| 548th Combat Training Squadron | |
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Emblem of the 548th Night Fighter Squadron (World War II) |
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| Active | 1944--present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Combat Training |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Polk, Louisiana. |
| Engagements |
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The 548th Combat Training Squadron is a United States Air Force squadron assigned to the 57th Operations Group at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
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The 548th Combat Training Squadron provides Air Combat Command-directed support to the U.S. Army’s Joint Readiness Training Center located at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
The 548th CTS accomplishes air liaison duties for the JRTC commander, exercises operational control of deployed fighter units to Barksdale, provides deployed unit maintenance and munitions support, schedules and controls exercise airspace, controls close air support missions, builds exercise scenarios, provides observers and controllers to evaluate tactical air control operations and replicates Air Force command and control from division through Joint Task Force level.
The 548th CTS serves as host to active Air Force, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, Marine and Navy units in stressful, realistic combined arms training for both Army and Air Force contingency forces under conditions of low- to mid-intensity conflicts. Squadron members assist in the planning of Air Force operational support and participation in each exercise.
The Air Force supports deployments of personnel and equipment with strategic airlift and sustainment of forces in their operational area by theater airlift. Tactical aircraft provide the close air support to the Army contingent on the ground. Important to maintaining the ability to fight and win is tough, demanding force-on-force training. The events occurring in Iraq, Bosnia and Afghanistan is representative of the kind of realistic training experience our combat units receive, and it’s what the 548th CTS and the JRTC are all about.
During World War II, the 548th Night Fighter Squadron served with Seventh Air Force in the Pacific Theater
The 548th was the first night-fighter squadron to arrive on Iwo Jima (on D+8), where it flew combat for several months. It eventually moved to the island of Ie Shima just 3 miles off the coast of Okinawa, where it finished out the war doing night penetration raids and weather observations to support the B-29 fleet bombing the Japanese home islands.
The 548th was reactivated (same insignia: the cat's name is "Skopie" as in "radar-scope") in 1969 as the 548th Combat Training Squadron (548th CTS), Provided special operations training to USAF and Vietnamese aircrews, October 1969 – July 1973. Controlled multi-service close air support and forward air control aircraft and tactical air control assets in realistic combat exercises with the US Army Joint Readiness Training Center, July 1994 – September 1997
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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