JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
A day marked in history, January 16, 1991— President George H. W. Bush announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to combat the Iraqi military’s invasion of Kuwait.
After Saddam Hussein’s refusal to remove his military forces from Kuwait, the 39-member coalition supporting Desert Storm initiated their strategic aerial bombardment campaign of military targets across the nation. Throughout 42 consecutive nights, the coalition conducted over 100,000 sorties, dropping over 85,000 tons of ordnance.
As a result, Saddam and his forces were pushed back—liberating Kuwait, which showcased the coalition’s successful execution of a multi-domain military campaign.
With a successful military operation relying on logistical support from multiple locations, the 633rd Air Base Wing became a key player in Desert Storm.
While serving as the host unit of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, the 633rd ABW acted as a transportation hub for air and sealift operations across the Pacific to the Middle East.
“From the 633rd, the Security Police Squadron, Supply Squadron, Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and two detachments of the wing were sent out to the CENTCOM AOR (Area of Responsibility),” said Ryan Collins, 633rd Air Base Wing historian. “The wing also provided support from Guam, maintaining aircraft and assisting in cargo movement--over 2,200 tons of cargo and 37,000 tons of munitions.”
The 633rd ABW’s logistical support team still implements lessons and tactics learned during Desert Storm today. The 1st Fighter Wing depends on these refined processes to swiftly mobilize and deploy the unit’s F-22 Raptors and its Airmen.
“When I first came in, we practiced movements in large exercises similar to Desert Storm,” said Lt. Col. Brian Campbell, 633rd Logistics Readiness Squadron commander. “We’ve moved out of the Air Expeditionary Force construct where we would send more individuals than units. We’re now in a constant state of readiness where we’re prepared to deploy in shorter amounts of time and the mission is solely focused on sending the unit down range. It’s a more efficient process to meet the needs of the DoD.”
Recently, the 633rd ABW supported the 1 FW and 192nd Wing’s deployment to the Pacific--deploying approximately 300 personnel, 12 aircraft, and over 300 tons of cargo in less than a month.
“The former Chief of Staff General Goldfein once said, we needed to get back to our expeditionary roots,” said Col. Allen Heritage, 633rd Mission Support Group commander. “We need to be ready to deploy to austere locations. We can’t always have a built-up base with all the niceties. So we need to adapt how we employ our combat air power.”
Thirty years later, the 633rd ABW continues to support the employment of combat air power worldwide. Whether it’s from the beaches of Guam or the shores of Virginia, the wing stands ready for any challenge.
“The more things change, the more they stay the same,” said Collins. “Our maintainers at Andersen kept the B-52 [Stratofortress] in operation for Desert Storm. Without them, the mission never could have happened. Now we perform the same task with the F-22 Raptor.”