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88-467: A CSAR mission may be carried out by a task force of helicopters , ground-attack aircraft , aerial refueling tankers and an airborne command post . The USAF HC-130 , which was introduced in 1965, has served in the latter two roles. The First World War was the background for the development of early combat search and rescue doctrine, especially in the more fluid theaters of war in the Balkans and

176-568: A Bristol Boxkite around the airfield at Point Cook , Victoria, Williams became the first student to graduate as a pilot, on 12 November 1914. He recalled the school as a "ragtime show" consisting of a paddock, tents, and one large structure: a shed for the Boxkite. Following an administrative and instructional posting, Williams underwent advanced flying training at Point Cook in July 1915. The next month he married Constance Esther Griffiths, who

264-553: A Rear Admiral , each flying a different command flag , hence the terms flagship and flag officer . The names "Vice" (second) and "Rear" might have derived from sailing positions within the line at the moment of engagement . In the late 19th century ships were collected in numbered squadrons , which were assigned to named (such as the Asiatic Fleet ) and later numbered fleets . A task force can be assembled using ships from different divisions and squadrons, without requiring

352-716: A Tugan Gannet to Singapore in February 1938. A series of mishaps with Hawker Demons at the end of 1937, which resulted in one pilot dying and four injured, subjected the Air Force to harsh public criticism. In 1939 Williams was dismissed from his post as CAS and "effectively banished overseas", following publication of the Ellington Report that January. Its author, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Edward Ellington , criticised

440-699: A telegraph messenger and later as a bank clerk . He enlisted in a militia unit, the South Australian Infantry Regiment, in 1909 at the age of nineteen. Commissioned a second lieutenant on 8 March 1911, he joined the Permanent Military Forces the following year. In August 1914, Lieutenant Williams took part in Australia's inaugural military flying course at Central Flying School , run by Lieutenants Henry Petre and Eric Harrison . After soloing in

528-542: A "Chief of Staff" appointment equivalent to the Army and Navy. He moved to consolidate the new service's position by expanding its assets and training. Shortly after the AAF's establishment, land was purchased for an air base at Laverton , eight kilometres (five miles) inland of Point Cook, and in July 1921 Williams made the initial proposal to develop a base at Richmond , New South Wales, the first outside Victoria. He also started

616-468: A 12-plane RAAF escort and a 300-man honour guard. Though seen partly as a "matter of prestige" brought on by contemporary newspaper reports that claimed "'certain Foreign Powers'" were planning such a journey, and also as a "reaction" by Williams to Goble's 1924 expedition, it was notable as the first international flight undertaken by an RAAF plane and crew. Williams was appointed a Commander of

704-529: A SAR mission was predestined to fail, it should not be attempted and other options such as special operations, diversionary tactics and other creative approaches tailored to the situation had to be considered. Recognizing the need for an aircraft that could deliver better close air support , the US Air Force introduced the A-7 Corsair , originally a carrier-based Navy light attack aircraft, to replace

792-552: A formal and permanent fleet reorganization, and can be easily dissolved following completion of the operational task. The task force concept worked very well, and by the end of World War II about 100 task forces had been created in the U.S. Navy alone. In the United States Navy , task forces are generally temporary organizations composed of particular ships, aircraft, submarines, military land forces, or shore service units, assigned to fulfill certain missions. The emphasis

880-590: A giant Handley Page bomber , his forces took part in the Battle of Armageddon , the final offensive in Palestine, where they inflicted "wholesale destruction" on Turkish columns. Of 40th Wing's actions at Wadi Fara on 21 September 1918, Williams wrote: "The Turkish Seventh Army ceased to exist and it must be noted that this was entirely the result of attack from the air." He also sent Captain Ross Smith in

968-820: A number of hunting task groups on 5 October 1939 as a prelude to Battle of the River Plate , 13 December 1939 based in Freetown it was then stationed at, Malta , took part in the Battle of the Tarigo Convoy , 16 April 1941, was involved in the First Battle of Sirte , 17 December 1941 then moved to Freetown in December 1941. Formed to deal with the Tirpitz Sortie against convoys PQ 12 and QP8, 6–13 March 1942. Formed 13 May 1945 and took part in

