A Search is Underway for a Downed U.S. Crew Member in Iran. Here’s What the Mission Could Entail

Members of the US Air Force 26th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron aboard an HC-130J aircraft prepare to airdrop humanitarian aid supplied by Jordan over the Gaza Strip, on March 14, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. —Dylan Collins—AFP/Getty ImagesA search and rescue mission is underway after a U.S. fighter jet crashed inside Iran on Friday. Two crew members were aboard the F-15 jet when it crashed. The pilot was rescued by U.S. forces, while the search for the second crew member is ongoing, Axios and CBS News reported Friday afternoon, citing unnamed U.S. officials.TIME spoke with Brigadier General Houston Cantwell and Major General Thomas Kunkel about what the rescue effort might entail, and how the military goes about locating and securing lost crew members. “We spend our entire careers training for this scenario and so there is no better trained and prepared force to go and execute this mission,” says Kunkel, who was a rescue helicopter pilot for the U.S. military. “We go to extreme lengths to make sure we rescue and take care of our aviators that go into harm’s way.”Here’s what to know about how the military carries out search and recovery operations. The rescue process“It is a very complex effort,” Cantwell tells TIME.The military is often alerted that an aircraft has gone down when a crew member ejects, which sends off an alert, he explains. The first and foremost priority is then to locate the crew members. “The most important piece of information is what is…

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