Air Support Operations Group 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tessellation, tiling the plane. ...

, 15 December 1998 – present

Stations

* Wheeler Air Force Base, Hawaii, 15 September 1968 – 17 May 1971 * Camp Red Cloud, Republic of Korea, 15 June 1976 – 1 November 2018 *Camp Humphreys, Republic of Korea, 1 November 2018 – Present

Awards and campaigns

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

United States Army Garrison Camp Humphreys: 604th Air Support Operations Squadron
{{Air force infantry Air Support Operations 0604