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1056-473: A program to second students from the Army and Navy, including graduates of the Royal Military College, Duntroon , to bolster officer numbers; candidates reaped by this scheme included future Air Force chiefs John McCauley , Frederick Scherger , Valston Hancock and Alister Murdoch , along with other senior identities such as Joe Hewitt and Frank Bladin . As a leader, Williams would gain

1144-642: A reputation for strong will, absorption in administrative minutiae and, in Alan Stephens' words, a "somewhat puritanical" nature. He became known throughout the service as "Dicky". The position of First Air Member was replaced by Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) in October 1922. Williams would serve as CAS three times over seventeen years in the 1920s and '30s, alternating with Wing Commander (later Air Vice Marshal) Stanley Goble . One motive suggested for

1232-506: A specific subject, which needs urgent addressing, resolutions or results. Subject-specific task forces are very common. NASA lessons contain information from different task forces. Richard Williams (RAAF officer) Air Marshal Sir Richard Williams , KBE , CB , DSO (3 August 1890 – 7 February 1980), is widely regarded as the "father" of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He

1320-473: A task force set up to eliminate excessive government spending might consider a "best" solution to be one that saves the most money. Normally, the task force then presents its findings and proposed solutions to the institution that called for its formation; it is then up to the institution itself to actually act upon the task force's recommendations. In business, task forces are initiated similar to military situations to form an ad hoc group of persons that focus on

1408-549: A task group. This arrangement was typically abbreviated, so references like TF 11 are commonly seen. Task units are sometimes nicknamed "Taffy", as in "Taffy 3" of Task Force 77, formally Task Unit 77.4.3. There is no requirement for uniqueness over time (e.g., the United States Seventh Fleet used TF 76 in World War II, and off Vietnam, and continued to use TF 70–79 numberings throughout the rest of

1496-567: A type deficient in speed and manoeuvrability, and which lacked forward-firing machine guns. Williams wrote that in combat with the German Fokkers , "our fighting in the air was of short duration but could mean a quick end", and that when it came to bombing, he and his fellow pilots "depended mainly on luck". He further quoted a truism in the Flying Corps that "if a new pilot got through his first three days without being shot down he

1584-457: A wing flight surgeon, Lt. Col. Don Flickinger , and two combat surgical technicians, Sgt. Richard S. Passey and Cpl. William G. MacKenzie, parachuted from the search planes in the Naga area of Burma to assist and care for the injured. At the same time, a ground team was sent to their location and all twenty walked to safety. Although parachute rescues were not officially authorized at the time, this

1672-792: A working-class background in South Australia. He was a lieutenant in the Army when he learned to fly at Point Cook , Victoria, in 1914. As a pilot with the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) in World War ;I, Williams rose to command No. 1 Squadron AFC , and later 40th Wing RAF . He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and finished the war a lieutenant colonel . Afterwards he campaigned for an Australian Air Force run separately to

1760-642: Is called a company team . A similar unit at the brigade level is called a brigade combat team (BCT), and there is also a similar Regimental combat team (RCT). In the British Army and the armies of other Commonwealth countries , such units are traditionally known as battlegroups . The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a brigade -sized formation which commanded Australian and New Zealand Army units deployed to South Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. More recently, Australian task forces have been designated to cover temporary support elements such

1848-526: Is considered by PJs to be the birth of United States Air Force Pararescue . Eric Sevareid said of his rescuers: "Gallant is a precious word: they deserve it". A few short months later, Capt. Porter was killed on a rescue mission when his B-25 was shot down. During the Vietnam War the costly rescue of Bat 21 led the US military to find a new approach to high-threat search and rescue. They recognized that if

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1936-517: Is placed on the individual commander of the unit, and references to "Commander, Task Force" ("CTF") are common. In the U.S. Navy, task forces as part of numbered fleets have been assigned a two-digit number since March 1943, when Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet , Admiral Ernest J. King assigned odd fleets to those in the Pacific, and even fleets to those in the Atlantic. The Second Fleet

