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16 SOS transfers flag to Cannon

  • Published
  • By Capt. Mae-Li Allison
  • 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The 16th Special Operations Squadron held a squadron flag-transfer ceremony here June 19 to mark the official transfer of the squadron from Hurlburt Field, Fla., to Cannon Air Force Base.

"The mighty Spectre has arrived," said Lt. Gen. Donald C. Wurster, Air Force Special Operations Command commander and officiating officer for the event. "The 16th Special Operations Squadron, with a proven heritage of courage, precision and valor, has relocated to Cannon Air Force Base as of today, to the high desert of its New Mexico home."

The 16th SOS flies the AC-130H Spectre gunship and conducts missions such as close air support to defend friendly forces on the ground, air interdiction against preplanned targets or targets of opportunity, and force protection, such as defending air bases or facilities. The AC-130H is armed with 40mm and 105mm cannons.

After saying that the AC-130H Spectre gunship is "the most feared weapon system on every battlefield," General Wurster then highlighted the great contributions the squadron is making in combat.

"This squadron has supported over 2,700 days of continuous combat and is directly responsible for over 4,500 enemy combatants killed or captured," he said. "Fully a quarter of the squadron is deployed, serving in combat, as we speak."

The 27th Special Operations Wing Commander, Col. Stephen A. Clark, marveled at the fact that the people of the 16th SOS are still fully supporting Overseas Contingency Operations while conducting the squadron move.

"The men and women of the 16th SOS have worked relentlessly to ensure that for them, the term 'impossible' is synonymous with the term 'normal,'" he said. "They, along with their partners in the 16th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, have executed the move to Cannon while sustaining their presence over the battlefields within the Central Command [area of responsibility] and being postured to support any short-notice taskings for which they may be called."

Detachment 1 of the 16th SOS stood up at Cannon in July, 2008, to which a handful of people were assigned in order to prepare the way for the arrival of eight aircraft and nearly 500 people who compose the entire 16th SOS and 16th Aircraft Maintenance Unit.

On May 19, the first two AC-130H Spectre gunships aircraft arrived at Cannon for permanent assignment. According to the 16th SOS commander, Lt. Col. Sean M. Farrell, more than half of the personnel will be in place at Cannon by the end of June and will continue to move here until Nov. 30.

The Aircraft transfer should be complete by late summer or early fall.