1.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
2.
United States Air Force
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The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947. It is the most recent branch of the U. S. military to be formed, the U. S. Air Force is a military service organized within the Department of the Air Force, one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense. The Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force, who reports to the Secretary of Defense, the U. S. Air Force provides air support for surface forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field. As of 2015, the service more than 5,137 military aircraft,406 ICBMs and 63 military satellites. It has a $161 billion budget with 313,242 active duty personnel,141,197 civilian employees,69,200 Air Force Reserve personnel, and 105,500 Air National Guard personnel. According to the National Security Act of 1947, which created the USAF and it shall be organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive air operations. The stated mission of the USAF today is to fly, fight, and win in air, space and we will provide compelling air, space, and cyber capabilities for use by the combatant commanders. We will excel as stewards of all Air Force resources in service to the American people, while providing precise and reliable Global Vigilance, Reach and it should be emphasized that the core functions, by themselves, are not doctrinal constructs. The purpose of Nuclear Deterrence Operations is to operate, maintain, in the event deterrence fails, the US should be able to appropriately respond with nuclear options. Dissuading others from acquiring or proliferating WMD, and the means to deliver them, moreover, different deterrence strategies are required to deter various adversaries, whether they are a nation state, or non-state/transnational actor. Nuclear strike is the ability of forces to rapidly and accurately strike targets which the enemy holds dear in a devastating manner. Should deterrence fail, the President may authorize a precise, tailored response to terminate the conflict at the lowest possible level, post-conflict, regeneration of a credible nuclear deterrent capability will deter further aggression. Finally, the Air Force regularly exercises and evaluates all aspects of operations to ensure high levels of performance. Nuclear surety ensures the safety, security and effectiveness of nuclear operations, the Air Force, in conjunction with other entities within the Departments of Defense or Energy, achieves a high standard of protection through a stringent nuclear surety program. The Air Force continues to pursue safe, secure and effective nuclear weapons consistent with operational requirements, adversaries, allies, and the American people must be highly confident of the Air Forces ability to secure nuclear weapons from accidents, theft, loss, and accidental or unauthorized use. This day-to-day commitment to precise and reliable nuclear operations is the cornerstone of the credibility of the NDO mission, positive nuclear command, control, communications, effective nuclear weapons security, and robust combat support are essential to the overall NDO function. OCA is the method of countering air and missile threats, since it attempts to defeat the enemy closer to its source
3.
Fighter aircraft
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A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat against other aircraft, as opposed to bombers and attack aircraft, whose main mission is to attack ground targets. The hallmarks of a fighter are its speed, maneuverability, many fighters have secondary ground-attack capabilities, and some are designed as dual-purpose fighter-bombers, often aircraft that do not fulfill the standard definition are called fighters. This may be for political or national security reasons, for advertising purposes, a fighters main purpose is to establish air superiority over a battlefield. Since World War I, achieving and maintaining air superiority has been considered essential for victory in conventional warfare, the word fighter did not become the official English-language term for such aircraft until after World War I. In the British Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force these aircraft were referred to as scouts into the early 1920s, the U. S. Army called their fighters pursuit aircraft from 1916 until the late 1940s. In most languages a fighter aircraft is known as a hunter, exceptions include Russian, where a fighter is an истребитель, meaning exterminator, and Hebrew where it is matose krav. As a part of nomenclature, a letter is often assigned to various types of aircraft to indicate their use. In Russia I was used, while the French continue to use C and this has always been the case, for instance the Sopwith Camel and other fighting scouts of World War I performed a great deal of ground-attack work. Several aircraft, such as the F-111 and F-117, have received fighter designations but had no fighter capability due to political or other reasons, the F-111B variant was originally intended for a fighter role with the U. S. Navy, but it was cancelled. This blurring follows the use of fighters from their earliest days for attack or strike operations against ground targets by means of strafing or dropping small bombs, versatile multirole fighter-bombers such as the F/A-18 Hornet are a less expensive option than having a range of specialized aircraft types. An interceptor is generally an aircraft intended to target bombers and so often trades maneuverability for climb rate, fighters were developed in World War I to deny enemy aircraft and dirigibles the ability to gather information by reconnaissance. Early fighters were very small and lightly armed by later standards, and most were built with a wooden frame, covered with fabric. As control of the airspace over armies became increasingly important all of the major powers developed fighters to support their military operations, between the wars, wood was largely replaced by steel tubing, then aluminium tubing, and finally aluminium stressed skin structures began to predominate. By World War II, most fighters were all-metal monoplanes armed with batteries of guns or cannons. By the end of the war, turbojet engines were replacing piston engines as the means of propulsion, further increasing aircraft speed. Since the weight of the engine was so less than on piston engined fighters. This in turn required the development of ejection seats so the pilot could escape, in the 1950s, radar was fitted to day fighters, since pilots could no longer see far enough ahead to prepare for any opposition. Since then, radar capabilities have grown enormously and are now the method of target acquisition
4.
Air Combat Command
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Air Combat Command is one of ten Major Commands in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force at the Pentagon. ACC is headquartered at Langley Field, Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia and its commander is General Herbert Hawk Carlisle, with Major General Jerry D. Harris Jr. as Vice Commander, and Chief Master Sergeant Steve K. McDonald as the Command Chief Master Sergeant, in addition, ACC augments the forces of the United States European Command, United States Pacific Command and United States Central Command when needed. Air Combat Command consists of approximately 98,000 active duty members, in 2015, responsibility for the B-1 Lancer bomber fleet was also transferred from ACC to AFGSC. Air Combat Command was created 1 June 1992 after the inactivation of the Tactical Air Command, Strategic Air Command, furthermore, ACC had some KC-135 and KC-10 aerial refueling tankers and C-130 tactical airlift aircraft in its composite, reconnaissance, and certain other combat wings. In 1993, control of the ICBM force was transferred to the Air Force Space Command until transferred again to Air Force Global Strike Command on 1 Dec 2009. S, Air Force and the U. S. Navy. Historically, combat command was an air unit designation. During 1941 and early 1942, the air units of the War Department, formerly known as the GHQ Air Force. The AFCC was dissolved in the reorganization of the United States Army, effective 9 March 1942, not long after activation, ACC underwent organizational and mission changes. The first such change was the transfer of the combat search. With the realigning of search and rescue units, ACC gained additional resources, the formal transfer took place on 1 February 1993, when the Air Rescue Service was assigned to ACC. On 2 July of the year, the ARS was disestablished. The USAF Combat Rescue School was subsequently assigned to the 57th Wing at Nellis AFB, one of the most significant changes for Air Combat Command resulted from an overhaul of flying training responsibilities. Following its activation, ACC was responsible for aircrew training, including initial weapon system. On 1 July 1993, the 58th and 325th Fighter Wings—F-16 and F-15 training units transferred from ACC to Air Education and Training Command. Concurrently, Luke AFB, Arizona, and Tyndall AFB, Florida, for which those respective wings were the host units, however, on 1 October 2012, both Tyndall AFB and the 325th Fighter Wing returned to the control of ACC. The next major change resulted from a fine-tuning of aerial refueling. From its activation, Air Combat Command had assumed ownership of some C-130 Hercules theater airlift assets and KC-10 Extender, there was historical precedent for the reassignment of C-130s to Air Combat Command
5.
Shaw Air Force Base
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Shaw Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 8.4 miles west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command, the United States Air Force 20th Fighter Wing is the host unit. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, the Shaw line was constructed in 1941 to bring in materials for base development, and has two GE 80-ton locomotives,1644 and 1671. The base is named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lieutenant Ervin David Shaw, Lieutenant Shaw was one of the first Americans to fly combat missions in World War I. Shaw, a Sumter County native, was assigned to the Royal Air Force 48 Squadron, Shaw died after three enemy aircraft attacked his Bristol F. 2B while he was returning from a reconnaissance mission on 9 July 1918. Lt. Shaw downed one of his attackers before he was killed, Shaw Field was activated on 30 August 1941 and placed under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Corps Southeast Air Corps Training Center. The mission of the new airfield was a flying school to instruct air cadets in flying. The airfield consisted of three 4, 500-foot runways and several auxiliary airfields, enough construction was completed for the first group of cadets entered training December 15,1941, and the first class completed training in February 1942. The concrete parking ramp was completed during May 1942, in October 1942, the flight training was changed to Advanced flying training and AT-6 Texan single-engine and Beech AT-10 twin-engine trainers were used. On 1 April 1945 jurisdiction of Shaw Field was transferred to First Air Force, the 139th Army Air Force Base Unit, I Fighter Command became the host unit. And pilots were sent to Shaw for fighter training in Republic P-47 Thunderbolt single-engined fighters. For a brief time, Shaw Field also served as a prisoner-of-war camp, the first group of German POWs arrived on 1 March 1945. Eventually,175 of them lived in an encampment just off the base, on Peach Orchard Road across from Shaws hospital gate. They departed in the months of 1946 for the rebuilding of European cities. Those prisoners were repatriated to Germany around 1947, with some returning to the Shaw and Sumter area. Shaw Army Airfield was designated a permanent Army Air Forces installation after the war, after a period of reorganization, jurisdiction was transferred to Air Defense Command on 1 March 1946. From July 1946 until May 1947 Shaw was the home of the 414th and 415th Night Fighter Squadrons, the squadrons flew the P-61 Black Widow in Europe with Ninth Air Force during World War II, and were reassigned back to the United States after the end of hostilities. The 414th was transferred to Caribbean Air Force at Rio Hato AB, the 415th was reassigned to Alaska Air Command at Adak Island, Alaska in May 1947 also to perform an air defense mission, over the Aleutian Islands and the territorial waters of western Alaska
6.
Gulf War
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The Iraqi Armys occupation of Kuwait that began 2 August 1990 was met with international condemnation, and brought immediate economic sanctions against Iraq by members of the UN Security Council. US President George H. W. Bush deployed US forces into Saudi Arabia, an array of nations joined the coalition, the largest military alliance since World War II. The great majority of the military forces were from the US, with Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia paid around US$32 billion of the US$60 billion cost, the war was marked by the introduction of live news broadcasts from the front lines of the battle, principally by the US network CNN. The war has also earned the nickname Video Game War after the daily broadcast of images from cameras on board US bombers during Operation Desert Storm. The initial conflict to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait began with an aerial and naval bombardment on 17 January 1991 and this was followed by a ground assault on 24 February. This was a victory for the coalition forces, who liberated Kuwait. The coalition ceased its advance, and declared a ceasefire 100 hours after the campaign started. Aerial and ground combat was confined to Iraq, Kuwait, Iraq launched Scud missiles against coalition military targets in Saudi Arabia and against Israel. The following names have been used to describe the conflict itself, Gulf War, a problem with these terms is that the usage is ambiguous, having now been applied to at least three conflicts, see Gulf War. The use of the term Persian Gulf is also disputed, see Persian Gulf naming dispute, with no consensus of naming, various publications have attempted to refine the name. Other language terms include French, la Guerre du Golfe and German, Golfkrieg, German, Zweiter Golfkrieg, French, most of the coalition states used various names for their operations and the wars operational phases. Operation Desert Storm was the US name of the conflict from 17 January 1991. Operation Desert Sabre was the US name for the offensive against the Iraqi Army in the Kuwaiti Theater of Operations from 24–28 February 1991, in itself. Operation Desert Farewell was the given to the return of US units and equipment to the US in 1991 after Kuwaits liberation. Operation Granby was the British name for British military activities during the operations, Opération Daguet was the French name for French military activities in the conflict. Operation Friction was the name of the Canadian operations Operazione Locusta was the Italian name for the operations, in addition, various phases of each operation may have a unique operational name. The US divided the conflict into three campaigns, Defense of Saudi Arabian country for the period 2 August 1990, through 16 January 1991
7.