2024-557: Is sequential. A task force may be made up of groups, each made up of units. Task groups within a force are numbered by an additional digit separated from the TF number by a decimal point. Task units within a group are indicated by an additional decimal. For example, "the third task unit of the fifth task group of the second task force of the Sixth Fleet would be numbered 62.5.3." This system extends further to task elements, individual ships in

2112-592: The 20th Special Operations Squadron recovered an F-14 Tomcat pilot who was shot down over Iraq. On June 2, 1995, a USAF F-16C was shot down by a Bosnian Serb Army SA-6 surface-to-air missile near Mrkonjić Grad , Bosnia and Herzegovina . The American pilot, Scott O'Grady , ejected safely and was rescued six days later. The operation became known as the Mrkonjić Grad incident . In 1999, members of United States Air Force Pararescue along with Air Force Special Operations recovery aircraft successfully rescued

2200-596: The Australian Flying Corps landed behind enemy lines to rescue a downed comrade during World War I . In 1972, Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton , a navigator/electronic warfare officer with a background in ballistic missile technology and missile countermeasures in the US Air Force , was the sole survivor of an EB-66 shot down during the Easter Offensive . He eluded capture by North Vietnamese forces until his rescue, eleven-and-a-half days later. During

2288-610: The Battle of Calabria in 1940 it transferred Trincomalee and was a component of the (fast force) of the Eastern Fleet during the Indian Ocean raid April to May 1942. Originally stationed at Malta , took part in the Battle of Calabria on 9 July 1940, took part in the Battle of Cape Spartivento , 27 November 1940, was involved in the First Battle of Sirte , 17 December 1941 it then moved to Trincomalee in March 1942

2376-414: The Distinguished Service Order , the citation for which reads: For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Flying at a low altitude under intense anti-aircraft fire, he attacked and dispersed enemy troops who were concentrating on our flank. On another occasion, whilst on a reconnaissance, he landed in the enemy's lines, and rescued a pilot of a machine which had been brought down by hostile fire. He

2464-814: The Higher School of Mechanics of the Navy detention center during the 1976–1983 military dictatorship. During the Falklands War in 1982 the Argentine Navy formed three smaller Grupos de Tareas (Task Groups) for pincer movements against the Royal Navy. In the U.S. Army , a task force is a battalion -sized (usually, although there are variations in size) ad hoc unit formed by attaching smaller elements of other units. A company -sized unit with an armored or mechanized infantry unit attached

2552-774: The Middle East . In the opening fluid stages of the First World War the Royal Navy Air Service Armoured Car Section was formed with armed and armoured touring cars to find and pick up aircrew who had been forced down. When trench warfare made this impossible the cars were transferred to other theatres, most notably the Middle East. In 1915, during the First World War, Squadron Commander Richard Bell-Davies of

2640-546: The Royal Navy for the defence of the Pacific region has been criticised as limited, and as having "failed to demonstrate the validity of his claims for the central role of air power". Williams' legacy extends to the very look of the RAAF. He personally chose the colour of the Air Force's winter uniform, a shade "somewhere between royal and navy blue", designed to distinguish it from the lighter Royal Air Force shade. Unique at

2728-500: The Air Defence of Australia" , Williams defined "the fundamental nature of Australia's defence challenge" and "the enduring characteristics of the RAAF's strategic thinking". Ignored by the government of the day, the study's operational precepts became the basis for Australia's defence strategy in the 1980s, which remains in place in the 21st century. His input to debate in the 1930s around the " Singapore strategy " of dependence on

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2816-401: The Air Force before World War II, as well as his part in its establishment in 1921, Williams is considered the "father" of the RAAF. The epithet had earlier been applied to Eric Harrison, who had sole charge of Central Flying School after Henry Petre was posted to the Middle East in 1915, and was also a founding member of the RAAF. By the 1970s, the mantle had settled on Williams. Between

2904-863: The Air Force his personal command. Williams spent much of 1923 in England, attending the British Army Staff College in Camberley and RAF Staff College, Andover , followed by further study in Canada and the United States the following year. Goble served as Chief of the Air Staff in his absence. Shortly after his return in February 1925, Williams scuppered a plan by Goble to establish a small seaplane base at Rushcutters Bay in Sydney, instead organising purchase of Supermarine Seagulls ,

