Several HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters and approximately 70 personnel from the 210th Rescue Squadron, maintenance squadrons and support personnel with the Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing will depart for a four-month deployment Monday and Tuesday,  Jan. 26 and 27, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Their primary mission in-theater is to provide a personnel-recovery force for the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa. They will use their time while deployed to sharpen their skills and train with partner nations.

The primary mission of the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter is to conduct day or night personnel recovery operations in hostile environments to recover isolated personnel during war. The HH-60 is also tasked to perform military operations other than war, including civil search and rescue, medical evacuation, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and security cooperation/aviation advisory.

  210th, deployment, horn of africa, rescue squadron