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
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The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force. It was established in 1954 and was the first independent Air Force decoration created, the Air Force Longevity Service Award would follow in 1957 with most of the standard Air Force awards established in the early to mid 1960s. The Outstanding Unit Award is awarded to any unit of the U. S, multiple awards of the Outstanding Unit Award are denoted by oak leaf clusters on the ribbon. Until 2004, the Outstanding Unit Award was the senior most unit award in the U. S. Air Force and it is awarded to personnel who were assigned or attached to the unit receiving the award during the period it was awarded for. Non-USAF personnel personnel assigned to USAF units awarded the Outstanding Unit Award are also eligible to wear the ribbon on their uniforms, however, the ribbon does not come in the larger size of unit awards common to the U. S. Army
8.
Colonel
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Colonel is a senior military officer rank below the general officer ranks. However, in small military forces, such as those of Iceland or the Vatican. It is also used in police forces and paramilitary organizations. Historically, in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of a regiment in an army, the rank of colonel is typically above the rank of lieutenant colonel. The rank above colonel is typically called brigadier, brigade general or brigadier general, equivalent naval ranks may be called captain or ship-of-the-line captain. In the Commonwealth air force rank system, the equivalent rank is group captain, the word colonel derives from the same root as the word column and means of a column, and, by implication, commander of a column. The word colonel is therefore linked to the column in a similar way that brigadier is linked to brigade. By the end of the medieval period, a group of companies was referred to as a column of an army. Since the word is believed to derive from sixteenth-century Italian, it was presumably first used by Italian city states in that century. The first use of colonel as a rank in an army was in the French National Legions created by King Francis I by his decree of 1534. Building on the reforms of Louis XIIs decree of 1509. Each colonel commanded a legion with a strength of six thousand men. With the shift from primarily mercenary to primarily national armies in the course of the seventeenth century, the Spanish equivalent rank of coronel was used by the Spanish tercios in the 16th and 17th centuries. Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, nicknamed the Great Captain, divided his armies in coronelías or colonelcies, however, the Spanish word probably derives from a different origin, in that it appears to designate an officer of the crown, rather than an officer of the column. This makes the Spanish word coronel probably cognate with the English word coroner and this regiment, or governance, was to some extent embodied in a contract and set of written rules, also referred to as the colonels regiment or standing regulation. By extension, the group of companies subject to a colonels regiment came to be referred to as his regiment as well, the position, however, was primarily contractual and it became progressively more of a functionless sinecure. By the late 19th century, colonel was a military rank though still held typically by an officer in command of a regiment or equivalent unit. As European military influence expanded throughout the world, the rank of colonel became adopted by every nation
9.
Merrill McPeak
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Merrill Anthony Tony McPeak is a retired 4 star General in the United States Air Force whose final assignment before retirement was as the 14th Chief of Staff of the Air Force from 1990 to 1994. For a while in 1993, McPeak served as Acting Secretary of the Air Force, before Sheila E. McPeak was born in Santa Rosa and he was commissioned through Air Force ROTC, and entered active duty in November of that year. He later earned a Master of Arts degree in international relations from George Washington University in 1974, after completing preflight and pilot training, McPeak flew fighter F-100 Super Sabre and F-104 Starfighter aircraft in operational squadrons in the United States and in the United Kingdom. Later he returned to the U. S. as a pilot and weapons officer at Luke Air Force Base. From December 1966 to December 1968, McPeak was assigned as a solo and lead pilot with the Thunderbirds. While with the Thunderbirds he performed in nearly 200 air shows in the U. S. upon completion of his tour with the Thunderbirds, he was assigned as an F-100 pilot with the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing at Phù Cát Air Base in South Vietnam. On February 1,1969, he was assigned to Project Commando Sabre, known as the Misty FACs, a specialized group of high speed forward air controllers trying to stop traffic down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. He became the commander of Commando Sabre on April 22,1969, and moved it to the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing at Tuy Hoa Air Base on May 1. Rotating out of his command on May 31,1969 after 98 missions, from 1970 to 1973, McPeak was an air operations staff officer for the Mideast Division at Headquarters USAF in Washington. After graduating from the National War College in 1974, he was named assistant deputy commander for operations for the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at MacDill AFB, from 1975 to 1976, he was a military fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. In 1976, McPeak contributed an article to Foreign Affairs Journal expressing his views on the Israelis occupation of territories during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, from 1978 to 1980, he was assistant chief of staff for current operations, Allied Air Forces Central Europe. 1980 and 1981 saw him flying the F-111E and commanding the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at RAF Station Upper Heyford, United Kingdom. McPeak was chief of staff at USAFE headquarters from 1981 to 1982 and he returned to Headquarters USAF in 1985-87 as deputy chief of staff for programs and resources. In June 1987, McPeak moved to Bergstrom AFB, Texas in the roles of Commander. A year later he was named commander-in-chief of Pacific Air Forces PACAF and he was appointed Air Force Chief of Staff by President George H. W. Bush in October 1990, replacing the retiring General Michael Dugan. McPeak took over as Chief of Staff during the run-up for Operation Desert Shield, also, his tenure oversaw the merging of Air Training Command and Air University into Air Education and Training Command. McPeak pushed through major organizational change, aimed at streamlining and emphasizing operations, much of his tenure focused on elevating the status of flight operations, some say at the expense of support, or non-flying career fields. He also created the Air Force Expeditionary Wing concept, a fusion of combat forces and he also transferred several flying wing and space wing command billets to Brigadier Generals, even though previously these had been commanded by Colonels
10.
Wing (military aviation unit)
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In military aviation, a wing is a unit of command. In most military services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons, with several wings forming a group, each squadron will contain around 20 planes. On its establishment in 1912, the British Royal Flying Corps was intended to be an inter-service, combined force of the British Army and Royal Navy. Given the rivalry existed between the army and navy, new terminology was used, in order to avoid marking the corps out as having an army or navy ethos. While the term wing had been used in the cavalry, its general use predominated. Accordingly, the wing, with its allusion of flight, was chosen as the term of subdivision and the corps was split into a Military Wing. Each wing consisted of a number of squadrons, by 1914, the naval wing had become the Royal Naval Air Service, and gained its independence from the Royal Flying Corps. The Royal Flying Corps was amalgamated with the Royal Naval Air Service in 1918, the RFC usage of wing was maintained in the new service. In most Commonwealth air forces, as well as some others, in these air forces a wing is inferior to a group. Originally all wings were commanded by a wing commander. From World War II onwards, operational flying wings have usually been commanded by group captains, a wing may also be used for non-flying units, such as the infantry forces of the RAF Regiment. Additionally, RAF stations are divided into wings. In 2006, expeditionary air wings were established at the RAFs main operating bases and these expeditionary air wings consist of the deployable elements of the main operating base and other supplementary forces. Expeditionary air wings may be subordinated to an air group. In the British Air Training Corps, a wing consists of a number of squadrons within a geographical area. In this context, a wing is inferior to a region which is made up of six wings, in all, there are 36 Air Training Corps wings in six regions within the United Kingdom, each of which is commanded by a RAFVR wing commander. The size of a wing follows US usage, it varies greatly, in the 1990s, the Canadian Forces Air Command altered the structure of those bases under its control, declaring them to be Wings under the overall control of 1 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg
11.
South Carolina
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South Carolina /ˌsaʊθ kærəˈlaɪnə/ is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. The state is bordered to the north by North Carolina, to the south and west by Georgia across the Savannah River, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the U. S. Constitution, doing so on May 23,1788. South Carolina became the first state to vote to secede from the Union on December 20,1860, after the American Civil War, it was readmitted into the United States on June 25,1868. South Carolina is the 40th most extensive and the 23rd most populous U. S. state and its GDP as of 2013 was $183.6 billion, with an annual growth rate of 3. 13%. The capital and largest city is Columbia with a 2013 population of 133,358, South Carolina is named in honor of King Charles I of England, under whose reign the English colony was first formed, with Carolus being Latin for Charles. There is evidence of activity in the area about 12000 years ago. Along the Savannah River were the Apalachee, Yuchi, and the Yamasee, further west were the Cherokee, and along the Catawba River, the Catawba. These tribes were village-dwellers, relying on agriculture as their food source. The Cherokee lived in wattle and daub houses made with wood and clay, about a dozen separate small tribes summered on the coast harvesting oysters and fish, and cultivating corn, peas and beans. Travelling inland as much as 50 miles mostly by canoe, they wintered on the plain, hunting deer and gathering nuts. The names of these survive in place names like Edisto Island, Kiawah Island. The Spanish were the first Europeans in the area, in 1521, founding San Miguel de Gualdape, established with 500 settlers, it was abandoned within a year by 150 survivors. In 1562 French settlers established a settlement at what is now the Charlesfort-Santa Elena archaeological site on Parris Island, three years later the Spanish built a fort on the same site, but withdrew following hostilities with the English navy. In 1629, King Charles I of England established the Province of Carolina an area covering what is now South and North Carolina, Georgia, in the 1670s, English planters from the Barbados established themselves near what is now Charleston. Settlers built rice plantations in the South Carolina Lowcountry, east of the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, settlers came from all over Europe. Plantation labor was done by African slaves who formed the majority of the population by 1720, another cash crop was the Indigo plant, a plant source of blue dye, developed by Eliza Lucas. Meanwhile, in Upstate South Carolina, west of the Fall Line, was settled by farmers and traders. Colonists overthrew the rule, seeing more direct representation
12.
Ninth Air Force
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The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces Air Combat Command. It has been headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, from 1990, units were deployed to the Middle East against Iraq, and from 2001 against threats emanating from Afghanistan. In this role, the organization was known as United States Air Forces Central, until August 2009, the Ninth Air Force shared its commander with USAFCENT. S. This article deals with the current organization, as the lineage of the organization currently belongs to USAFCENT. This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http, archives of the Ninth Air Force Association Digital Collection at The University of Akron Archival Services Ninth Air Force Association
13.
