{"id":12884,"date":"2021-10-11T22:51:44","date_gmt":"2021-10-11T22:51:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T14:27:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T14:27:27","slug":"this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/","title":{"rendered":"This Compass Call squadron is coming home after 20 years of hacking and jamming enemies in CENTCOM"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After almost 20 years as a shadowy player in the War on Terror, an Air Force squadron of EC-130H electronic warfare planes is leaving its longtime home at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 41st Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron formally shut down Sept. 28, marking another milestone in the U.S. military\u2019s withdrawal from war against the Taliban and other insurgent forces in Afghanistan. The unit reverts back to the 41st Electronic Combat Squadron when not deployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The squadron and its specialized \u201cCompass Call\u201d planes headed to U.S. Central Command from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, in the aftermath of the 9\/11 terror attacks. Since then, those EC-130H crews have flown about 14,750 sorties \u2014 more than 90,000 hours in the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2017\/02\/06\/if-you-can-t-talk-you-can-t-fight-compass-call-planes-confuse-isis\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/air-ec-130-1.JPG.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">&#8216;If you can&#8217;t talk, you can&#8217;t fight&#8217;: Compass Call planes confuse ISIS<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Vietnam War-era airplane sitting on the flightline at the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing\u2019s home base here may not look like much, but it is packed to the gills with electronics dedicated to sowing chaos in the ranks of the Islamic State terror group.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compass Call\u2019s unique mission has made it one of the most in-demand airframes in CENTCOM over the past 20 years. It carries a slew of hardware and software that allow airmen to eavesdrop on nearby combatants, interfere with enemy transmissions across radios and combat vehicles alike, jam radars and, in recent years, send computer code to wireless devices \u2014 regardless of whether they are connected to the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those capabilities have come in handy from the start but continue to evolve as the globe grows increasingly dependent on assured connectivity and trustworthy information from those networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, dozens of Iraqi soldiers waited patiently near the al Faw Peninsula for instructions being transmitted from higher headquarters to blow up key oil fields there. The message never came. In its place \u2026 was static,\u201d the Air Force said of EC-130H operations in 2004, about two years into Compass Call\u2019s time there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">EC-130H crews include about a dozen airmen onboard: two pilots, a navigator, a flight engineer, a mission crew commander and supervisor, a maintenance technician, a signals analyst and multiple cryptologic language analysts.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/07\/14\/some-c-130h-units-to-be-replaced-by-cyber-ops-helicopters\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q95-1-10.jpg-10.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Some C-130H units to be replaced by cyber ops, helicopters<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Congress needs to sign off on the Hercules retirements first.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their tactics have changed alongside frequent upgrades from the secretive \u201cBig Safari\u201d program office. Compass Call has pivoted to jam the signals of booby-trapped enemy quadcopters that are used for surveillance and bombings, and cut off contact between members of groups like the Islamic State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Compass-Call.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-120905\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Compass-Call.jpeg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Compass-Call.jpeg.jpg?resize=300,158 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Compass-Call.jpeg.jpg?resize=768,403 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Compass-Call.jpeg.jpg?resize=1024,538 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An EC-130H Compass Call takes off from an airfield Jan. 18, 2017 at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. The Compass Call is engaged in operations jamming Da\u2019esh communications in order to confuse and disorient enemy fighters. (U.S. Air Force photo\/Capt. Casey Osborne)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the military scrambled to evacuate Afghan and American citizens, and to pull out its own troops from Afghanistan in August, EC-130Hs flew overhead to ensure U.S. troops had the open lines of communication they needed. While the 41st EECS will no longer maintain a permanent presence in the UAE, Compass Call can still deploy on hacking and jamming missions in CENTCOM as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force is also bringing the 41st EECS home in the process of replacing the Compass Call fleet, which outfitted existing C-130 planes with electronic warfare equipment four decades ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Five of 14 EC-130Hs have retired so far, and only half the fleet will remain as of next fall. They\u2019re making way for the EC-37B, a smaller, modern jet intended to be more cost-efficient, reliable and faster than the current platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">L3Harris, in charge of integrating the new suite of EW systems onto the jet, and Gulfstream, whose G550 airframe will serve as the new Compass Call itself, plan to deliver the first planes to the Air Force in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2017\/09\/08\/l3-gets-compass-call-contract-names-gulfstream-as-airframe-provider\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"167\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635775641588662532-gulfstream-jstars-r-2-jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">L3 gets Compass Call contract, names Gulfstream as airframe provider<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Following an August decision by the Government Accountability Office to deny protests from Bombardier and Boeing, the Air Force awarded L3 Technologies the systems integrator contract for the program, which is now known as EC-X,<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking ahead, squadron members are practicing for conflicts that will keep them on their toes. Instead of relying on the same brick-and-mortar installation as its home base overseas, as it has for decades, the 41st EECS recently tried its hand at a rapid evacuation and relocation drill for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s part of the Air Force\u2019s push to make units more flexible in case their installation is targeted, or to quickly leapfrog through a region during back-to-back sorties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Handling missions across multiple geographic regions requires a particularly close relationship between aircrews and maintainers on the ground to keep the aging planes aloft, the Air Force said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe tried to make it as realistic as possible while ensuring both the flight crews and maintenance crew members were briefed and ready,\u201d C-130H pilot Capt. Brittany Monio said in a December 2020 release. \u201cPlanning flights in such a quick manner is a large deviation from normal, but our crews executed very safely and effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>These EC-130H crews have flown about 14,750 sorties in U.S. CENTCOM \u2014 more than 90,000 hours in the air.