It operates Bell UH-1N Twin Huey aircraft conducting search and rescue missions in support of the US Air Force Survival School.

The primary mission of the 36th Rescue Squadron is to support the USAF Survival School through helicopter operations, to support the National Search and Rescue Plan by providing assistance to local authorities, and to provide the Department of Defense with qualified crewmembers.

[3] The 36th also conducts search and rescue and aeromedical evacuation missions in a four-state region, from the Cascades in Washington to the Rockies in western Montana.

It was expanded into the 36th Rescue Squadron in August 2015 and now reports to the 58th Operations Group, located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.

[1] In its role as a rescue unit, the squadron typically responds to between 15 and 20 calls for help annually, including searches conducted for lost aircraft and straying hikers.