Combat
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Combat or fighting is a purposeful violent conflict meant to weaken, establish dominance over, or kill the opposition, or to drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed. Combat violence can be unilateral, whereas fighting implies at least a defensive reaction, a large-scale fight is known as a battle. A verbal fight is known as an argument. Combat effectiveness, in the field, requires combat readiness. In military areas, the term is applied also to personnel, Combat may take place under a specific set of rules or be unregulated. Examples of rules include the Geneva Conventions, medieval chivalry, the Marquess of Queensberry rules, Combat in warfare involves two or more opposing military organizations, usually fighting for nations at war. Warfare falls under the laws of war, which govern its purposes and conduct, Combat may be armed or unarmed. Hand-to-hand combat is combat at close range, attacking the opponent with the body and/or with a melee weapon. “Combat Motivation in Today’s Soldiers, U. S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. ”Armed Forces & Society, vol. “Combat Casualties and Race, What Can We Learn from the 2003-2004 Iraq Conflict. ”“Undermining Combat Readiness in the Russian Military, 1992-2005. ”Armed Forces & Society, Jul 2006, vol. Http, //afs. sagepub. com/cgi/content/abstract/32/4/513 Ben-Shalom, Uzi, Lehrer, Zeev, and Ben-Ari, Eyal. “Cohesion during Military Operations, A Field Study on Combat Units in the Al-Aqsa Intifada. ”Http, //afs. sagepub. com/cgi/content/abstract/32/1/63 Woodruff, Todd, Kelty, Ryan, Segal, Archie Cooper, David R.2006. “Propensity to Serve and Motivation to Enlist among American Combat Soldiers. ”Armed Forces & Society, Apr 2006, vol
14.
20th Operations Group
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The 20th Operations Group is a component of the 20th Fighter Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. It is stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, the 20th Operations Group is a successor organization of the 20th Pursuit Group, one of the 15 original combat air groups formed by the US Army before World War II. During World War II the 20th Fighter Group was an Eighth Air Force fighter unit stationed in England, assigned to RAF Kings Cliffe in 1943. It was the oldest USAAF group to be assigned to the Eighth Air Force for an extended period and it was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for a sweep over Germany on 8 April 1944. The 20th Operations Group is the component of the 20th Fighter Wing. The 20th OG flies the F-16CJ Fighting Falcon and its tail code is SW, and consists of the following squadrons, 55th Fighter Squadron, Fighting Fifty-Fifth Organized on 9 August 1917. 77th Fighter Squadron, “Gamblers” Organized on 20 February 1918, in February 2003, the squadron deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 79th Fighter Squadron, “Tigers” First activated in February 1918, in June 1999, the 79th deployed F-16CJs in support of Operation Allied Force to a bare base in Southwest Asia. 20th Operations Support Squadron, “Mustangs” First organized on 25 January 1943, the squadron is responsible for all airfield activities and associated support of the 20th Fighter Groups fighter missions. Upon activation, the group welcomed the arrival of the first of many famous airmen to grace its ranks, Major Clarence L. Tinker, its first commander, led the group until 13 October 1932. Major Tinker, part Osage Indian, gained fame as Major General Tinker, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, was named in his honor a year after his death during the Battle of Midway in 1942. On 15 May 1931 the 20th PG made a trip while going on maneuvers. These maneuvers were part of the first of its kind for the Air Corps, “The Great Air Armada” put on shows in Chicago, New York City, Boston, and Washington, DC. The maneuvers consisted of all Air Corps aircraft with the exception of basic trainers, the Group remained at Mather Field for a little less than two years until 15 October 1932. On that date an advance party of more than 200 officers, enlisted men and they traveled through the Panama Canal and debarked at New Orleans, Louisiana, on 30 October 1932. On the following day, they arrived at Barksdale Field, Louisiana, just prior to its transfer to Barksdale, the group was assigned, along with the 3rd Attack Group, to the 3rd Attack Wing in June 1932. The 3rd Attack Wing and Group operated out of Fort Crockett, by February 1933 when Barksdale Field was formally dedicated, the groups training program was in full operation. In October 1934, the group, made its first aircraft transition—from the P-12 to the Boeing P-26 Peashooter and this open cockpit monoplane had a 600 horsepower engine and a top speed of 253 miles per hour
15.
55th Fighter Squadron
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The 55th Fighter Squadron is part of the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions, the squadron is one of the oldest in the United States Air Force, its origins dating to 9 August 1917, being organized at Kelly Field, Texas. It deployed overseas to France as part of the American Expeditionary Forces, as a construction squadron at the 3d Air Instructional Center. The squadron saw combat during World War II, and became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe during the Cold War, the 55th Fighter Squadron’s roots trace back to 9 August 1917. Originally organized as the 55th Aero Squadron at Kelly Field, Texas, by November the squadron was deployed to Issoudun, the squadron was demobilized on 6 March 1919, following World War I. The squadron was reactivated in November 1930, at Mather Field, California, flying Boeing P-12 aircraft, the squadron moved several times in the next decade, flying the P-26, P-36, and finally the P-40 at Hamilton Field. At the beginning of World War II, the 55th sent its personnel to units fighting overseas and continued to train aviators for squadrons in Europe and the Pacific. In May 1942, it was redesignated a fighter squadron and transitioned to the P-39 Airacobra, the 55th was in the skies over Europe by August 1943, operating from RAF Wittering, England. The squadron flew 175 combat missions with the Lightning before acquiring the P-51 Mustang in 1944, with the rest of the 20th Fighter Group, the 55th flew daily strafing, long-range-patrol and bomber-escort missions. In June, they provided air cover during the allied invasion of Normandy. As the war progressed, the 55th performed escort and fighter-bomber missions supporting the Allied advance through Central Europe, in December 1944, they took part in the Battle of the Bulge, escorting bombers to the battle area. The squadron’s 175th and last combat mission in the P-51 was flown in April 1945, the day after American and Soviet forces met at the Elbe River. The 55th was demobilized on 18 October 1945, after the war’s end, the 55th entered the jet age in February 1948, with the F-84G Thunderjet. In January 1950, it was redesignated the 55th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, the squadron returned to England at RAF Wethersfield in June 1952. The squadron transitioned to the F-100 Super Sabre in 1957 and in 1958 was redesignated the 55th Tactical Fighter Squadron, the 55th moved with the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing to RAF Upper Heyford in June 1970. The next April, the 55th received its first F-111E Aardvark, in January 1991, elements of the 55th deployed to Turkey during Operation Desert Storm. They flew more than 144 sorties, amassing 415 combat hours without a loss and these missions neutralized key facilities throughout northern Iraq and helped to liberate Kuwait and stabilize the region. The squadron was inactivated in December 1993 and it was transferred and reactivated on 1 January 1994, to its present home, Shaw Air Force Base, flying the A-10 Thunderbolt II
16.
77th Fighter Squadron
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The 77th Fighter Squadron is part of the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions. The squadron is one of the oldest in the United States Air Force, its origins dating to 20 February 1918, being organized at Rich Field, Waco Texas, as a pilot training Squadron during World War I. The squadron saw combat during World War II, and became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe during the Cold War, the 77th Aero Service Squadron was organized at Rich Field, Waco Field, Texas on 20 February 1918 with 2Lt. George P. Southworth as the squadrons first commander, on 28 February the squadron along with the 78th and 79th moved by train on the Missouri Kansas & Texas Railway to Taliaferro Fld #1, Fort Worth, Texas. The 77th would then move to Taliaferro Field #2, Everman, john Mason Tilney became Squadron Commander. On 21 July 1918 the 77th was redesignated Permanent School Squadron A, Barron Field, the vacated numbers were to be assigned to new squadrons as they were organized to replace squadrons shipped overseas. Some time after the designation was changed 2Lt. Edward S. Winfree took command and finally 2Lt, hugh C. Downey became the squadrons last commander. The 77th and later Squadron A provided personnel for base administrative activities, the squadron was officially demobilized on 18 November 1918, but recently found documents seem to show the unit was not demobilized until March 1919. There is also evidence that a third 77th Aero Service Squadron may have existed, the 77th was reactivated and consolidated with the 77th Observation Squadron in October 1927. From 1930 until 1943, the squadron moved back and forth across the country with the 20th, flying several different aircraft, including the P-26, P-36, P-38, P-39 and the P-40. In January 1943, the 77th settled at March Field, California, in time to be reassigned to England, the 77th, now designated a fighter squadron, arrived at RAF Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, England, in August 1943, flying the P-38. The 77th was instrumental in the 20th achieving its record kill of 432 enemy aircraft,400 locomotives,1,555 freight cars,94 ammunition cars and 536 motor vehicles destroyed. The 77th left Kings Cliffe, England, in the summer of 1945 and was inactivated in October 1945, the 77th and the 20th were reactivated in July 1946 at Biggs Field, Texas. Between 1946 and 1952 the squadron moved to Shaw Field, S. C. and then to Langley Air Force Base, Va. becoming the 77th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, in May 1952, the 77th and the 20th were reassigned to RAF Wethersfield, England. In 1969, the 77th and the 20th began moving to RAF Upper Heyford and converted to the version of the F-111. The squadron, flying the F-16, reorganized and incorporated 250 maintainers on 1 Feb.1992, the 77th Fighter Squadron was inactivated in October 1993, then transferred and reactivated at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, on 3 Jan.1994
17.
79th Fighter Squadron
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The 79th Fighter Squadron is part of the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions. The squadron is one of the oldest in the United States Air Force, its origins dating to 22 February 1918, being organized at Rich Field, Waco Texas, as a pilot training Squadron during World War I. The squadron saw combat during World War II, and became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe during the Cold War, the 79th Fighter Squadron traces its history back to February 1918, when it was first organized as the 79th Aero Squadron. In 1943, the 79th converted to the P-38 Lightning, flying out of Northamptonshire, England, performing duty as bomber escorts, the 79th remained at English bases throughout the war, supporting both the Normandy invasion and the allied drive into Germany. The squadron returned to the states and was inactivated on 19 October 1945, the 79th was again brought to active service on 29 July 1946, at Biggs Field, Texas. The unit moved to Shaw Field, South Carolina, in October 1946, the next change came in 1970, when the squadron transitioned to the F-111E Aardvark and moved to RAF Upper Heyford, England. The 79th received the Commander in Chief’s Trophy in 1981, as the best tactical fighter squadron in U. S. Air Forces in Europe, from 1990 to 1991, the 79th deployed to Southwest Asia to support Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. On 30 June 1993 the squadron inactivated, on 1 January 1994, it was reactivated at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, transitioning to the F-16 Fighting Falcon and assuming the mission of suppression of enemy air defenses. Since that time, the 79th has continuously supported Operations Northern and Southern Watch in Southwest Asia, in December 1998, the 79th took an active part in Operation Desert Fox in conjunction with Operation Southern Watch demands. The squadron flew more than 1,000 successful combat sorties with these dual operational requirements, in January 1999, the 79th Fighter Squadron was awarded the South Carolina Air Force Association’s Outstanding Air Force Unit of the Year award. Also in 1999, the squadron was honored with Air Combat Command’s Maintenance Effectiveness Award, in June 1999, the 79th deployed F-16CJs in support of Operation Allied Force to a bare base in Southwest Asia. Air Combat Command officials announced a stand down and reallocation of flying hours for the rest of the fiscal year 2013 due to budget cuts. The across-the board spending cuts, called sequestration, took effect 1 March when Congress failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan, USAF 79th Fighter Squadron History 79th Fighter Squadron Fact Sheet
18.