2992-587: The Air Force's A-1 Skyraiders , an aircraft that also was originally a carrier-based naval attack bomber. As a result of the Vietnam CSAR experience, the US military also improved the night capability of helicopters and area denial munitions. During the Vietnam War, U.S. SAR forces saved 3,883 lives at the cost of 71 rescuers and 45 aircraft. On 21 April 1917, Captain Richard Williams of

3080-603: The Air Force, which would have seen Williams reporting directly to the Minister for Air, also failed to materialise. Instead Williams was posted to Washington, D.C. as the RAAF's representative to the Combined Chiefs of Staff in the United States, and remained there until the end of the war. In 1946, Williams was forced into retirement despite being four years below the mandatory age of 60. All other senior RAAF commanders who were veteran pilots of World War I, with

3168-550: The Air Staff for the last time but clashed with the Federal government over implementation of the Empire Air Training Scheme and stepped down in early 1940. Williams was recalled from Britain with the expectation of again taking up the RAAF's senior position but Prime Minister Robert Menzies insisted on a British officer commanding the service, over the protest of his Minister for Air, James Fairbairn , and

3256-556: The Army and Navy , which came into being on 31 March 1921. The fledgling RAAF faced several challenges to its continued existence in the 1920s and early 1930s, and Williams received much of the credit for maintaining its independence, but an adverse report on flying safety standards saw him dismissed from the position of CAS and seconded to the RAF prior to World War II. Despite some support for his reinstatement as Air Force chief, and promotion to air marshal in 1940, he never again led

3344-628: The Battle off Penang - the Battle of the Malacca Strait . During Operation Corporate of the Falklands War in 1982 Royal Navy forces assembled as Task Force 317 , often referred to in general use as "The Task Force", to achieve sea and air supremacy in the Falklands Total Exclusion Zone , before the amphibious forces arrived. The French Navy uses the name Task Force 473 to designate any power projection by

3432-565: The British Royal Naval Air Service performed the first combat search and rescue by aircraft in history. He used his single-seat aeroplane to rescue his wingman who had been shot down in Bulgaria. His Victoria Cross citation included "Squadron-Commander Davies descended at a safe distance from the burning machine, took up Sub-Lieutenant Smylie, in spite of the near approach of a party of the enemy, and returned to

3520-730: The Empire Air Training Scheme, rather than be integrated into RAF squadrons, but in practice most served in British units. Even nominally "RAAF" squadrons formed under the Scheme were rarely composed primarily of Australians, and Williams' efforts to establish a distinct RAAF Group within Bomber Command , similar to the Royal Canadian Air Force 's No. 6 Group , did not come to fruition. He

3608-589: The Handley Page, accompanied by two Bristol Fighters, to aid Major T. E. Lawrence 's Arab army north of Amman when it was harassed by German aircraft operating from Deraa . In November, Williams was appointed temporary commander of the Palestine Brigade , which comprised his previous command, the 40th (Army) Wing, and 5th (Corps) Wing . His service in the theatre later saw him awarded the Order of

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3696-766: The Nahda by the King of the Hejaz . Twice mentioned in despatches , by the end of the war Williams had established himself, according to Air Force historian Alan Stephens, as "the AFC's rising star". Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1919 New Year Honours , Williams served as Staff Officer, Aviation, at Australian Imperial Force (AIF) headquarters in London, before returning to Australia and taking up

3784-433: The Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1927 King's Birthday Honours in recognition of the achievement, and promoted to air commodore on 1 July the same year. As CAS, Williams had to contend with serious challenges to the RAAF's continued existence from the Army and Navy in 1929 and 1932, arising from the competing demands for defence funding during the Great Depression . According to Williams, only after 1932

3872-405: The RAAF's first amphibious aircraft , to be based at Richmond. He was promoted to group captain in July and later that year drafted a major air warfare study, "Memorandum Regarding the Air Defence of Australia" . Considered prescient in many ways, it treated World War I ally Japan as Australia's main military threat, and advocated inter-service co-operation while maintaining that none of

