battalions. Raw was given only two weeks to prepare for his new role between handing over command of No. 82 Wing and departing for South Vietnam. During this period he received briefings on the situation in the country and began to familiarise himself with the operations of the RAAF's tactical transport units. Historian Alan Stephens has written that "Group Captain Raw's background as one of the RAAF's most respected bomber leaders was inappropriate for the job of task force air commander: too often he struggled to make the timely decisions demanded by tactical air/land operations". The commander of the RAAF contingent in South Vietnam, Air Commodore Jack Dowling, also lacked expertise in these kinds of operations, and Stephens has argued that the Australian Air Board should have selected officers with more relevant experience. As air support commander for 1 ATF, Raw came under the direction of its commanding officer, Brigadier David Jackson, for most purposes. Raw was also the commander of the RAAF units stationed at Vũng Tàu and the deputy commander of the RAAF force in South Vietnam. He regularly flew on combat missions with the UH-1 Iroquois helicopter-equipped No. 9 Squadron as well as No. 35 Squadron, which operated DHC-4 Caribou tactical transports. From the time No. 9 Squadron arrived in South Vietnam during June 1966 there were tensions between the Army and RAAF over how the unit was employed. The squadron's early operations were hindered by rushed preparations, equipment shortages and a directive from the Department of Air that prohibited it from operating in areas where there was a high risk of the helicopters being fired upon. This quickly led to a perception within 1 ATF's headquarters that the squadron was not providing enough support and the RAAF high command had a peacetime mentality. Jackson regarded the RAAF contingent as being slow to respond during operations and was frustrated that it did not always immediately follow his orders. Raw believed that the Task Force headquarters had unrealistic expectations as the Army officers did not understand the difficulty of maintaining and operating helicopters. The two men frequently ended up in heated arguments over the employment of the squadron. At Jackson's request, Raw moved from Vũng Tàu to the Task Force's base at Nui Dat in what proved a successful attempt to improve the relationship between the Army and RAAF. Raw also established an air transport operations centre there.