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":28390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":67,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"10":{"categories":["air","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"air"}}},"categories":[101,24,88,16,26,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3392],"class_list":["post-12884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"TONZWMHWQVHSRE6WJ24KKGPB4A","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>This Compass Call squadron is coming home after 20 years of hacking and jamming enemies in CENTCOM - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"These EC-130H crews have flown about 14,750 sorties in U.S. CENTCOM \u2014 more than 90,000 hours in the air.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Compass Call squadron is coming home after 20 years of hacking and jamming enemies in CENTCOM\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"These EC-130H crews have flown about 14,750 sorties in U.S. CENTCOM \u2014 more than 90,000 hours in the air.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-10-11T22:51:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-17T14:27:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rachel S. Cohen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rachel S. Cohen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"This Compass Call squadron is coming home after 20 years of hacking and jamming enemies in CENTCOM\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-10-11T22:51:44+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-17T14:27:27+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 756,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q75-3-1.jpg-1.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Left Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Air Force\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"This Compass Call squadron is coming home after 20 years of hacking and jamming enemies in CENTCOM - Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q75-3-1.jpg-1.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-10-11T22:51:44+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-17T14:27:27+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"These EC-130H crews have flown about 14,750 sorties in U.S. CENTCOM \u2014 more than 90,000 hours in the air.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q75-3-1.jpg-1.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q75-3-1.jpg-1.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2021\\\/10\\\/11\\\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Air Force\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-air-force\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"This Compass Call squadron is coming home after 20 years of hacking and jamming enemies in CENTCOM\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Air Force TImes\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"This Compass Call squadron is coming home after 20 years of hacking and jamming enemies in CENTCOM - Air Force TImes","description":"These EC-130H crews have flown about 14,750 sorties in U.S. CENTCOM \u2014 more than 90,000 hours in the air.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"This Compass Call squadron is coming home after 20 years of hacking and jamming enemies in CENTCOM","og_description":"These EC-130H crews have flown about 14,750 sorties in U.S. CENTCOM \u2014 more than 90,000 hours in the air.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/","og_site_name":"Air Force TImes","article_published_time":"2021-10-11T22:51:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-17T14:27:27+00:00","author":"Rachel S. Cohen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rachel S. Cohen","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"This Compass Call squadron is coming home after 20 years of hacking and jamming enemies in CENTCOM","datePublished":"2021-10-11T22:51:44+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-17T14:27:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/"},"wordCount":756,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75-3-1.jpg-1.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Home","Left Column","News","Newsletters","Your Air Force"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/","name":"This Compass Call squadron is coming home after 20 years of hacking and jamming enemies in CENTCOM - Air Force TImes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75-3-1.jpg-1.jpg","datePublished":"2021-10-11T22:51:44+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-17T14:27:27+00:00","description":"These EC-130H crews have flown about 14,750 sorties in U.S. CENTCOM \u2014 more than 90,000 hours in the air.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75-3-1.jpg-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75-3-1.jpg-1.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/10\/11\/this-compass-call-squadron-is-coming-home-after-20-years-of-hacking-and-jamming-enemies-in-centcom\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Your Air Force","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/","ad_zone":"your-air-force"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"This Compass Call squadron is coming home after 20 years of hacking and jamming enemies in CENTCOM"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","name":"Air Force TImes","description":"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization","name":"Air Force TImes","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","caption":"Air Force TImes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Air Force TImes","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q75-3-1.jpg-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12884"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85419,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12884\/revisions\/85419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12884"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=12884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}