Seventeenth Expeditionary Air Force
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Seventeenth Expeditionary Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during, upon reactivation on 1 October 2008, it became the air and space component of United States Africa Command. In this capacity, Seventeenth Air Force was referred to as U. S. Air Forces Africa,17 AF was inactivated in April 2012. Seventeenth Air Force also had a relationship with the 110th Air Operations Group. The establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949, increased USAFEs responsibilities, Seventeenth Air Force was thus established on 17 April 1953 and then activated on 25 April 1953 at Rabat, Morocco. The 316th Air Division was part of the 17th AF and headquartered at Site 11 outside Sale across from the French Airbase in the Cork forest. Seventeenth Air Force operated throughout North Africa, Portugal, Austria, the Middle East, Pakistan, India, Ceylon, Seventeenth Air Force had been solely assigned to U. S. Air Forces, Europe, throughout its existence. Seventeenth Air Force was moved to Wheelus Air Base, Libya, on 1 August 1956 as the command expanded into Italy, Greece, the command exchanged its support mission for the defensive and offensive air missions in Central Europe in 1959. The headquarters was relocated in November 1959 to Ramstein AB. At Ramstein, Seventeenth Air Force exchanged its support mission in the region for the defensive and offensive air mission in central Europe. The commands inventory included more than 500 tactical and 150 support aircraft operating from bases in West Germany, France, after the 1961 Berlin Crisis and a USAFE headquarters reorganization,17 AF assumed responsibility for five bases in Great Britain from Third Air Force. During the 1972 USAFE reorganization, CINCUSAFE moved his headquarters across Germany from Lindsey Air Station to Ramstein Air Base, to accommodate USAFE HQ,17 AF relocated to Sembach Air Base, West Germany, in October 1972. In the 1980s, Seventeenth Air Force saw the number of its subordinate units almost double and its area of responsibility included three of the Ground Launched Cruise Missile sites in Europe. All of these units were inactivated in the early 1990s, the air bases at Hahn, Bitburg, Wiesbaden and Zweibrücken were closed by USAFE and turned over to the German government by 1993. Rhein-Main was closed at the end of 2005, its logistics missions being transferred to Ramstein, Seventeenth Air Force was inactivated effective 30 September 1996, due to reductions in force after the Cold War. It was to part of United States Africa Command. The stand-up ceremony occurred on 18 September 2008, under the command of Major General Ron Ladnier and it was officially reactivated by the Air Force on 1 October 2008. In this capacity, it was subordinate to the United States Air Forces in Europe, Air Forces Africa conducts sustained security engagement and operations as directed to promote air safety, security and development on the African continent
19.
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
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The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft, over 4,500 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. Although no longer being purchased by the U. S. Air Force, in 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta. The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons, the F-16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of 25 other nations. As of 2015, it is the second most common operational military aircraft in the world. Experiences in the Vietnam War revealed the need for air superiority fighters, boyds work called for a small, lightweight aircraft that could maneuver with the minimum possible energy loss, and which also incorporated an increased thrust-to-weight ratio. Air Force F-X proponents remained hostile to the concept because they perceived it as a threat to the F-15 program, however, the Air Forces leadership understood that its budget would not allow it to purchase enough F-15 aircraft to satisfy all of its missions. The Advanced Day Fighter concept, renamed F-XX, gained political support under the reform-minded Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard. As a result, in May 1971, the Air Force Prototype Study Group was established, with Boyd a key member and this was the region where USAF studies predicted most future air combat would occur. The anticipated average flyaway cost of a version was $3 million. This production plan, though, was only notional as the USAF had no plans to procure the winner. Five companies responded and in 1972, the Air Staff selected General Dynamics Model 401 and Northrops P-600 for the prototype development. GD and Northrop were awarded contracts worth $37.9 million and $39.8 million to produce the YF-16 and YF-17, respectively, with first flights of both prototypes planned for early 1974. To overcome resistance in the Air Force hierarchy, the Fighter Mafia, the high/low mix would allow the USAF to be able to afford sufficient fighters for its overall fighter force structure requirements. The mix gained broad acceptance by the time of the flyoff, defining the relationship of the LWF. The YF-16 was developed by a team of General Dynamics engineers led by Robert H. Widmer. The first YF-16 was rolled out on 13 December 1973, and its 90-minute maiden flight was made at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California and its actual first flight occurred accidentally during a high-speed taxi test on 20 January 1974. The test pilot, Phil Oestricher, decided to lift off to avoid a potential crash, the slight damage was quickly repaired and the official first flight occurred on time
20.
Buzz number
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A buzz number was a large letter and number combination applied to United States Air Force military aircraft in the years immediately after World War II, through the early 1960s. They were applied for general identification of aircraft, but particularly for the identification of aircraft guilty of buzzing over populated areas. The first two letters of a number indicated the type and designation of an aircraft while the last three were generally the last three digits of the aircraft serial number. Air Force fighters used buzz numbers starting with the letter F, for example, a P-51 Mustang would have a buzz number such as FF-230 while an F-86 Sabre might be FU-910. A B-66 Destroyer would have a number such as BB-222. One of the last Air Force fighters to carry a number was the F-4 Phantom II. This table lists U. S. Air Force and U. S. Army aircraft by buzz-number prefix, note that some aircraft types changed prefixes during their career, while other prefixes were re-used after an earlier type was retired. Tail code United States military aircraft serials Citations Bibliography Further reading Aerofiles Buzz Numbers & Tail Codes
21.
The Washington Post
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The Washington Post is an American daily newspaper. It is the most widely circulated newspaper published in Washington, D. C. and was founded on December 6,1877 and its current slogan is Democracy Dies in Darkness. Located in the city of the United States, the newspaper has a particular emphasis on national politics. Daily editions are printed for the District of Columbia, Maryland, the newspaper is published as a broadsheet, with photographs printed both in color and in black and white. The newspaper has won 47 Pulitzer Prizes and this includes six separate Pulitzers awarded in 2008, the second-highest number ever awarded to a single newspaper in one year, second only to The New York Times seven awards in 2002. Post journalists have also received 18 Nieman Fellowships and 368 White House News Photographers Association awards, in years since, its investigations have led to increased review of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In 2013, its owners, the Graham family, sold the newspaper to billionaire entrepreneur. The newspaper is owned by Nash Holdings LLC, a holding company Bezos created for the acquisition, the Washington Post is generally regarded as one of the leading daily American newspapers, along with The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. The Post has distinguished itself through its reporting on the workings of the White House, Congress. It is one of the two daily broadsheets published in Washington D. C. the other being its smaller rival The Washington Times, unlike The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post does not print an edition for distribution away from the East Coast. In 2009, the newspaper ceased publication of its National Weekly Edition, the majority of its newsprint readership is in District of Columbia and its suburbs in Maryland and Northern Virginia. The Sunday Style section differs slightly from the weekday Style section, it is in a tabloid format, and it houses the reader-written humor contest The Style Invitational. Additional weekly sections appear on weekdays, Health & Science on Tuesday, Food on Wednesday, Local Living on Thursday, the latter two are in a tabloid format. In November 2009, it announced the closure of its U. S. regional bureaus—Chicago, Los Angeles and New York—as part of a focus on. political stories. The newspaper has bureaus in Maryland and Virginia. While its circulation has been slipping, it has one of the highest market-penetration rates of any metropolitan news daily, for many decades, the Post had its main office at 1150 15th Street NW. This real estate remained with Graham Holdings when the newspaper was sold to Jeff Bezos Nash Holdings in 2013, Graham Holdings sold 1150 15th Street for US$159 million in November 2013. The Washington Post continued to lease space at 1150 L Street NW, in May 2014, The Washington Post leased the west tower of One Franklin Square, a high-rise building at 1301 K Street NW in Washington, D. C
22.
Military History Monthly
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Military History Monthly is a monthly military history magazine, published by Current Publishing. The magazine was established in October 2010 as Military Times and obtained its current title in November 2011, the first issue of Military History Monthly was published in October 2010 to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The magazine is edited by Neil Faulkner and it covers all aspects of military history, from battles of the ancient world, up to more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The speakers included politician and author Patrick Mercer
23.
International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
24.
OCLC
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The Online Computer Library Center is a US-based nonprofit cooperative organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the worlds information and reducing information costs. It was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the largest online public access catalog in the world. OCLC is funded mainly by the fees that libraries have to pay for its services, the group first met on July 5,1967 on the campus of the Ohio State University to sign the articles of incorporation for the nonprofit organization. The group hired Frederick G. Kilgour, a former Yale University medical school librarian, Kilgour wished to merge the latest information storage and retrieval system of the time, the computer, with the oldest, the library. The goal of network and database was to bring libraries together to cooperatively keep track of the worlds information in order to best serve researchers and scholars. The first library to do online cataloging through OCLC was the Alden Library at Ohio University on August 26,1971 and this was the first occurrence of online cataloging by any library worldwide. Membership in OCLC is based on use of services and contribution of data, between 1967 and 1977, OCLC membership was limited to institutions in Ohio, but in 1978, a new governance structure was established that allowed institutions from other states to join. In 2002, the structure was again modified to accommodate participation from outside the United States. As OCLC expanded services in the United States outside of Ohio, it relied on establishing strategic partnerships with networks, organizations that provided training, support, by 2008, there were 15 independent United States regional service providers. OCLC networks played a key role in OCLC governance, with networks electing delegates to serve on OCLC Members Council, in early 2009, OCLC negotiated new contracts with the former networks and opened a centralized support center. OCLC provides bibliographic, abstract and full-text information to anyone, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat—the OCLC Online Union Catalog, the largest online public access catalog in the world. WorldCat has holding records from public and private libraries worldwide. org, in October 2005, the OCLC technical staff began a wiki project, WikiD, allowing readers to add commentary and structured-field information associated with any WorldCat record. The Online Computer Library Center acquired the trademark and copyrights associated with the Dewey Decimal Classification System when it bought Forest Press in 1988, a browser for books with their Dewey Decimal Classifications was available until July 2013, it was replaced by the Classify Service. S. The reference management service QuestionPoint provides libraries with tools to communicate with users and this around-the-clock reference service is provided by a cooperative of participating global libraries. OCLC has produced cards for members since 1971 with its shared online catalog. OCLC commercially sells software, e. g. CONTENTdm for managing digital collections, OCLC has been conducting research for the library community for more than 30 years. In accordance with its mission, OCLC makes its research outcomes known through various publications and these publications, including journal articles, reports, newsletters, and presentations, are available through the organizations website. The most recent publications are displayed first, and all archived resources, membership Reports – A number of significant reports on topics ranging from virtual reference in libraries to perceptions about library funding
25.
Numbered Air Force
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A Numbered Air Force is a type of organization in the United States Air Force that is subordinate to a Major Command and has assigned to it operational units such as wings, squadrons, and groups. A Component Numbered Air Force has the role as an Air Force Component Command exercising command and control over air. Unlike MAJCOMs, which have a management role, a NAF is a organization with an operational focus. Numbered air forces are commanded by a major general or a lieutenant general. Numerical designations for Numbered Air Forces are written out, but Arabic numerals are used in abbreviations, units directly subordinate to a NAF are generally numbered 6XX. For example, the 618th Air and Space Operations Center is a subordinate to the Eighteenth Air Force. Numbered air forces began as named organizations in the United States Army Air Corps before World War II, the first four NAFs were established as the Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest Air Districts on 19 October 1940 to provide air defense for the United States. These Air Districts were redesignated as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Air Forces, respectively, on 26 March 1941. Over a year after the establishment of the United States Army Air Forces on June 20,1941, the Arabic numerals were changed to the First, Second, Third, after World War II, the US Air Force continued to use both named and numbered air forces. While named air forces were used in tactical and support roles, numbered air forces were generally employed only in tactical roles. These commands reflected the air combat missions that evolved during the war, and each reported directly to General Carl Spaatz. Numbered air forces served as an intermediate headquarters between these commands and the wings and groups. Eleven of the sixteen wartime air forces remained, Second Air Force would later be transferred to SAC in 1949. The numbered air forces had both operational and administrative authority, and existed as a level between major commands and air divisions. Although variations existed, and number air forces were often reassigned, the role of numbered air forces changed in the 1990s during the Air Force reorganization initiated by Air Force Chief of Staff General Merrill McPeak. The goal of the reorganization was to streamline, take out, flatten organizational charts. Numbered air forces were reorganized into tactical echelons focused on operations and this reorganization also reduced the number of major commands, and eliminated the air divisions to place numbered air forces directly in command of operational wings. The role of numbered air forces was changed in 2006 with the implementation of the Component Air Force concept
26.