3960-540: The RAAF. After the war he was forcibly retired along with other World War I veteran officers. He took up the position of Director-General of Civil Aviation in Australia, and was knighted the year before his retirement in 1955. Williams was born on 3 August 1890 into a working-class family in Moonta Mines , South Australia. He was the eldest son of Richard Williams, a copper miner who had emigrated from Cornwall , England, and his wife Emily. Leaving Moonta Public School at junior secondary level, Williams worked as

4048-410: The RAF's Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett became CAS. In his volume in the official history of the Air Force in World War II , Douglas Gillison observed that considering Williams' intimate knowledge of the RAAF and its problems, and his long experience commanding the service, "it is difficult to see what contribution Burnett was expected to make that was beyond Williams' capacity". Williams

4136-555: The Royal Air Force . Williams, now a wing commander , personally compiled and tabled the Air Board's submissions to create the Australian Air Force (AAF), a service independent of both the Army and the Royal Australian Navy . Though the heads of the Army and Navy opposed the creation of an independent air arm for fear that they would be unable to find air cover for their operations, support from Prime Minister Billy Hughes , as well as prominent parliamentary figures including Treasurer Joseph Cook and Defence Minister George Pearce allowed

4224-487: The aerodrome, a feat of airmanship that can seldom have been equalled for skill and gallantry." Like the search and rescue efforts of the future, Davies' action sprang from the fervent desire to keep a compatriot from capture or death at the hands of the enemy. It was during the Mesopotamian campaign that British and other Commonwealth forces began to use similar tactics on a larger scale. Shot down aviators in hostile Bedouin territory were often located by search parties in

4312-480: The air and rescued. Other nations also contributed to the development of modern-day CSAR. During World War II , the Luftwaffe ( Seenotdienst organization) operated armed camouflaged air-sea rescue aircraft. In the First Indochina War French physician, pilot and parachutist Valérie André pioneered MEDEVAC tactics, a precursor to what we know as CSAR today, by flying helicopters into combat zones to retrieve (or sometimes treat) injured soldiers. In August 1943

4400-445: The air force and to recommend his removal from the post of Chief of the Air Staff if necessary". The government announced that it was seconding him to the RAF for two years. When war broke out in September 1939, Williams was Air Officer in charge of Administration at RAF Coastal Command , a position he had held since February that year, following a brief posting to the British Air Ministry . Goble had succeeded Williams as Chief of

4488-426: The armed forces was "purely auxiliary to another". Its concepts continue to influence RAAF strategy. In 1926, Williams mandated the use of parachutes for all RAAF aircrew. He had visited the Irvin Air Chute Company while in the US during 1924 and recommended purchase at the time, but a backlog of orders for the RAF meant that the Australian equipment took almost two years to arrive. Flying Officer Ellis Wackett

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4576-422: The assembly of ships for naval operations was referred to as fleets , divisions , or on the smaller scale, squadrons , and flotillas . Before World War II ships were collected into divisions derived from the Royal Navy 's "division" of the line of battle in which one squadron usually remained under the direct command of the Admiral of the Fleet , one squadron was commanded by a Vice Admiral , and one by

4664-400: The base water tank ("I thought it would be a poor ending to drown there, or even to be pulled out dripping wet") and "too close to be comfortable to a 30,000 volt electric transmission line", he completed the exercise unscathed. The young Air Force was a small organisation with the atmosphere of a flying club , although several pioneering flights were made by its members. Goble had commanded

4752-437: The battalion-sized force which operated in Urozgan Province , Afghanistan from 2006 to 2013, and the Northern Territory Emergency Response Task Force . In government or business a task force is a temporary organization created to solve a particular problem. It is considered to be a more formal ad hoc committee . A taskforce , or more commonly, task force, is a special committee, usually of experts , formed expressly for

4840-432: The exception of the-then Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Jones, were also dismissed, ostensibly to make way for the advancement of younger officers. Williams regarded the grounds for his removal as "specious", calling it "the meanest piece of service administration in my experience". Following his completion of duty in the Air Force, Williams was appointed Australia's Director-General of Civil Aviation , serving in

