Ex-CENTOM official indicates downed US WSO used elite training to avoid Iranian capture

WASHINGTON, D.C.: After the US successfully rescued the Weapon System Officer (WSO) who went missing after the F-15E fighter jet was downed in Iran, a former CENTCOM official suggests that the officer would have received exclusive elite training.

According to the official's assessment, the extensive survival training focused on evading capture and assisting rescue teams enabled the WSO to survive in enemy territory before being rescued.

'Missing WSO used elite training to hide': Retired Colonel

Elaborating on how the aircrew managed to evade Iranian surveillance, Retired Colonel Joe Buccino suggested that he would have received extensive training on moving away from populated areas and seeking refuge in terrain that offers both concealment and suitable conditions for establishing communication.

“That officer has gone through intensive training to get to a secure location that’s away from the population,” Buccino said on 'Fox Report' Saturday. “They know how to do this.”

He also said that in such a situation, a trapped service member has only one goal: to reach a place where he can establish contact with US forces and guide them in a search and rescue operation.

Buccino’s statement came as US forces were conducting a rescue operation for the missing airman, who had been rescued earlier that day.

“There’s a lot of unknowns here,” he said. “We just hope and pray that we can get that service member back.”

Downed US WSO rescued in Iran

The pilot of the warplane was rescued within hours of ejecting from a crippled jet, but the WSO, who was untraceable, was rescued on Sunday, April  5.

Before US forces carried out what Trump said, “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history” to rescue the WSO, Iranians were looking for him.

Iranian officials reportedly urged civilians to locate and turn in the missing airman, raising concerns about the risk of capture.

The second crew member of a downed F-15 fighter jet was recovered in southwestern Iran early on Sunday, April 5, marking the conclusion of a high-risk combat search-and-rescue mission deep inside hostile territory.

The WSO was reportedly taken to a hospital in Kuwait for medical treatment after was rescued.

‘We got him’: Trump after rescue operation

"We got him," US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social shortly after word of the rescue was made public. "He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine," he added.

“This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour, but was never truly alone because his commander in chief, secretary of war, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and fellow warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

One of the most efficient US warplanes, the F-15E, was shot down by Iranian air defenses on Friday, April 3.