First Air Force
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The First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida and its primary mission is the air defense of the Contiguous United States, United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Its mission lineage can be traced to the Air Defense Command, during the war, its primary mission became the organization and training of combat units prior to their deployment to the overseas combat air forces. First Air Force is commanded by Lieutenant General R. Scott Williams and its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sgt. The command has responsibility for ensuring the air sovereignty and air defense of the Contiguous United States, United States Virgin Islands. As the CONUS Region for NORAD, the bi-national North American Aerospace Defense Command, 1AF is also the designated air component for the United States Northern Command. USNORTHCOMs area of responsibility includes the continental United States, Alaska, Canada and Mexico, the command is unique in both its mission and composition. First Air Force has been an Air Combat Command organization since 1 June 1992 and its subordinate units are located throughout the continental United States. It was redesignated First Air Force on 9 April 1941 with a mission for the defense of the Northeast, AAFSC would eventually expand that mission to the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean until the antisubmarine mission was taken over completely by the Navy in mid-1943. The First Air Force became predominantly a fighter OTU and RTU organization, most P-47 Thunderbolt fighter groups were trained by I Fighter Command, along with P-39/P-63 Airacobra groups, C-47 Skytrain and later C-46 Commando groups by I Troop Carrier Command. Air Defense Wings were also organized for the metropolitan areas along the northeast coast. By 1944 the likelihood of an air attack along the eastern seaboard was remote, and these air defense wings were reduced to paper units. By 1944, the vast majority of the USAAF was engaged in operations in various parts of the world, such as the Eighth Air Force in Europe. First Air Force Headquarters was located at Fort Slocum, New York, the command was originally assigned the region of the New England states, along with New York and New Jersey. The command was inactivated on 23 June 1958 for budgetary reasons, First Air Force was reactivated at Stewart Air Force Base, Newburgh, N. Y. on 20 January 1966 due to the inactivation of the ADC Air Defense Sectors. First Air Force assumed responsibility for the ADC 21st, 33d, 34th, 35th and it also was responsible for the air defense of Greenland, Iceland and parts of Canada. By July 1968, First Air Force had again assumed responsibility for the air defense of the eastern seaboard. On 16 January 1968 Air Defense Command was re-designated Aerospace Defense Command as part of a restructuring of USAF air defense forces, ADCOM reassigned the units under the inactivated First Air Force were reassigned primarily to the 20th, 21st or 23d Air Divisions
27.
Twelfth Air Force
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The Twelfth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. It is headquartered at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the command serves as a primary conventional fighter and bomber warfighting headquarters trained and ready for worldwide employment of airpower. It is responsible for the readiness of 10 active-duty wings. These subordinate commands operate more than 520 combat aircraft with more than 42,000 uniformed and civilian Airmen. It takes part in a multitude of operations in the United States Southern Command area of focus alongside partner nations in Central and South America, ensuring a safe, secure, and stable region. Established on 20 August 1942 at Bolling Field, District of Columbia and it engaged in operations in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Western Europe. As a result of the Global War on Terrorism, most 12th Air Force units have operated in the United States Central Command AOR. Since 1987, Twelfth Air Force trains, equips, and prepares assigned units from Air Combat Command and also serves as the air, Twelfth Air Force serves as a primary conventional fighter and bomber WFHQ trained and ready for worldwide employment of airpower. It is responsible for the readiness of seven active-duty wings. The command is also leading the way in bringing the Chief of Staff of the Air Forces Warfighting Headquarters concept to life, the WFHQ is composed of a command and control element, an Air Force forces staff and an Air Operations Center. Operating as a WFHQ since June 2004, Twelfth Air Force has served as the Air Force model for the future of Combined Air and Space Operations Centers and WFHQ Air Force forces. 12 AF command is responsible for the operational readiness of 13 Twelfth Air Force-gained wings and other units of the Air Force Reserve. These units include more than 220 aircraft and 18,900 Total Force Airmen, the mission of AFSOUTH is to conduct Air Force, joint and combined air and space operations in addition to information operations in the USSOUTHCOM Area of Responsibility. To fulfill these responsibilities AFSOUTH employs a full spectrum of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, intra-theatre airlift, in addition the AOC is responsible for developing strategy and plans to execute air and space operations in support of USSOUTHCOM objectives. The AOC also provides command and control of all AFSOUTH air, Twelfth Air Force is also responsible for the combat readiness of one of five Falconer AOC weapons systems in the Air Force. Typically, the 12 AF/CC and his command and control organization form the core of the AFSOUTH command section. Unlike the 12 AF/CC, who reports to COMACC and has only a training mission, AFSOUTH has no organic assets, but draws on forces provided to it by CDRUSSOUTHCOM. Currently, AFSOUTH manages four rotational Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard C-130s based out of Muniz Air National Guard Base, the SOUTHCOM JFACC is a warfighting commander who reports to CDRUSSOUTHCOM and directs air and air defence forces provided to him for tasking by CDRUSSOUTHCOM
28.
Twenty-Fifth Air Force
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Twenty-Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force within the United States Air Force. USAF also realigned the 9th Reconnaissance Wing and the 55th Wing under the new NAF and it is headquartered at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Its primary mission is to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance products, applications, capabilities and resources, to include cyber and geospatial forces. Additionally, it is the service cryptologic component responsible to the National Security Agency,25 AF was originally activated as the United States Air Force Security Service on 20 October 1948, at Arlington Hall, Washington, D. C. with a mission of cryptology and communications security. 25 AF is commanded by Maj Gen Bradford J. B. J. Shwedo and its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Command Chief Master Sgt. Roger A Towberman, 25th Air Force, the organization organizes, trains, equips and presents assigned forces and capabilities to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for combatant commanders and the nation. It also implements and oversees the execution of Air Force policies intended to expand ISR capabilities, the organization comprises over 30,000 people at about 65 locations worldwide. The redesignation took place on 29 September 2014 at Joint Base San Antonio, five active duty wings and one center are assigned to the Twenty-Fifth Air Force. 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, California 55th Wing, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Fort George G. The service was headquartered at Arlington Hall, a girls school. The USAFSS was tasked with the cryptology and communications security missions of the newly formed United States Air Force. The USAFSS moved to Brooks Air Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas, in April 1949, during the Korean War, the USAFSS personnel provided United Nations Command units with intelligence on the movements of major Korean Peoples Army forces from Manchuria to Wonsan. USAFSS personnel received Korean Language training at Yale University, and flew on the Douglas C-47 Skytrain to relay communications to allied forces on the Korean Peninsula. The USAFSS became involved in the Vietnam War when the Pacific Air Forces asked it to establish an Air Force Special Security Office at Tan Son Nhut Airport near Saigon in 1961. By the following year, a USAFSS squadron and three subordinate detachments were operating in Vietnam and Thailand, and USAFSS personnel supported College Eye threat warning operations, in 1985, the Air Force tasked ESC with computer security, in addition to its intelligence and electronic warfare missions. ESC provided intelligence support to the United States invasion of Panama in 1989 and were among the first U. S. military personnel to arrive in Saudi Arabia for the Gulf War, during that conflict, ESC personnel operated at three different locations in Saudi Arabia and Turkey. On 1 October 1991, the Air Force redesignated ESC as the Air Force Intelligence Command and consolidated Air Force intelligence functions, with the combined missions, AFIC was tasked with intelligence, security, electronic combat, foreign technology, and treaty monitoring. The organization was redesignated again when it became the Air Intelligence Agency on 1 October 1993, during the 1990s, AIA personnel deployed to support NATO operations during the Bosnian War and Kosovo War, and as part of Operations Southern Watch and Northern Watch in Southwest Asia
29.
United States Air Force Warfare Center
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The United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, reports directly to Air Combat Command. The Center was founded September 1,1966, as the U. S. Air Force Tactical Fighter Weapons Center and it was renamed the U. S. Air Force Warfare Center in 2005. The United States Air Force Warfare Center manages advanced pilot training and integrates many of the Air Forces test and it continued to perform this mission for nearly thirty years, undergoing several name changes in the 1990s. In 1991, the became the USAF Fighter Weapons Center. The center also uses Eglin AFB, FL, range, which even greater depth to the centers capabilities, providing over water. It is also the parent unit for both the USAF Weapons School and the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, the better known as the United States Air Force Thunderbirds. 99th Air Base Wing The 99th Air Base Wing is the host wing at Nellis AFB and it hosts the Air Forces only Air Operations Center Formal Training Unit. By the mid-1960s, USAF aircraft and aircrew losses in the Vietnam War had convinced Tactical Air Command of the need to improve technical and operational skills for the widening conflict. TAC established the Tactical Fighter Weapons Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada in 1966 for the purpose of improving fighter operations. Additionally, the Nellis Range, largest in the free world, 65th Fighter Weapons, October 15,1969 – April 7,1989. afhra. af. mil/
30.
Beale Air Force Base
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Beale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 8 miles east of Marysville, California. The host unit at Beale is the 9th Reconnaissance Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command, the 9 RW collects intelligence essential for Presidential and Congressional decisions critical to the national defense. The wing also maintains a state of readiness in its combat support. The 940th Air Refueling Wing is a tenant Air Force Reserve Command wing at Beale AFB flying the KC-135 Stratotanker, Camp Beale became a United States Air Force installation on 1 April 1951 and was renamed Beale Air Force Base. Beale AFB is the home of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, which serves as the host wing for the base. The installation is located outside of Linda, about 10 miles east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City, Beale is a large base in terms of land and has five gates providing access on all sides of the base. Visitors enter the base through a gate that local merchants, individuals. The base is home for approximately 4,000 military personnel, Beale Air Force Base covers nearly 23,000 acres of rolling hills in northern California. The bases natural resources are as rich as its significant cultural and historical heritage, Native Americans lived on this land, the mortar bowls they carved into the bedrock lie embedded in a shallow stream. To preserve these and other areas, the base proudly maintains 38 Native American sites,45 homestead sites. The 9th Reconnaissance Wing is composed of four groups at Beale AFB, 9th Operations Group Consists of multiple squadrons and detachments. 9th Maintenance Group Consists of the 9th Maintenance Operations Squadron, the 9th Maintenance Squadron, the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, the group is responsible for a $5.8 million annual budget. The group is also the Air Forces single focal point for providing mass ammunition production training, 9th Mission Support Group Provides trained combat support forces to theater commanders- in-chief worldwide. 9th Medical Group Consists of three squadrons, 9th Medical Operations, 9th Medical Support and 9th Physiological Support Squadrons and they provide for the medical needs of Beale AFB beneficiaries and support Beales high-altitude flyers in the U-2 aircraft. The Beale Clinic is located at 15301 Warren Shingle Road on a hillside near base housing. The clinics primary mission is to support the operational readiness. They provide comprehensive care, physiological and environmental support and promote health education. This outpatient clinic consists of both the 9th Medical Operations and 9th Medical Support Squadrons that provide primary care services with aerospace medicine, no inpatient or emergency services are available and minimal specialty services exist
31.