4928-421: The first circumnavigation of Australia by air in 1924 while he was CAS. On 25 September 1926, with two crew members including Goble's pilot, Ivor McIntyre , Williams commenced a 10,000-mile (16,000 km) round trip from Point Cook to the Solomon Islands in a De Havilland DH.50 A floatplane , to study the South Pacific region as a possible theatre of operations. The trio returned on 7 December to

5016-459: The five stars of the Southern Cross within the RAF roundel and the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter. This design was not adopted for the RAAF, the government employing instead a direct copy of the RAF ensign until 1949, when a new design using the stars of the Australian flag was chosen. As the senior officer of the Air Board, Williams held the title of First Air Member, the nascent Air Force initially not being deemed suitable for

5104-526: The level of air safety observed in the RAAF, though his interpretation of statistics has been called into question. The Federal government praised Williams for strengthening the Air Force but blamed him for Ellington's findings, and he was criticised in the press. Beyond the adverse report, Williams was thought to have "made enemies" through his strident championing of the RAAF's independence. A later CAS, George Jones , contended that Ellington had been "invited to Australia in order to inspect Williams rather than

5192-489: The local aircraft industry as a means to further the self-sufficiency of the Air Force and Australian aviation in general. He played a personal part in the creation of the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in November 1936, headed up by former Squadron Leader Lawrence Wackett , late of the RAAF's Experimental Section. Williams made the first overseas flight in an aeroplane designed and built in Australia when he accompanied Squadron Leader Allan Walters and two aircrew aboard

5280-491: The only substantial, worthwhile record of service ever written by an RAAF chief of staff". Sir Richard Williams died in Melbourne on 7 February 1980. He was accorded an Air Force funeral, with a flypast by seventeen aircraft. The RAAF's greatest achievement in its first eighteen years was ... simply to survive as an independent service ... Many people contributed to that achievement, but none more than Dicky Williams. Alan Stephens For his stewardship of

5368-418: The pilot of an F-117 "stealth" attack aircraft ( see 1999 F-117A shootdown ) and also the pilot ( David L. Goldfein ) of an F-16 fighter aircraft. Both of the aircraft were shot down over Yugoslavia while on a NATO -led mission. Task force A task force ( TF ) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy ,

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5456-588: The position for almost 10 years. His department was responsible for the expansion of communications and infrastructure to support domestic and international aviation, establishing "an enviable safety record". Williams' tenure coincided with the beginnings of the government carrier Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) and introduction of the Two Airlines Policy , as well as the construction of Adelaide Airport and redevelopment of Sydney Airport as an international facility. Williams' wife Constance died in 1948 and he married Lois Victoria Cross on 7 February 1950. He

5544-401: The position of Director of Air Services at Army Headquarters, Melbourne . The Australian Flying Corps had meanwhile been disbanded and replaced by the Australian Air Corps (AAC) which was, like the AFC, a branch of the Army . Upon establishment of the Australian Air Board on 9 November 1920, Williams and his fellow AAC officers dropped their army ranks in favour of those based on

5632-399: The proposal to succeed. The AAF was duly formed on 31 March 1921; Williams deliberately chose this day rather than 1 April, the founding date of the RAF three years earlier, "to prevent nasty people referring to us as 'April Fools'". The "Royal" prefix was added five months later. Williams proposed an ensign for the AAF in July 1921, based on the Royal Air Force flag but featuring

5720-436: The purpose of studying a particular problem. The task force usually performs some sort of an audit to assess the current situation, then draws up a list of all the current problems present and evaluates which ones merit fixing and which ones are actually fixable. The task force would then formulate a set of solutions to the problems and pick the "best" solution to each problem, as determined by some set of standards. For example,

5808-431: The rescue operation , five US military aircraft supporting the CSAR effort were shot down, eleven US servicemen were killed, and two men were captured. The rescue operation was the "largest, longest, and most complex search-and-rescue" operation during the entire Vietnam War . It has been the subject of two books and the largely fictionalized film Bat*21 . The United States Air Force (USAF) 24th Special Tactics Squadron

