724th Special Tactics Group
A United States Air Force special operations ground unit assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The 724th Special Tactics Group is a United States Air Force special operations ground unit headquartered at Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina. It is assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing, which falls under Air Force Special Operations Command. The group provides specialized personnel and support for air-ground integration and other special operations missions, working alongside U.S. special operations forces and partner organizations when deployed. Its special tactics personnel include Special Tactics Officers, Combat Controllers, Combat Rescue Officers, Pararescuemen, Special Reconnaissance personnel, and Air Force Tactical Air Control Party officers and enlisted specialists. These operators are supported by airmen from numerous technical specialties. Together, the group’s personnel can facilitate air operations in contested environments, coordinate close air support and airstrikes, conduct combat search and rescue, and gather or exploit intelligence relevant to battlefield operations. The organization’s modern lineage began during the Second World War, when it was established as the 724th Training Group on 22 January 1943 and activated on 28 February of that year. It initially belonged to Army Air Forces training organizations and operated from stations in New Jersey and North Carolina. The wartime training group was disbanded on 30 April 1944. The unit was later reestablished and redesignated the 724th Special Tactics Group on 1 March 2011, then activated on 29 April 2011. Its reactivation placed it within the modern Air Force special operations structure and restored the 724th designation in a special tactics role rather than its earlier training function. The group’s listed subordinate organizations include the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, the 724th Operations Support Squadron, the 724th Intelligence Squadron, and the 724th Special Tactics Support Squadron, all based at Pope Army Airfield from 29 April 2011. The 17th Special Tactics Squadron, based at Fort Moore, Georgia, joined the listed subordinate structure on 1 October 2020. The group’s public mission profile emphasizes battlefield access, airpower coordination, rescue, reconnaissance, intelligence, and support to special operations rather than commercial products or consumer-facing services.
History
The 724th Special Tactics Group has a lineage that spans two distinct organizational roles in the history of the United States Air Force and its predecessor formations. It was first established as the 724th Training Group on 22 January 1943 and activated on 28 February 1943. At that time, the group belonged to the Army Air Forces Technical Training Command and operated as part of the wartime training system. The original group was initially stationed at Army Air Force Training Center No. 7 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. On 16 June 1943 it moved to Seymour Johnson Field in North Carolina. Its assignment changed on 25 September 1943, when it became part of the 76th Training Wing. The wartime 724th Training Group was subsequently disbanded on 30 April 1944. The public lineage record does not identify a continuous operational existence between that disbandment and the unit’s later reestablishment. The designation returned in a substantially different form in the modern special operations era. On 1 March 2011, the organization was reestablished and redesignated as the 724th Special Tactics Group. It was activated on 29 April 2011 and assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command. Its headquarters was established at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, a facility later known as Pope Army Airfield. The modern group became part of the 24th Special Operations Wing and serves as one of that wing’s special operations ground components. The contemporary group is built around special tactics capabilities. Its personnel include Special Tactics Officers, Combat Controllers, Combat Rescue Officers, Pararescuemen, Special Reconnaissance personnel, and Tactical Air Control Party specialists, together with combat-support airmen drawn from many Air Force specialties. This structure allows the organization to support missions that require airpower to be coordinated with ground operations in difficult or hostile environments. Public descriptions of the group’s functions include combat search and rescue, intelligence collection, special reconnaissance, and the control or coordination of close air support and airstrikes. Special tactics units commonly operate with other U.S. special operations forces overseas, although the cited lineage material does not provide a complete deployment history for the 724th Special Tactics Group. The group’s modern subordinate structure includes the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, the 724th Operations Support Squadron, the 724th Intelligence Squadron, and the 724th Special Tactics Support Squadron. The 17th Special Tactics Squadron, located at Fort Moore, Georgia, was listed as part of the group from 1 October 2020. The available reference material identifies early commanders Matthew “Wolfe” Davidson, who served from April 2011 to June 2012, and Michael Martin, who served from June 2012 to July 2014. It does not establish later command appointments, detailed operational histories, or a complete account of the group’s current activities.
- 2020
17th Special Tactics Squadron listed as subordinate unit
[1]The 17th Special Tactics Squadron at Fort Moore, Georgia, was listed as part of the group from 1 October 2020.
- 2011
Reestablished as a special tactics group
[1]The lineage was reestablished and redesignated as the 724th Special Tactics Group on 1 March 2011.
- 2011
Modern unit activated
[1]The 724th Special Tactics Group was activated on 29 April 2011 and assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command.
- 1944
Wartime group disbanded
[1]The original 724th Training Group was disbanded on 30 April 1944.
- 1943
Original training-group designation established
[1]The organization was established as the 724th Training Group on 22 January 1943 and activated on 28 February 1943 within the wartime Army Air Forces training structure.
- 1943
Moved to Seymour Johnson Field
[1]The wartime training group relocated from Army Air Force Training Center No. 7 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina, on 16 June 1943.
- 1943
Assigned to the 76th Training Wing
[1]The 724th Training Group became part of the 76th Training Wing on 25 September 1943.
Products and positioning
A specialized Air Force ground component that enables and supports special operations airpower, rescue, reconnaissance, intelligence collection, and battlefield coordination.
Military capability · 2011
Special tactics operations
The group’s core capability is the employment and support of Air Force special tactics personnel in ground environments. These personnel help establish or enable air operations, integrate airpower with maneuvering forces, and support special operations missions where conventional aviation support may be insufficient.
Rescue capability · 2011
Combat search and rescue
Special tactics personnel support combat search and rescue missions, including the coordination of aviation and ground elements in hostile or austere settings. The public reference identifies rescue as one of the group’s mission areas but does not provide a mission-by-mission operational record.
Air operations capability · 2011
Air-ground fire support coordination
The group includes personnel trained to facilitate close air support and airstrikes against enemy combatants. This function connects ground operations with aircraft and other air assets through tactical control, communication, and battlefield coordination.
Reconnaissance and intelligence · 2011
Special reconnaissance and intelligence support
The group’s special tactics and intelligence elements collect information relevant to special operations and battlefield air activity. Special Reconnaissance personnel and the 724th Intelligence Squadron contribute to the group’s ability to observe, interpret, and support operations in contested environments.
Sources1 sources
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