Creech Air Force Base
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Creech is the aerial training site for the USAF Thunderbirds and is one of two emergency divert airfields for the Nevada Test and Training Range. The base in named in honor of retired US Air Force General Wilbur L. Creech, the commanding officer of Tactical Air Command. 39 Squadron RAF After World War I, Nevada and other western states were surveyed by Capt. Lowell H. Smith. The United States Army Air Corps subsequently rented a room in Reno. A1939 western site board reconnaissance was conducted near Tonopah for a range and in October 1940. The Nevada World War II Army Airfield at Indian Springs supported B-17 Flying Fortress & T-6 Texan aircraft and had 5 Auxiliary Army Airfields on the bombing range, field#4 & Area 51 had Aux. In March 1945 Indian Springs AAF was placed in stand-by with a small housekeeping staff, the Army airfield re-opened in January 1948 and in 1950, the bases 1st USAF unit was assigned to the installation. As an AFSWC facility, Indian Springs AFB served as a base for projects from Operation Ranger in 1951 to Operation Storax in 1962. The 4935th Air Base Squadron was activated to operate the base in accordance with ARDC General Order No.39 on 16 July 1952. At first fewer than 300 officers and enlisted men were stationed at Indian Springs AFB, but when testing began, the base also hosted more than 100 of the most modern aircraft in the world at the time. Aircrews at Indian Springs were briefed on weather for tests and when the Yucca Lake airstrip became flooded, Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field was designated on 1 April 1961 when the USAF transferred Indian Springs AFB missions to Nellis AFB under the control of Tactical Air Command. Ancillary missions were carried out including target marking at the bombing range for the aircraft from Nellis AFB as well as searching for. In 1966, the unit replaced two Kaman HH-43 Huskie helicopters with two Bell UH-1F Huey utility helicopters, the 1982 Thunderbirds Indian Springs Diamond Crash killed all four Northrop T-38 Talon pilots impacting along the runway. Around 1988 the bulk of Silver Flag Alpha moved to the Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field from Nellis, Indian Springs AFAF was designated a Formerly Used Defense Site by 30 September 2002. In January 2005, No 1115 Flight was formed at the base to operate the Royal Air Forces first UAVs, the 42d Attack Squadron was formed at Creech AFB on 8 November 2006 as the first Reaper squadron. In 2008 the USGS added the military installation to the Geographic Names Information System, in 2012, the ceremony in which the 99th Security Forces Group stands down also activated the 799th Air Base Group at Creech. Creech is also home to the Silver Flag Alpha Regional Training Center, at Silver Flag Alpha, Security Forces airmen receive mission-specific training prior to being deployed to combat areas. Military Working Dog handlers receive additional training along with attending one of the two Silver Flag Alpha courses, depending on the course the airmen may receive training on the following, Vehicles, uparmored Humvees, MRAPs, MATVs
32.
Holloman Air Force Base
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The base was named in honor of Col. George V. Holloman, a pioneer in guided missile research. It is the home of the 49th Wing of the Air Combat Command, Holloman is located in New Mexicos Tularosa Basin between the Sacramento and San Andres mountain ranges. The base is about 10 miles west of Alamogordo, New Mexico, on U. S. Route 70,90 miles north of El Paso, Texas, the base covers 59,639 acres and is located at an altitude of 4,093 feet. Holloman is home to the worlds longest, at 50,188 feet, the 49th Wing – host wing at Holloman Air Force Base – supports national security objectives by deploying worldwide to support peacetime and wartime contingencies. The wing provides combat-ready Airmen, and trains General Atomics MQ-1 Predator and General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper pilots, sensor operators, the wing has a proud history of service in World War II, Korea, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and NATO-led Operation Allied Force. The 49th Wing is the host unit at Holloman Air Force Base, supporting national security objectives with mission-ready F-22 Raptors, Air Transportable Medical Clinic, the wing deploys combat-ready and mission-support forces supporting Air Expeditionary Force operations, Overseas Contingency Operations, and peacetime contingencies. The 49th Operations Group supports national security objectives, as directed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the operational squadron is, 7th Fighter Squadron All F-22A carry the HO Tailcode. The Operations Group took over the activities of the inactivated 37th Fighter Wing at Tonopah Test Range Airport when the F-117As were transferred to Holloman in 1993, 49th Mission Support Group, Provides support to all base operations, personnel, and family members. In February 2006, the Bush Administration announced that Holloman would cease to be home to the F-117A Nighthawk and this move coincided with an announcement that the F-117 will be removed from service on or about 2008. On 1 March 2006, it was announced by the United States Air Force that Holloman would be the new home of two squadrons of F-22A Raptors. Along with the 49th FW, the 96th Test Group, part of the 96th Test Wing from Eglin Air Force Base, the 96th TG is an Air Force Materiel Command unit responsible for operational testing and evaluation of new equipment and systems proposed for use by these forces. The 54th Fighter Group ia a geographically separated unit of the 56th Fighter Wing, out of Luke AFB, the German Air Force Tactical Training Center activated at Holloman 1 May 1996. With the activation,300 German military personnel and 12 Panavia Tornado aircraft joined Team Holloman, German aircrews come to Holloman for approximately three weeks for advanced tactical training and then return to Germany. The German Air Force also conducts a Fighter Weapons Instructor Course for the Tornado, aircrews for this course come to Holloman for about six months. As of November 2006 there are 650 German military personnel and 25 Tornado aircraft assigned to Holloman AFB, there are numerous reasons the German Air Force trains at Holloman. The area offers great flying weather and has suitable air space, other reasons are the proximity of Holloman to the German Air Force Air Defense Center at Fort Bliss, Texas and the centralizing of German aircrew training at a single location. To facilitate this, there is a memorandum of understanding between the two governments, on 29 September 1999, two Luftwaffe Tornados crashed near Marathon Indian Basin, about 15 miles northwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The crash details were kept quiet from the American public, as the crash was investigated under Luftwaffe jurisdiction, in September 2004, Luftwaffe chief of staff, Klaus-Peter Stieglitz announced a reduction in its training program of roughly 20%
33.
Langley Air Force Base
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Langley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located adjacent to Hampton and Newport News, Virginia. It was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the entry of the United States into World War I in April 1917, on 1 October 2010, Langley Air Force Base was joined with Fort Eustis to become Joint Base Langley–Eustis. The base was established in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment, the Air Force mission at Langley is to sustain the ability for fast global deployment and air superiority for the United States or allied armed forces. It was used during World War I as a field, balloon station, observers’ school, photography school, experimental engineering department. It is situated on 3,152 acres of land between the cities of Hampton, NASA LaRC, and the northwest and southwest branches of the Back River, airPower over Hampton Roads is a recurring airshow held at Langley in the spring. Many demonstrations take place, including the F-22 Raptor Demonstration, Aerobatics, and parachute demos. The Wing is composed of the units worldwide, 480th ISR Group, Fort Gordon, Ga. 497th ISR Group, Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Va. 548th ISR Group, Beale Air Force Base. Langley also hosts the Global Cyberspace Integration Center field operating agency, Langley is also home to the F-22 Raptor Demo Team. This team, who travel all over the world performing different maneuvers used in air combat, is used to recruit for the United States Air Force. Performing at airshows and other events, the squadron is the only demonstration team to use the F-22 Raptor. Langley Field was named after Samuel Pierpont Langley, an aerodynamic pioneer, Langley began aerodynamic experiments in 1887 and formed a basis for practical pioneer aviation. He built and saw the first steam model airplane in 1896, both planes were believed to be capable of flight. He also built the first man-carrying gasoline airplane in 1903, which failed to fly on its first attempt and broke apart and crashed on its second. It was, after major modification eleven years later, flown successfully by Glenn Curtiss for a little over 3 seconds, traveling 150 feet through the air in 1914. Langley Field was the first Air Service base built especially for air power, is the oldest continually active air base in the world. In 1916, the National Advisory Council for Aeronautics, predecessor to NASA, established the need for a joint airfield and proving ground for Army, Navy and NACA aircraft. NACA determined that the site must be near water for over-water flying, be flat and relatively clear for expansion and the landing and take-off of aircraft, the Army appointed a board of officers who searched for a location. The officers sometimes posed as hunters and fishermen to avoid land speculation which would arise if the governments interest in purchasing land was revealed
34.
Moody Air Force Base
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Moody Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation located in Lowndes and Lanier counties, approximately 9 miles northeast of Valdosta, Georgia, United States. The host unit, the 23d Wing, carries out worldwide close air support, force protection, Major Moody earned his military wings in 1930 and flew U. S. airmail as a member of the United States Army Air Corps in 1934. He was killed on 5 May 1941 while flight-testing a Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita advanced two-engine training aircraft at Wichita Army Airfield, the AT-10 was later used extensively at Moody AAF during World War II. Also located at the base is Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide, Moody Campus, the base had its beginning in 1940 when a group of concerned Valdosta and Lowndes County citizens began searching for a way to assist the expanding defense program. A committee was formed to obtain a military airfield for their community, in October 1940, the committee sent a letter to Maxwell AAF inviting the Air Corps to consider the Valdosta area. When engineers arrived, they rejected the existing Valdosta Municipal Airport because of excessive grading costs, the Air Corps found an acceptable site 11.5 miles NNE of Valdosta near the small settlement of Bemis. The site was located on the Lakeland Flatwoods Project, a 9,300 acres tract of sub-marginal land, the United States Department of Agriculture, which owned the land, was experimenting at that time with forest grazing at the project. The Air Corps approved to locate the base on the tract in March 1941, two months later, on 14 May, the Department of Agriculture transferred ownership of the property to the War Department. Construction got underway on 28 July 1941 for an advanced training base with accommodations for 4,100 men. The $3.4 million projects 160 buildings included 72 barracks and 16 supply rooms, also provided in the original contract were four 5, 000-foot runways, two asphalt and two concrete, plus a spur of the Georgia and Florida Railroad. Moody Army Airfield was activated on 26 June 1941, advanced Twin Engine training was designed to train cadets to fly transports and bombers. One of the problems encountered with the switchover from single-engine to two-engine training was the instructors lack of experience with twin-engined aircraft. In September 1944, Moody began replacing the AT-10 with the TB-25 Mitchell, as a result of the demands of training with the B-25 and a lessened need for pilots, the Army extended the flight syllabus by an additional five weeks on 16 October 1944. The extended program added 30 additional flight hours and five hours in the Link Trainer. Meanwhile, a Bombardier Navigator Replacement Pool had been established on 24 July 1943, the Army also built four additional runways at Moody during 1943 for a total of eight. In November 1943,490 German POWs arrived at the base from Camp Blanding, due to reduced demands for new pilots during the early months of 1945, The Army Air Force announced that Moody would be transferred to the First Air Force on 30 April 1945. Under First Air Force, Moody trained replacement combat pilots as a Combat Crew Training Station for the Douglas A-26 Invader light bomber, following the end of the war, activity at Moody diminished to the point that 24 of the 93 A-26s had to be placed in flyable storage. The airfield was transferred back to Army Air Forces Training Command on 1 November 1945 after World War II ended, in August 1946, the AAF inactivated Moody placing it on standby status
35.
