The mission of the 4404th Wing (Provisional) was to serve as the front line defense against possible Iraqi aggression after the 1991 Gulf War. It enforced United Nations Security Council Resolutions 687, 688, and 949 and protected United States military forces stationed in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The wing was inactivated on 1 October 1998.
History
Established by Tactical Air Command at Prince Sultan Air Base, Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia, to partially replace provisional air divisions established during the 1991 Gulf War. The original aircraft, personnel, and equipment of the 4404th TFW came from the 4th TFW (Provisional), which had operated during the Gulf War. In June 1991 the wing relocated to King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Dahran, where it was officially activated as the 4404th Wing (Provisional) on 2 August 1991.
In 1993 then Lieutenant Colonel Chuck Wilson commanded the 4402nd Reconnaissance Squadron (Provisional) (4402 RS), known as the Desert Dragons, at Taif Air Base, Saudi Arabia.[1][2]: 354 A provisional squadron is one created for a limited time to accomplish a specific mission.[3] The 4402 RS was formed to continue reconnaissance operations over Iraq after the end of the 1991 Gulf War in order to ensure compliance with United Nations (UN) resolutions.[4]: 312 U-2s from the 4402 RS flew Olive Branch missions to look for imagery evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.[4]: 312 [5]: 178 The Iraqi government did not approve of these overflights, and Wilson's first U-2 mission was targeted by Iraqi anti-aircraft weapons. The U-2s operating in-theater at this time had outdated defensive capabilities. Wilson's mission report was instrumental in obtaining funding for the "Band Aid" upgrades to the U-2's defensive systems.[4]: 313
During the 1990s and early 2000s, more than 5,000 airmen made up the wing, manned primarily by airmen who rotated to Saudi Arabia on temporary duty assignments. During Operation Vigilant Warrior, the number of personnel peaked at about 7000. However, the wing was manned at minimum levels. This policy was intended to reduce the visibility of U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia, limit exposure to risk, reduce the impact on Air Force units worldwide from whom the airmen were assigned, and insure that they were fully committed during their short tours of duty. This manning provided little flexibility to respond to changes in threat or mission requirements.
Air Force flying squadrons were assigned as units to the 4404th Operations Group (Provisional) on 15-, 30-, 45-, 60-, and 90-day rotations depending on the type unit. Air Expeditionary Force III forces that deployed to Qatar from July through August 1996 were under the operational control of the 4404th Wing (Provisional), under the tactical control of either the Commander, Joint Task Force-Southwest Asia or the Commander, Joint Task Force-Rugged Nautilus (for which see [1]), but for force protection were under U.S. Liaison Office, Qatar which does not have the command authority to direct force protection actions.
After a terrorist truck bomb killed 19 airmen at Dhahran in June 1996 (Khobar Towers bombing), the wing was ordered to move to more secure location within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As a result, it was moved back to Prince Sultan Air Base.
^"Provisional unit". thefreedictionary.com. Farlex, Inc. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
^ abcPocock, Chris (2005). 50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the "Dragon Lady". Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military History. ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1.
^Norris, Pat (2010). Watching Earth from Space: How Surveillance Helps Us – and Harms Us. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN978-1-4419-6938-5.
External links
Globalsecurity.org, 4404th Wing, accessed February 2018.
