HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah – F-35A Lightning II Fighter jets from the 388th Fighter Wing are a powerful, visible symbol of America’s airpower. Behind every sortie, every exercise, every deployment, and every successful mission is a sprawling, multi-faceted team of Airmen working tirelessly.
For the 388th Operations Support Squadron “support” is in the name. The OSS is the Operations Group’s largest squadron with the most diverse mission, composed of more than 220 Airmen and 19 different Air Force Specialty Codes, or career fields. The OSS functions are so critical that the Fighter Wing’s mission of “Delivering F-35 Dominance…Anytime, Anywhere” simply cannot happen without their efforts.
“So much of what the OSS does, happens behind the scenes, and the mission doesn’t move without our Airmen,” said Chief Master Sgt. Magda DeLaRosa, 388th OSS senior enlisted leader. “They’re solving problems and laying the groundwork long before the pilot ever steps in the jet. The impact of our Airmen is everywhere, even when they’re not in the spotlight.”
The OSS is the operational nexus for the wing. Its Airmen function as touchpoints for pilots and maintainers alike. Their mission encompasses a variety of functions, from intelligence analysis and cyber operations, aircrew flight equipment to pilot training as well as airspace and aircraft scheduling.
"The flying mission is frequently perceived as pilot‑centric," said Lt. Col. Sarah Kercher, commander of the 388th OSS. “But it’s our enlisted Airmen and support officers who ensure the mission starts on time and stays on track. Our team is turning on the lights, sustaining the mission and keeping the machine running. The impact is invisible, only until the moment it isn't."
A significant and unique part of their mission is the massive cyber footprint required by the F-35. The squadron’s cyber flight provides indispensable IT support for the fifth-generation fighter.
“The F‑35 has massive cyber backbone, and our Airmen are the ones keeping those systems mission-ready,” DeLaRosa said. “Other aircraft don’t operate with this level of digital complexity. Most people will never see the hours of work behind the networks, systems, and data that make the F-35 lethal. But our team shows up every day and makes it look effortless.”
“When new F‑35 units stand up, they come to the OSS because our Airmen have built a reputation of excellence,” DeLaRosa said. “We share our best practices and our lessons learned because we want the entire enterprise to succeed. That’s the kind of professionalism our team brings to the fight.”
In addition to the web of networks and code, the OSS ensures every pilot is equipped and ready. The Aircrew Flight Equipment (AFE) flight manages all life support equipment, including the pilots’ gear, helmet, mask and as well as their survival components. This is a critical task, as the pilot’s gear is specifically designed and programmed for each pilot and configurations change depending on the operation.
“Local flying configuration for our pilot gear looks different from that in CENTCOM, and, again, different for INDOPACOM,” Kercher said. “Each region has tailored requirements, and our squadron ensures the pilots are prepared for the mission, wherever they’re needed."
The OSS’s Intelligence Flight works to provide commanders, weapons officers, and pilots with critical intelligence briefs, again, tailored to the mission as well as the location. The effort involved is immense.
“The work that goes into an intel briefing is far more involved than what anyone sees during the presentation or mission planning brief,” DeLaRosa said. “Our intel professionals spend hours researching, analyzing, and refining information so pilots have the clearest picture possible before a mission. That preparation also helps keep maintainers and other support personnel safe on the ground. Their effort is a critical part of how this wing stays ready and effective.”
The squadron’s broad scope also includes smaller flights, composed of deployment managers, Executive Communications and knowledge Operations, Airspace Scheduling, and Wing Training – which handles everything from the F-35 training simulators, the Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape program and Aerospace Physiology Training – there is even have a team that exists to augment the aircrew’s physical fitness and well-being.
With so many different functions, some geographically separated across the base, the squadron leadership’s priority is creating a unified identity.
“My goal is to ensure our Airmen feel their direct connection and vital impact to this wing’s mission,” Kercher said. “The OSS Airmen don’t always get to witness the volume of sorties they support or the results those missions achieved, but every OSS Airmen is a part of every mission…from tasking to execution. The mission here in the 388th Fighter Wing simply cannot happen without OSS efforts, which puts us at nexus of Hill AFB airpower.”