Air Force Reserve Command plans on Nov. 17 to deactivate the 84th Aerial Port Squadron, which it activated in January 2004 to support war on terror operations worldwide. Assigned to the 315th Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, S.C., the 130-member-strong 84th APS operated out of Greenville, S.C., where its duties included helping to train and assist Army, Navy, and Marine Corps reserve units. Capt. Bryan Lewis reports that, on one four-month deployment to Kuwait, the 84th APS launched 8,915 missions and processed nearly 290,000 passengers.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
