Personnel from the 177th Fighter Wing began an Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF) deployment to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH (OSW). The wing will deploy more than 170 members during the period from November 4 through December 15.
Operation Southern Watch enforces the United Nations Security Council southern no-fly zone over Iraq. The United States OSW component is comprised of active duty, Guard, and Reserve aircraft and personnel under the command of Joint Task Force - Southwest Asia. Since December 1998, there have been more than 700 incidents of Iraqi surface-to-air missile firings, anti-aircraft artillery firings, and Iraqi aircraft violations of the southern no-fly zone. To date, no allied aircraft have been shot down and no American personnel have been wounded or killed while enforcing the no-fly zone.
The wing's AEF deployment was scheduled under the Air Force's Expeditionary Air Force (EAF) and was not in response to recent Mid-East events. The Air Force launched the EAF on October 1, 1999. The operational elements of the EAF are known as Aerospace Expeditionary Forces. Individual units are assigned to a specific num- bered AEF (the 177th's is AEF 9) and given a particular deployment period to cover during their rotation into areas of responsibility. The AEF was designed to bring about predictability and stability for deploying Air Force members.
During the past year, the 177th
has deployed more than 30 people to provide expeditionary combat support
for Operations SOUTHERN WATCH and NORTHERN WATCH. Operation NORTHERN WATCH
is based in Turkey and enforces the United Nations Security Council northern
no-fly zone over Iraq.