Marine Air Control Squadron 2

Marine Air Control Squadron 2

MACS-2 Insignia
Active 1 April 1944 – present
Country United States
Allegiance United States of America
Branch United States Marine Corps
Type Aviation Command & Control
Role Aerial surveillance & Air traffic control
Part of Marine Air Control Group 28
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Garrison/HQ Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point
Nickname(s) "Eyes of the MAGTF"
"MACS Deuce"
Engagements World War II
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Commanders
Current
commander		 Lieutenant Colonel Charles E. Smith

Marine Air Control Squadron 2 (MACS-2) is a United States Marine Corps aviation command and control squadron. The squadron provides aerial surveillance and air traffic control for the II Marine Expeditionary Force. They are based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and fall under Marine Air Control Group 28 and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Mission

Detect, identify and control the intercept of hostile aircraft and missiles, and provide navigational assistance to friendly aircraft and provide continuous all-weather, radar, non-radar approach, departure, en route and tower air traffic control services to friendly aircraft.

The unit manages anti-air warfare assets within assigned sector. It detects, identifies and classifies all aircraft within its assigned sector. It maintain tracks of identified contacts and provide en route control/navigation assistance as required. MACS-2 selects and assign weapons to engage and defeat enemy air threats. It controls the engagement of enemy air threats by increasing interceptors or surface-to-air weapons. It provides radar/non-radar approach, departure and en route air traffic control services within assigned terminal control areas. It provides automatic carrier landing system approach services (Modes I, II, and III) for forward operating bases. Finally it coordinates air defense activities within designated base defense zones.

Primary Missions

Subordinate units

NameLocation
Headquarters and Support DetachmentMCAS Cherry Point
Air Traffic Control Detachment AlphaMCAS Beaufort
Air Traffic Control Detachment BravoMCAS New River
Air Traffic Control Detachment CharlieMarine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue
Early Warning Control DetachmentMCAS Beaufort
Tactical Air Operations Center DetachmentMCAS Cherry Point

History

Marine Air Control Squadron 2's history dates back to 1 April 1944 when the squadron was formed as Marine Air Warning Squadron 11 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, and was attached to Marine Air Warning Group 1, 9th Marine Aircraft Wing. During June 1944, the squadron relocated to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and was assigned to Marine Air Warning Group 2. In March 1945, the squadron relocated once again, being assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii. Four months later, Marine Air Warning Squadron 11 joined Marine Aircraft Group 43 of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing in Kume Shima, Ryukyu Islands. Shortly thereafter, in October 1945, the squadron moved to Tsingtao, China to join Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, and participated in the occupation of Northern China until May 1946. Proceeding from North China, the Squadron moved once again to Miramar, California and in August 1946, it was redesignated as Marine Ground Control Intercept Squadron 2, a member of Marine Air Warning Group 2, where it remained until its deactivation on 15 October 1947.

During the buildup to the Korean War, Marine Ground Control Intercept Squadron 2 was reactivated in El Toro, California on 3 August 1950. In January 1952, the squadron was attached to Marine Aircraft Group 13 and two months later moved with MAG-13 to Kaneohe Bay, Territory of Hawaii. On 15 February 1954, the Squadron was redesignated as Marine Air Control Squadron 2, and four years later in November 1958, relocated to Atsugi, Japan. In March 1959, MACS-2 joined the First Marine Brigade and returned to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

In August 1990, MACS-2 received orders to deploy to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Desert Shield, and on 6 September 1990, arrived in Saudi Arabia. Establishing a Tactical Air Operations Center (TAOC) in the vicinity of King Abdul Aziz Naval Base (KAANB), MACS-2 provided a base defense zone for KAANB and the port of Jubail. On 29 December 1990, MACS-2 displaced to Ras Mishab port, harbor, and airfield complex, establishing the primary TAOC eight miles west, to provide anti-air warfare capabilities in support of MARCENT and I Marine Expeditionary Force air and ground operations. During Operation Desert Storm in February 1991, an Early Warning and Control (EW/C) site deployed with the ground combat element through the breach to Ahmed Al Jaber airfield in the Kingdom of Kuwait. Upon cessation of hostilities, MACS-2 was redeployed to MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii in March 1991, in support of Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

In 1993, MACS-2 was disbanded in Hawaii and MACS-5 at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina was renamed MACS-2, subordinate to Marine Aircraft Group 31 (MAG-31). While supporting MAG-31 in 1994, MACS-2 acquired Air Traffic Control (ATC) Detachments A and B. Between 1995 and 1998, MACS-2 participated in Joint Task Force Six, also known as Operation Lone Star, a drug interdiction operation patrolling the Mexico–United States border. Further drug interdiction operations included EC-7 in 1996 in Ecuador and Operation Laser Strike in 1997 conducted in Peru. ATC detachments C and D joined MACS-2 in 1998.

MACS-2 relocated once more to MCAS Cherry Point in 1998 under Marine Air Control Group 28 where it resides today. Deployed in support of overseas operations, MACS-2 sent an ATC detachment known as a Marine Air Traffic Control Mobile Team (MMT) to Kosovo with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit in 1999. In support of operations in Serbia, MACS-2 deployed an MMT to Hungary, also in 1999. In 2001, MACS-2 sent Tactical Air Operations Center Marines to Southwest Asia to support the United States Air Force in Operation Southern Watch. The squadron also provided an ATC detachment to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In early 2003 MACS-2 sent a detachment of over 50 Marines to support the initial phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Consisting mostly of Six-man Mobile Air Traffic Control Teams (MMT, the Marines of MACS-2 were instrumental in providing operational capability for Forward Arming and Refueling Points (FARPs) and Forward Air Bases (FOBs), ensuring air superiority for the coalition forces from the Kuwait border through Baghdad and as far north as Tikrit. An MMT team attached to MWSS-371 took part in the Battle of Ah Nasiriyah from March 26-29, 2003, with one air traffic control sustaining shrapnel wounds that earned him a purple heart.

A detachment from Marine Air Control Squadron 2 make up the Air Traffic Control Detachment at Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa in early 2003. Members of the detachment work with Djiboutian and French air traffic controllers in the control tower to ensure military and civilian aircraft land and take off safely at the airport. Marines served as the liaison between the American pilots and the French and Djiboutian controllers.

Unit awards

Southwest Asia – 1990–1991
1986–1987

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

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