5896-415: The rotation was a ploy by Army and Navy interests to "curb Williams' independence". Instead the arrangement "almost inevitably fostered an unproductive rivalry" between the two officers. Although in a legal sense the Air Board was responsible for the RAAF rather than the Chief of Staff alone, Williams dominated the board to such an extent that Goble would later complain that his colleague appeared to consider

5984-500: The sea. This Task Force can be composed of a carrier battle group articulated around the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle , or it can be composed of an amphibious group articulated around a Mistral -class amphibious assault ship . In Argentina, Navy Task Units of Task Group ( Grupo de Tareas ) G.T.3.3  [ es ] were responsible for thousands of instances of forced disappearance , torture and illegal execution of Argentine civilians, many of whom were incarcerated in

6072-430: The term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many non-military organizations now create "task forces" or task groups for temporary activities that might have once been performed by ad hoc (designated purpose) committees . In non-military contexts, working groups are sometimes called task forces. The concept of a naval task force is as old as navies, and prior to that time

6160-457: The time among Commonwealth forces, the uniform was changed to an all-purpose middle blue suit in 1972 but following many complaints in the ensuing years reverted to Williams' original colour and style in 2000. Memorials to Williams include Sir Richard Williams Avenue at Adelaide Airport, and RAAF Williams in Victoria, established in 1989 after the merger of Point Cook and Laverton bases. The Sir Richard Williams Trophy, inaugurated in 1974,

6248-437: The twentieth century, and up to 2012). See Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) for a description of the three standard combined arms task force organizations employed by the USMC. Earlier in the Second World War , the British Royal Navy had already devised its own system of Forces, they mainly assigned a letter occasionally a number some of the task forces are listed below . Originally stationed at Malta took part in

6336-475: The wars he had continually striven for his service's status as a separate branch of the Australian armed forces, seeing off several challenges to its independence from Army and Navy interests. He remains the RAAF's longest-serving Chief, totalling thirteen years over three terms: October to December 1922; February 1925 to December 1932; and June 1934 to February 1939. In his 1925 paper "Memorandum Regarding

6424-456: Was Task Group 342.1. The French Navy is allocated the series TF 470–474, and Task Force 473 has been used recently for an Enduring Freedom task force deployment built around the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) . Task Force 142 is the U.S. Navy's Operational Test and Evaluation Force . The first digit of a task force designation is that of its parent fleet while the second

6512-650: Was a component (slow force) of the Eastern Fleet during the Indian Ocean raid April to May 1942. Formed as part of a number of hunting task groups on 5 October 1939 as a prelude to Battle of the River Plate, 13 December 1939 and part of the South America Division after which it was stationed at, Gibraltar , took part in Operation Catapult , 3 July 1940, took part in Operation Rheinübung 19 May - 15 June 1941. Part of

6600-502: Was able to negotiate improved conditions for RAAF personnel in Europe, including full Australian pay scales as opposed to the lower RAF rates that were offered initially. When Air Chief Marshal Burnett completed his term in 1942, Williams was once more considered for the role of CAS. This was vetoed by Prime Minister John Curtin and the appointment unexpectedly went to acting Air Commodore George Jones. A mooted Inspector Generalship of

6688-494: Was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1954 New Year Honours, the year before he retired from the Director-Generalship of Civil Aviation. He then took up a place on the board of Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), forerunner of Air New Zealand . In 1977, Williams published his memoirs, These Are Facts , described in 2001 as "immensely important if idiosyncratic ...