Mountain Home Air Force Base
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Mountain Home Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation in the western United States. Located in southwestern Idaho in Elmore County, the base is twelve miles southwest of Mountain Home, the host unit at Mountain Home since 1972 has been the 366th Fighter Wing of the Air Combat Command, nicknamed the Gunfighters. The bases primary mission is to provide combat airpower and combat capabilities to respond to. Constructed in the early 1940s during World War II as a base for bombers, after the war it briefly had transports, then was a bomber. It became a fighter base 51 years ago in 1966, part of the base is a census-designated place, the population was 3,238 at the 2010 census. Mountain Home AFB is the home of the 366th Fighter Wing, an active Idaho Air National Guard unit, the 266th Range Squadron, controls and maintains emitter sites within the 7,412 sq mi operational training range in southwestern Idaho. Crews started building the base in November 1942 and the new field opened on 7 August 1943. Shortly thereafter, airmen at the field began training U. S. Army Air Forces crews for World War II, the 396th Bombardment Group was the first unit assigned and its planned mission was to train crews for the B-17 Flying Fortress. However, before the first B-17s arrived, plans for the field changed, instead of training B-17 crews, Mountain Home airmen began training crews for the B-24 Liberator. The first group to do so was the 470th Bombardment Group, which trained at Mountain Home from May 1943 until January 1944, the 490th Bombardment Group replaced the 470th and trained B-24 crews until it deployed to RAF Eye England in April 1944. The 494th Bombardment Group then replaced the 490th, once more training Liberator crews, senator George McGovern was a pilot in the USAAF, and did his second stage of B-24 training here. McGovern served 24 years in both houses of Congress from South Dakota, and was the Democratic nominee in the election of 1972. The base also received fighter aircraft to add realism to its training, a few P-38 Lightning and P-63 Kingcobra pursuit planes arrived in January 1945 to simulate attacks on B-24s. The base was placed in inactive status in October 1945, the base remained inactive for over three years, until December 1948, when the newly independent U. S. Air Force reopened the base. The mission of the 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Group was long-range strategic reconnaissance, on 3 September 1949, aircraft of the 72d identified the first evidence of a successful explosion of a Soviet nuclear weapon in the Semipalatinsk test site in eastern Kazakh SSR on 29 August 1949. The 4209th Base Service Squadron was assigned to the base which supervised construction activities to modernize facilities and also construct a 12, the base was formally closed on 25 April 1950, however the 5th SRW maintained control of Mountain Home from Fairfield-Suisun, maintaining it as a subbase. ARCS was Special Operations organization, which performed Psychological Warfare missions, Mountain Home AFB was selected as a training base for ARCS, for which it was well-suited due to the relative remoteness of the facility. Once manned, equipped and trained, the deployed to various parts of the world
36.
Nellis Air Force Base
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Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada with military schools and more squadrons than any other USAF base. Nellis hosts air combat such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in Military Operations Area airspace. Associated with the nearby Nevada Test and Training Range, the base also has the Combined Air and Space Operations Center-Nellis. The Nellis AFB mission of advanced training for composite strike forces is commonly conducted in conjunction with air and grounds units of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps. The base also supports operations at the nearby Creech Air Force Base, the Tonopah Test Range, since World War II, Nellis has had areas added, such as Area II in 1969, but still has about 7,000 acres of undeveloped space. One World War II runway has been removed, Nellis Area I has the airfield, recreation and shopping facilities, dormitories/temporary lodging, some family housing, and most of the command and support structures, e. g. Suter Hall for Red Flag. Nellis Area III is west of the base with family housing, administration and industrial areas. The Nellis Air Force Base CDP is a 3.1 sq mi region defined by the United States Census Bureau as of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP area includes military family housing, dormitories, and lodging as for aircrew temporary quarters during Red Flag exercises. The CDP residents include a portion of the Nellis work force of ~12,000 military, as of the census of 2000, there were 8,896 people,2,873 households, and 2,146 families residing in the CDP. Population density was 2,895.9 people per square mile, there were 3,040 housing units at an average density of 989. 6/sq mi. The gender ratio was 4813 males to 4083 females. The racial makeup of the base was 68. 5% White,14. 3% African American,1. 4% Native American,5. 0% Asian,0. 7% Pacific Islander,4. 9% from other races, and 5. 2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11. 7% of the population, of all households 17. 9% were made up of individuals and 1. 1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the family size was 3.36. 2000 census median incomes were $33,118, $34,307, $25,551, & $19,210, and per capita income was $13,601. About 10. 0% of families and 11. 1% of the population were below the poverty line, Nellis AFB also leases space at the former Las Vegas AFS, and environmental sites of the Tonopah Bombing Range are monitored by the EPA. Additional Formerly Used Defense Sites associated with the military operations are the Nye County Areas A, G, H, & I, the Delamar Dry Lake Test Annex. After World War I, Nevada and other western states were surveyed by Capt. Lowell H. Smith
37.
Offutt Air Force Base
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Offutt Air Force Base is a U. S. Air Force installation near Omaha, and lies adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U. S. Strategic Command, the Air Force Weather Agency, and the 55th Wing of the Air Combat Command, aviation use at Offutt began in September 1918 during World War I as an Army Air Service balloon field. It was renamed in honor of World War I pilot and Omaha native 1st Lt. Jarvis Offutt in 1924. S. in case of war during the Cold War. The population was 8,901 at the 2000 census, Offutt Air Force Base is the host station for the 55th Wing, the largest wing of the United States Air Forces Air Combat Command. One of the units, the 55th Operations Group, operates 46 aircraft. The group consists of approximately 3,200 personnel and it employs 46 aircraft, including 13 models of seven different types. It consists of 5 squadrons,3 flying squadrons,1 support squadron and 1 maintenance squadron, all 3 flying squadrons utilize various models of the EC-130 aircraft. It also provides technology and support to the 55th Wing and 44 tenant units. 55th Medical Group The 55th Medical Group serves 28K enrolled patients with extensive outpatient clinic capabilities, Offutt AFB is the headquarters of United States Strategic Command which is one of the nine Unified Combatant Commands of the United States Department of Defense. USSTRATCOM was established in 1992 as a successor to Strategic Air Command, the 557th Weather Wing, formerly the Air Force Weather Agency, is headquartered at Offutt AFB. It is the weather center of the United States Air Force. For over a century, Offutt AFB has played a key role in American military history, from its beginnings as Fort Crook in the late 19th century, Offutt has adapted to the defense needs of the United States. The historical significance of Offutt is a source of pride for military, Offutt AFB is named in honor of First Lieutenant Jarvis Jennes Offutt. The first native of Omaha to become a casualty in World War I, Lieutenant Offutt died of injuries sustained when his SE-5 fighter crashed during a flight near Valheureux. The airfield portion of Fort Crook was designated Offutt Field on 10 May 1924, offutts great heritage began with the commissioning by the War Department in 1890 of Fort Crook. Located some 10 miles south of Omaha and two miles west of the Missouri River, the fort was constructed between 1894 and 1896, the forts namesake was Major General George Crook, a Civil War veteran and Indian fighter. It was first used as a point for Indian conflicts on the Great Plains. Troops from Fort Crook fought during the Spanish–American War when the 22nd Regiment under Charles A. Wikoff was dispatched to Cuba, the regiment suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of El Caney
38.
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
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Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located to the southeast of Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for LT Seymour Johnson, USN, a native of Goldsboro, a Naval Aviator, the base is the only USAF installation named for a naval officer. Seymour Johnson AFB is home to the 4th Fighter Wing of the Air Combat Command, the 4th Fighter Wing, under various designations, can trace its origins to the RAF Eagle squadrons of World War II. The Eagle Squadrons were Royal Air Force fighter squadrons formed with volunteer pilots from the United States. The last Eagle Squadron was disbanded in September 1942, with most of the members transferring into the United States Army Air Forces, many famous fighter aces were in this group. Reactivated as the 4th Fighter Wing on 28 July 1947, members of the wing have served all over the world, including the Korean War, Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. S. If recalled to duty, the wing would integrate into the 18th Air Force and fall under the direction of Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base. More than 900 Air Force Reservists in the train to support worldwide operational commitments. The unit initially arrived at Seymour Johnson in October 1985 as an advance team until October 1986. During that first year, Air Force Reservists worked with active duty Air Force units flying the Strategic Air Commands newest tanker, the first exclusively Reserve KC-10 crew flew out of Seymour Johnson on 29 October 1985. The 916 ARW remained at Seymour Johnson as an Air Force Reserve KC-135 Stratotanker unit gained by AMC, also now part of the 916th ARW is the 911th ARS. Seymour Johnson Field was opened June 12,1942 as Headquarters, Technical School, in June 1943, a secondary mission was added which included preparation of officers and men for overseas duty. The unit was known as the Provisional Overseas Replacement Training Center, Seymour Johnson Field received a third mission in September 1943, to provide basic military training for cadets preparing to become technical officers in the Army Air Corps. The 75th Training Wing was established to conduct the program through its Aviation Cadet Pre-Training School, interestingly, the namesake of the base, Seymour Johnson, was never part of the Air Force. He was a man who became a Navy test pilot and died in a plane crash in 1940. There is a plaque honoring him at the main gate entrance of the base. Construction of Seymour Johnson Field started on 9 March 1942 and by 10 July 1942 the 333d Base HQ, col Walter J. Reed was the first commander. The airfields initial mission was Field Aviation Cadet Pre-Technical School Training in bomber mechanics, the 76th Training Wing was activated at Seymour Johnson on 26 February 1943 and the airfields mission was changed to training replacement pilots for the P-47 Thunderbolt
39.
