342:, Germany in support of Task Force Hawk. The route taken was dictated by the fact that Austria and Switzerland would not allow use of their airspace due to the aircraft deploying to an armed conflict. The aircraft had to circumnavigate those two countries by first flying west into France around the western end of the Alps. From the southeast corner of France the flight turned south towards the Mediterranean Sea to follow the coast into northwest Italy where the aircraft and crews were made to wait for several days until the assembly area at Tirana airport was prepared for their arrival. (The ground was very soft and became quite muddy when driven over by army vehicles. The assembly area was not on a hard surface, positioned immediately west of the runway in the grass. The aircraft would have sunk up to their bellys if perforated steel planking had not been laid down. A mile long wood sidewalk had to be constructed to allow the flight and maintenance crews to walk from the assembly area to the aircraft parking area without sinking in the mud.)
544:
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247:, discussed how to utilize the Apaches to augment the Air Force assets poised to strike in four days. The Army's planners would be strapped for time to put together a plan to deploy a mission that had never been employed by an AH-64 Apache unit. Instead of supporting ground troops the Apaches would be supporting Air Force missions. General Clark's vision for the unit was to destroy the Yugoslavian units stationed in Kosovo supporting the Serbian police force. The Yugoslavian units were not formed in the
61:
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but rather spread out through the countryside. This meant acquiring the targets and relaying the information to bomber units who couldn't spot them easily. It was projected that the Apache units would be able to identify and eliminate these targets more efficiently, due to their effectiveness in the
345:
Once the assembly area was built up enough to support the aircraft, the crews were given the go-ahead to continue south, down and across the
Italian peninsula to the Brindisi airport where the aircraft were armed, and provisions made for the crews, for the 90-nautical-mile (170 km) flight over
326:
was also utilizing the airfield to spearhead the humanitarian effects for the refugees of the war. The limited number of runways would only allow 20 sorties to be flown in the base per day. It would take 200 sorties to deploy full complement of equipment. Despite this being the first time that the
276:
operations to be launched from their country. "Army planners in
Germany learned the mission would probably be cancelled on the Friday before Easter." Many soldiers would be given their first day off in weeks due to the Warfighter Exercise, hasty redeployment from Grafenwöhr, and preparations for
264:. The Apaches would be supported by MLRS units conducting SEAD missions. General Clark's hope was that by eliminating a large enough portion of the Serbian forces would force Yugoslavian government to end the conflict. General Clark would face opposition to this opinion from several members of the
226:
Task Force Hawk, which never fired a round, has been hailed as both one of the largest blunders and largest successes by the U.S. military in recent years. This action has been reviewed and analyzed from every angle to determine what went right and what went wrong.
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that Task Force Hawk would be deployed to
Albania to assist in Operation Allied Force. The original size of the task force was estimated at 2000 but had to be increased due to the lack of force protection that was present in Albania.
349:
Soldiers from the Task Force were also tasked with providing base security, establishing two
Forward Operating Bases. The exact function of these FOB's are not quite known other by the military personnel stationed on them.
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By 22 March 1999, the planners would be finished with the initial plans for operation. These plans projected that the forces would be deployed to
Macedonia, but the Macedonian government refused to allow offensive
543:
713:"Text of a letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate, released by the White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Washington, DC, April 5, 1999"
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airfield due to the runway length, taxiway, and ramp requirements. The short runway length would not be the only challenge for the deployment at Rinas.
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deployment on Task Force Hawk; however, on 3 April, General Clark would decide to deploy the task force. It was announced on 4 April 1999 by the
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306:(AMOCC) at the Ramstein Air Base, who was also coordinating the relief effect flights to Rinas. The Air Force would utilize the
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The first "Task Force Hawk": A 1989 Department of
Defense news archive about Task Force Hawk training in the Panama Canal Zone.
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239:, Germany; even though, the planning for Operation Allied Force had begun in the winter of 1998. General Clark and Admiral
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691:"U.S. ATTACK HELICOPTERS AND MULTIPLE LAUNCH ROCKET SYSTEMS TO DEPLOY IN SUPPORT OF OPERATION ALLIED FORCE No. 145-99"
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331:"gave a theater tactical control of a significant number of strategic airlift aircraft for a specific deployment,
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F Company, 159th
Aviation Regiment, Big Windy (minus) CH-47D Chinook helicopters and aviation maintenance/support
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United States military unit in the NATO's
Operation Allied Force against the Yugoslavian government
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An AH-64A Apache attack helicopter from Task Force Hawk landing at Rinas
Airport on 21 April 1999.
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66:
788:
640:
603:
592:
Nardulli, Bruce; Perry, Walter L.; Pirnie, Bruce R.; Gordon, John IV; McGinn, John G. (2001).
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A C-17 Globemaster III offloads equipment at Rinas
Airport, Tirana, Albania on 18 April 1999.
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102:
669:
189:
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Field Artillery Target Acquisition Section, 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment,
670:"Kosovo Air Operations – Army Resolving Lessons Learned Regarding the Apache Helicopter"
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2nd Platoon, B Battery, 1st Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (M2A2 Bradley)
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against the Yugoslavian government during the 1999 unrest in the Serbian province of
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405:(Two squadrons of Apache pilots, one squadron of AH-64A Apache Attack Helicopters)
639:. Autumn/Winter 2001–2002 (29). Institute for National Strategic Studies: 52–57.