6776-504: Was appointed Air Member for Organisation and Equipment and promoted to air marshal , the first man in the RAAF to achieve this rank. Williams returned to England in October 1941 to set up RAAF Overseas Headquarters , co-ordinating services for the many Australians posted there. He maintained that Australian airmen in Europe and the Mediterranean should serve in RAAF units to preserve their national identity, as per Article XV of

6864-833: Was assigned the Atlantic Fleet, with the Fourth Fleet being assigned to the South Atlantic Force, the Eighth Fleet being assigned to Naval Forces, Northwest African waters, and the Twelfth Fleet assigned to the Naval Forces, Europe. The United States Navy has used numbered task forces in the same way since 1945. The U.S. Department of Defense often forms a Joint Task Force if the force includes units from other services. Joint Task Force 1

6952-428: Was assigned to instruct volunteers at RAAF Richmond, and made the country's first freefall descent from a military aircraft, an Airco DH.9 , on 26 May. Williams himself jumped over Point Cook on 5 August, having decided that it would set "a good example if, before issuing an order for the compulsory wearing of parachutes, I showed my own confidence in them ..." Though his descent took him perilously close to

7040-514: Was bombing the railway terminus at Tel el Sheria. At first believing that he had been struck by enemy fire, he found that the engine switch outside his cockpit had turned off. Within 500 feet of the ground he was able to switch the engine back on and return to base. On 21 April, Williams landed behind enemy lines to rescue downed comrade Lieutenant Adrian Cole , having the day before pressed home an attack on Turkish cavalry while under "intense anti-aircraft fire"; these two actions earned him

7128-537: Was involved in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu . Timothy Wilkinson, a Pararescueman, was awarded the Air Force Cross for his heroic actions during the battle. Air Force pararescue personnel (PJs) have been awarded one United States Air Force Medal of Honor and 12 Air Force Cross's since the Southeast Asia conflict. During the opening moments of Operation Desert Storm , an MH-53 Pave Low crew from

7216-694: Was lucky; if he got through three weeks he was doing well and if he got through three months he was set". Williams and the other Australians were initially involved in isolated tasks around the Suez Canal , attached to Royal Flying Corps (RFC) units. No. 1 Squadron began to operate concertedly in December 1916, supporting the Allied advance on Palestine . Williams completed his RFC attachment in February 1917. On 5 March 1917, shortly after commencing operations with No. 1 Squadron, Williams narrowly avoided crash-landing when his engine stopped while he

7304-542: Was made a brevet lieutenant colonel and commander of the RAF 's 40th (Army) Wing , which was operating in Palestine. It comprised his former No. 1 Squadron and three British units. As a Dominion officer, Williams found that he was not permitted to "exercise powers of punishment over British personnel", leading to him being temporarily "granted a supplementary commission in the Royal Air Force". Augmented by

7392-454: Was promoted major in May and given command of No. 1 Squadron, which was re-equipped with Bristol Fighters later that year. "Now for the first time," wrote Williams, "after 17 months in the field we had aircraft with which we could deal with our enemy in the air." His men knew him as a teetotaller and non-smoker, whose idea of swearing was an occasional "Darn me!". In June 1918, Williams

7480-509: Was the atomic bomb test force during the post–World War II Operation Crossroads . In naval terms, the multinational ( Australia , United States , United Kingdom , Canada , and New Zealand ) Combined Communications Electronics Board mandates through Allied Communications Publication 113 (ACP 113) the present system, which allocated numbers from 1 to 834. For example, the Royal Navy's Illustrious battle group in 2000 for Exercise Linked Seas, subsequently deployed to Operation Palliser ,

7568-443: Was the first military pilot trained in Australia, and went on to command Australian and British fighter units in World War I. A proponent for air power independent of other branches of the armed services, Williams played a leading role in the establishment of the RAAF and became its first Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) in 1922. He served as CAS for thirteen years over three terms, longer than any other officer. Williams came from

7656-628: Was the independence of the Air Force assured. Williams again handed over the reins of CAS to Goble in 1933 to attend the Imperial Defence College in London, resuming his position in June 1934. His promotion to air vice marshal on 1 January 1935 belatedly raised him to the equivalent rank of his fellow Chiefs of Staff in the Army and Navy. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in June that year. Williams encouraged

7744-510: Was thirteen years his senior. The couple had no children. Williams was promoted captain on 5 January 1916. He was appointed a flight commander in No. 1 Squadron Australian Flying Corps (AFC) , which was initially numbered 67 Squadron Royal Flying Corps by the British. The unit departed Australia in March 1916 without any aircraft; after arriving in Egypt it received B.E.2 fighters,

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