Tonopah Test Range Airport
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Tonopah Test Range Airport, at the Tonopah Test Range is 27 NM southeast of Tonopah, Nevada and 140 mi northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is an airfield with a 12,000 ft ×150 ft runway, instrument approach facilities. The facility boasts over fifty hangars and an extensive support infrastructure, Tonopah is owned by the USAF Air Combat Command. The known primary use of airport is to shuttle government employees to the weapons test range from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. The primary access to the facility is off of U. S. Route 6 at the end of the airport. Dirt road access points also exist on the south and east sides of the range, the site is plainly visible from commercial airliners, which pass 17 NM north of the base on transcontinental flights. The Tonopah Range Airport first opened in 1957, supporting operations on the Test Range itself and it was apparently not a World War II era field, as it is not listed in the 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields. Eventually, the installation and its 6,000 ft asphalt runway was abandoned, the area was open range, with wild horses running free. The earliest known depiction of the airfield was on the July 1970 Air Force Tactical Pilotage Chart, the 1982 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Airport Directory described the Tonopah Test Range airfield as having a single 6,600 ft paved runway. S. On 16 August 1966, Iraqi Air Force Captain Munir Redfa took off from Rasheed Air Base and he headed southwest, and in his jet, made a dash for freedom. Crossing the Jordanian border, Jordanian interceptors were unable to catch him, Captain Radfa lowered his landing gear, making a signal that he posed no threat, and he was attempting to defect. He landed his Soviet-built MiG-21F-13 fighter at Hatzor Airbase, Israel and was granted asylum, the MiG-21 posed a major threat to Israeli Air Defenses as well as to American pilots over the skies of North Vietnam. Over the next year, the IDF put in over 100 hours of testing of the MiG-21, in late 1967, a USAF C-5 Galaxy landed in Israel, and the MiG was loaded into the cargo hold, and flown to Groom Lake. At Groom Lake, it was then re-assembled for flight, the aircraft made its first flight at Groom Lake in January 1968. AFSC recruited its pilots from the Air Force Flight Test Center. By mid-1968, the MiG-21 was far less of an enigma than it had been, over 102 sorties were flown in the aircraft. On 12 August 1968, the IDF obtained two Syrian Air Force MiG-17F fighters that had gotten lost during a flight and landed inadvertently at Besert Landing Field. The MiG-17 was of paramount importance to the United States, because it was used by the North Vietnamese Air Force
40.
23d Wing
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The 23d Wing is a front-line United States Air Force Air Combat Command wing currently assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The mission of the 23d Wing is to organize, train and employ combat-ready A-10, HC-130 and HH-60, as well as pararescuemen, the 23d Fighter Group was assigned as the operational group under the new 23d Fighter Wing. The wing was assigned to Far East Air Forces, the 23ds mission on Guam was to provide air defense of the island. The 23d Fighter Group was assigned the 74th, 75th and 76th Fighter Squadrons, the 23d Fighter Wing was reassigned to Howard Air Force Base, Canal Zone, in April 1949, where it also acquired a squadron of Lockheed RF-80 Shooting Stars. The 23d Fighter Wing conducted air defense of the Canal Zone under the Caribbean Air Command until it was inactivated on 24 September 1949. The 23 FIW was inactivated 6 February 1952 along with the 23d Fighter-Interceptor Group, the 23 TFW was activated to replace the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at McConnell after its deployment to Korat RTAFB, Thailand. When Southeast Asian camouflaged, the squadrons carried the following codes,561 TFS MD,562 TFS ME,563 TFS MF. Flying the Republic Aviation F-105D/G Thunderchief aircraft, the mission of the 23 TFW at McConnell was to provide training for Thud pilots prior to their deployment to Southeast Asia. The 560th acted as a training squadron, while the other three squadrons began rotational TDY deployments to Southeast Asia beginning in November 1964. In February 1965, when the 23 TFW deployed three squadrons to Southeast Asia for combat, these units were initially under the control of the 2d Air Division. Later, the 6441 TFW was activated at Takhli RTAFB in July 1965 and it was during this five-month tour that the 563d TFS lost 10 of its 18 F-105s deployed and was awarded two Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat V for Valor. In addition to the deployments to Thailand, detachments of the 561 TFS also deployed to Da Nang Air Base RVN for operations within the borders of the Republic of Vietnam. On 1 August 1967, the 4519th Combat Crew Training squadron was added to the 23 TFW, and the 560 TFS was inactivated on 25 September 1968. For the dual role it played from June 1970 to June 1971 as both an operational and a unit, the wing received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in March 1971. Two of its squadrons, the 562d and 563d, also received the award for their duty in Vietnam during 1965, but with the combat V added. For its participation in Linebacker I and Linebacker II during 1972 the 561st received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat V, during combat operations in Southeast Asia, the 562 TFS lost three aircraft, while the 563 TFS lost eleven aircraft. On 1 July 1972 the 23 TFW was transferred to England AFB Louisiana, the 23d Tactical Fighter Wing moved on paper without people or equipment to England Air Force Base, Louisiana,1 July 1972 and took over the assets and personnel of the 4403d Tactical Fighter Wing. All 23 TFW aircraft carried the EL tail code at England AFB, on 5 July 1973, the 74 TFS deployed to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, on temporary duty with the 354 TFW from Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina
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49th Wing
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The 49th Wing is a United States Air Force unit, assigned to Twelfth Air Force, Air Combat Command. It is stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, the 49th Wing supports national security objectives by deploying worldwide in support of peacetime and wartime contingencies. The wing provides combat-ready Airmen training MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper pilots, the wing has a proud history of service in Korea, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and NATO-led Operation Allied Force. 49th Operations Group The 49th Operations Group supports training of MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper pilots, the group also directs all maintenance, qualification, on-the-job and ancillary training for over 1,200 people. The groups 431 authorized personnel encompass 42 Air Force specialties and are responsible for bare base assets worth over $234 million dollars. 49th Medical Group The 49th Medical Groups mission is to sustain and enhance a culture of safety, maximize combat readiness, enhance access to quality patient care, and develop our Airmen and staff. For additional history and lineage, see 49th Operations Group The history of the 49th Wing begins with its activation at Misawa Air Base, in January 1946, the 49th Fighter Group became the first United States Army Air Forces unit assigned to the rebuilt base. In 1948, with the adoption of the Hobson Plan, the United States Air Force 49th Fighter Wing was activated, the initial mission of the 49th Fighter Wing was the air defense of Northern Honshu and Hokkaido. Its 7th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Squadron and 9th Fighter Squadrons were initially equipped with P-51D Mustangs, initially under its parent wing, the 49th was reassigned to the 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing during July through September, and finally the 6149th Tactical Support Wing during October and November 1950. Korean War squadrons of the 49th were the 7th, 8th and 9th Fighter-Bomber Squadrons, the 49ths first task in South Korea was to cover the evacuation of civilians from Kimpo and Suwon. Next, it flew air support missions to help slow the advancing North Korean armies. Later, it turned to the interdiction of troops, supplies. Phasing out its F-51s for Lockheed F-80C Shooting Stars jets, the 49th FBW moved to Taegu AB on 1 October 1950 and it received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its combat operations during the first five months of the war. When the Chinese Communist Forces Intervention Campaign gained momentum in 1950–1951 and it converted to Republic F-84G Thunderjets, June–September 1951, one squadron at a time, while the others continued combat operations. The 49th FBG earned another DUC for its contribution to the success of the 1st UN Counteroffensive Campaign, afterwards, it engaged primarily in air interdiction operations against the main enemy channel of transportation, the roads and railroads between Pyongyang and Sinuiju. On 27 July 1953, the 49th FBG joined the 58th FBG to bomb Sunan Airfield for the action of F-84 fighter-bombers during the Korean War. The unit was one of the most decorated Air Force units in the war, such accomplishments earned the wing a niche in United States Air Force history. The wing remained in Korea for a time after the armistice and it was reassigned to Misawa AB, Japan on 2 November 1953 and provided air defense for Japan through 1957
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53d Wing
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The 53d Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing reports to the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, the 53d Wing serves as the focal point for the combat air forces in electronic warfare, armament and avionics, chemical defense, reconnaissance, and aircrew training devices. The wing is responsible for Operational Testing and Evaluation of new equipment. The 53d Wing, which consists of four groups, numbers almost 2,000 military, the group was activated in 1941 as the 53d Pursuit Group with the 13th, 14th, and 15th Pursuit Squadrons assigned. The 53d trained fighter pilots with Seversky P-35 and Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft from its activation until December 1941, after the United States entered World War II the group moved to the Panama Canal Zone to fly patrols in defense of the Panama Canal. In conjunction with the move, the converted to Bell P-39 Airacobra aircraft. There it was redesignated as the 53d Fighter Group, the group returned to Florida in November 1942, where it became a Replacement Training Unit training replacement fighter pilots. RTUs were oversized units whose mission was to train individual pilots or aircrews and it used P-39s until June 1943 and Republic P-47 Thunderbolts thereafter. In early 1943, the added a fourth squadron, the 438th Fighter Squadron. The AAF found that military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. The group was disbanded in as a result of reorganization in 1944 and its personnel, equipment. The 14th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, already at Sioux City transferred from the 521st, both squadrons flew rocket armed and radar equipped F-86D Sabres. Between August 1955 and April 1960 the 53d served as an air unit, participating in North American Air Defense Command exercises. It also was the host organization for the USAF and was assigned several support units to carry out this function, in the fall of 1957 both of the groups squadrons upgraded their Sabres to F-86L models with data link for interception control through the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment system. In July 1959 the 13th FIS moved to Glasgow AFB, Montana and was reassigned, the group and its remaining components were inactivated in 1960. In 1985, the group was redesignated as the 53d Tactical Fighter Group, the USAF Tactical Air Warfare Center was activated in 1963 to improve use of USAF tactical aviation in support of ground forces by operationally testing weapon systems and tactics for the joint U. S. It employed a cross-section of tactical aircraft from Tactical Air Command bases across the country, during the Vietnam War it tested tactical weapons systems and tactics for use in Southeast Asia
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55th Wing
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The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The 55 WG is the only Air Force wing with continuous operations, maintenance, the wings mission is to provide worldwide reconnaissance, real-time intelligence, command and control, information warfare and combat support to U. S. leaders and commanders. One of the units, the 55th Operations Group, operates 46 aircraft. It is the largest wing in Air Combat Command and flies the most diverse number of aircraft, 55th Communications Group Provides worldwide command, control, communications and computer systems, information management and combat support to warfighting and national leadership. It also provides technology and support to the 55th Wing and 44 tenant units. 55th Electronic Combat Group Provides combat-ready EC-130H Compass Call aircraft, crews, maintenance, 55th Medical Group Serves 50K beneficiaries with extensive outpatient clinic capabilities and ancillary support. 55th Operations Group ACCs largest group, has control over 12 squadrons. It employs 46 aircraft, including 13 models of seven different types, since its inception, the unit has operated around the world, flying a wide variety of aircraft. From 1950 to 1954 the Wings task was to perform reconnaissance, charting photography, precise electronic geodetic mapping. In 1952, the moved to Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas. The United States protested the attack, stating the plane was on a reconnaissance flight over international waters,25 miles from the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Soviets responded by saying the plane was intercepted over their territory near Cape Krestovoi, a little more than three months later, on 29 July 1953 an RB-50 of the wings 343d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron was shot down by Soviet fighters about ninety miles south of Vladivostok. The Soviet Union did not deny the planes location was over water, but claimed that the bomber had flown over Soviet territory and fired on their MiGs. The wing formally assumed a strategic reconnaissance mission in 1954. The Wing was deployed at Ben Guerir Air Base, in what was then French Morocco and it also carried out weather reconnaissance operations until June 1963, and photographic reconnaissance missions until May 1964. The 55 SRW moved to Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska and that same year the 55th’s 38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron assumed responsibility for SAC’s airborne command and control system. The 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron inherited this mission after activation in April 1970, the Wing flew reconnaissance operations during the U. S. military operations in Grenada in 1983 and Libya in 1986. On 1 March 1986, the 55 SRW became the host unit at Offutt after the inactivation of the 3902d Air Base Wing, the Wing ended nearly twenty-five years of continuous Airborne Command Post operations in 1990, assumed a modified alert posture, and continued worldwide reconnaissance
United States
United States Air Force
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