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A Company, 3rd Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment - Air Traffic Services personnel
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1st Combat Camera Sq.- Charleston AFB SC 515th Transportation Company
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2nd Platoon, C Company, 307th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division
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later called one of the most successful airlift operations in history."
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D Battery, 1st Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (Avenger)
298:, Germany, the main departure point as many of the units were part of
315:
220:
215:. The task force was to operate from March 1999 until June 1999 when
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A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 18th Field Artillery, 212th Brigade (MLRS)
628:
Gordon, John IV; Nardulli, Bruce; Perry, Walter L. (January 2002).
235:
Planning for Task Force Hawk did not start until 20 March 1999 in
443:
A Battery, 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, (M109A6)
455:
2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, augmented by:
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414:- UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and aviation maintenance/support
695:
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
203:
was a U.S. military unit constructed and deployed by General
549:
UH-60 Blackhawk and AH-64A Apache landing on 25 April 1999.
778:"Transforming the Army to Meet the 21st Century Threat"
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C Battery, 1st Battalion, 319th Field Artillery, (M119)
736:. United States Department of Defense. 1 January 2000.
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A and C Company, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment
825:
Ad hoc units and formations of the United States Army
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Disjointed War – Military Operations in Kosovo, 1999
731:"Kosovo/Operation Allied Force After-Action Report"
302:. The airlift was directed by the U.S. Air Force's
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36:
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437:1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized)
630:"The Operational Challenges of Task Force Hawk"
440:C Company, 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Regiment
434:C Company, 47th Forward Support Battalion (FSB)
507:Special Operations Command and Control Element
412:5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (minus)
346:the open water of the Adriatic sea to Tirana.
8:
693:(Press release). U.S. Department of Defense
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776:Hollis, Patrecia Slayden (May–June 2000).
499:3rd Platoon, 212th Military Police Company
389:1st Battalion, 27th Field Artillery (MLRS)
32:5 April 1999 – 24 June 1999
745:
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602:, CA: RAND Corporation. pp. 57–97.
207:to provide additional support to NATO's
677:United States General Accounting Office
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290:Many units would begin the movement to
750:Lambeth, Benjamin S. (February 2002).
420:- Air Force Liaison Element to V Corps
304:Air Mobility Operations Control Center
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7:
329:United States Transportation Command
504:Psychological Operations Detachment
418:4th Air Support Operations Squadron
219:withdrew the Yugoslavian Army from
765:(2). Air Force Association: 78–83.
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384:U.S. 41st Field Artillery Brigade
573:Air traffic control 31 May 1999.
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403:11th Attack Helicopter Regiment
338:The Apaches self deployed from
717:United States State Department
668:Curtin, Neal P. (March 2001).
491:D Company (Long Haul Platoons)
1:
496:615th Military Police Company
333:General Montegomery C. Meigs
314:to deploy the Task Force to
170:Air and Space Campaign Medal
320:Rinas Mother Teresa Airport
846:
787:. May–June 2000 (3): 4–6.
370:Task Force Command Group (
155:NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
485:A Company (Node Center 2)
231:Planning / pre-deployment
186:Task Force Hawk Commander
428:2d Brigade Combat Team,
49:United States of America
399:12th Aviation Brigade
324:Operation Shining Hope
209:Operation Allied Force
637:Joint Force Quarterly
477:32nd Signal Battalion
472:V Corps Support Group
279:Department of Defense
266:Joint Chiefs of Staff
165:Kosovo Campaign Medal
430:1st Armored Division
308:C-17 Globemaster III
709:Clinton, William J.
296:Ramstein-Miesenbach
245:Warfighter Exercise
759:Air Force Magazine
654:on 24 August 2003.
217:Slobodan Milošević
67:United States Army
752:"Task Force Hawk"
378:V Corps Artillery
292:Ramstein Air Base
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719:. p. 1.
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649:the original
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600:Santa Monica
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561:Muddy ground
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205:Wesley Clark
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98:AH-64 Apache
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310:instead of
161:Decorations
151:Engagements
108:OH-58 Kiowa
76:Deep strike
830:Kosovo War
819:Categories
579:References
312:C-5 Galaxy
286:Deployment
257:formations
237:Grafenwöhr
181:Commanders
175:NATO Medal
138:M2 Bradley
793:0899-2525
645:1070-0692
488:C Company
340:Illesheim
253:battalion
133:M1 Abrams
118:M270 MLRS
89:Equipment
262:Gulf War
372:V Corps
300:V Corps
249:company
93:Various
37:Country
791:
643:
606:
479:(MSE)
358:": -->
316:Tirana
260:first
255:sized
221:Kosovo
213:Kosovo
64:
55:Branch
46:
29:Active
781:(PDF)
755:(PDF)
734:(PDF)
673:(PDF)
652:(PDF)
633:(PDF)
84:5,100
789:ISSN
641:ISSN
604:ISBN
360:edit
274:NATO
81:Size
73:Role
482:HQs
318:'s
294:in
251:or
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