The 960th Airborne Air Control Squadron is part of the 552d Air Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operates the E-3 Sentry aircraft conducting airborne command and control missions. The first predecessor of the squadron was activated in the buildup for World War II as the 60th Bombardment Squadron. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, it flew antisubmarine patrols off the north Pacific coast. It then became a heavy bomber training unit until inactivating in the spring of 1944 when the Army Air Forces reorganized its training and support units in the United States. It was immediately reactivated as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress unit. After training in the United States, it moved to Guam, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Japan, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations for its actions. Following V-J Day, it returned to the United States and was inactivated in 1945. The squadron's second predecessor was activated in 1955 as the 960th Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron. It provided early warning off the Atlantic coast of the United States until 1969. The squadron also provided aircraft and aircrew for Lockheed C-121 missions in Southeast Asa. It was reactivated in 1979 as the 960th Airborne Air Control Support Squadron. The two squadrons were consolidated in 1985. Mission Provide the Combat Air Force with airborne systems and personnel for surveillance, warning and control of strategic, tactical, and special mission forces. History World War II Organization and crew training The first predecessor of the squadron was initially activated at Fort Douglas, Utah in January 1941 as the 60th Bombardment Squadron, one of the three original bombardment squadrons of the 39th Bombardment Group. The squadron flew Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, although as it was organizing, it also flew some North American B-25 Mitchells. While stationed at Fort Douglas, the squadron conducted flight operations from Salt Lake City Municipal Airport. In July 1941, the squadron moved with the 39th Group to Geiger Field, Washington. Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron flew antisubmarine patrols off the Pacific Coast until February 1942, when it moved to Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona. At Davis-Monthan, it converted to Consolidated B-24 Liberators. With its Liberators, the squadron became an Operational Training Unit (OTU). The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to provide cadres to "satellite groups" It then assumed responsibility for their training and oversaw their expansion