175th Wing
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175th Wing
| 175th Wing | |
|---|---|
 175th Wing emblem |
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| Active | 1962-Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Composite |
| Role | Fighter and Tactical Airlift |
| Garrison/HQ | Warfield Air National Guard Base, Maryland |
| Motto | Librati In Promptu (“Poised in Readiness”) |
| Engagements | None (subordinate units: Antisubmarine Campaign (WWII), Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan) |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Col Scott L. Kelly |
The United States Air Force's 175th Wing (175 WG) is a composite fighter and tactical airlift unit located at Warfield Air National Guard Base at the Martin State Airport in Middle River, Maryland. It is unique among Air National Guard units in that the 175 WG has three active USAF gaining commands: the Air Combat Command for its fighter aircraft, the Air Mobility Command for its airlift aircraft, and United States Air Forces in Europe for its 235th Civil Engineer Flight.
The wing comprises two flying units, the 104th Fighter Squadron and the 135th Airlift Group, as well as support units including security forces, engineers, communications, logistics, aerial port and administrative support functions. Approximately 1,500 full-time and traditional part-time members of the Maryland Air National Guard are assigned to the 175 WG.
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Contents
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Mission
The 175th Wing has both federal and state missions.
Federal: In peacetime, the 175th Wing prepares for wartime taskings and to augment active military forces. In wartime, provides close air support and tactical airlift capability to meet the needs of combatant commanders worldwide.
State: Provides assistance to state authorities during natural disasters, civil disturbances and other emergencies at the call of the governor and provides combat and support forces for homeland defense.
History
The 175th Wing (175 WG) was organized in 1962 as the 175th Fighter Group. At the time of its organization, it was the second group-sized headquarters in the Maryland Air National Guard. From 1962 until 1996, Maryland had two flying groups: the 135th Airlift Group and the 175th Fighter Group. In 1996, the 175th was reorganized as a composite wing and 135th was inactivated, with its flying squadron reassigned to the new 175th Wing. At this time, support units previously assigned to the 135th were inactivated and their personnel transferred to equivalent units within the 175th. Subsequently, the 135th Airlift Group was reactivated and assigned to the 175th Wing as a subordinate group, with separate operations and maintenance units.
The 175th Wing has never been deployed in combat, although some of its subordinate units have been. The wing's only periods of federal active service were in 1968, when the 175th Tactical Fighter Group, its lineal ancestor, was mobilized on two separate occasions. The first federal call-up was in April 1968, when the 175th, along with the rest of the Maryland National Guard, was federalized during the Baltimore Riot. The Maryland National Guard had already been on state active duty performing riot control duty, but was federalized to preserve unity of command when federal troops were sent into the city. The second mobilization took place from May to December 1968, when the 175th was called up in response to the USS Pueblo crisis in Korea. The operations and maintenance elements, along with portions of the group headquarters, were stationed at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, where they trained active Air Force pilots in forward air controller duties. The unit did not deploy overseas.
Recent Operations
Prior to 11 Sep 2001, the squadrons assigned to the wing made multiple deployments to Kuwait in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, enforcing the United Nations Security Council Resolutions that created a "No Fly Zone" for Iraqi military aircraft over southern Iraq in the wake of Operation DESERT STORM. These included the 104th Fighter Squadron, which conducted several retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq, and personnel and aircraft of the 135th Airlift Group, which were assigned to the 4410th Airlift Squadron (Provisional) while in theater.
The 175th Wing is fully integrated into the Air Force's Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force (AEF) operational construct. Since 11 Sep 2001, the wing has deployed both A-10 and C-130 aircraft to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, A-10 aircraft and to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, and C-130 aircraft to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, in support of both missions.
The 175th Wing has played an active role in U.S. Air Force aircraft modernization programs. It was one of the first units to received the advanced C-130J tactical airlifter, and was the U.S. Air Force's first unit to fully convert to the new version of the C-130 in 1999. It played a major role in the operational testing, evaluation, and development of the aircraft. It was also the first U.S. Air Force unit to upgrade to the precision engagement A-10C, receiving its first A-10C in October 2006 and achieving initial operational capability (IOC) with the A-10C in September 2007. It was also the first unit to deploy the A-10C in combat when it deployed to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq in 2007.
Heraldry
Symbolism: Blue and yellow are the Air Force colors. Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of Air Force Operations. Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel. The crossbow symbolizes the fighter mission and the Pegasus denotes the airlift mission. The representation of the Maryland state flag reflects the consolidation of these two missions within the wing and also indicates the unit's home location.
Background: Approved by Air Force on 23 August 1996. This insignia superseded one previously approved by the Air Force for the 175th Fighter Group following that unit's redesignation as the 175th Wing.
Assignments
Major command
- Air National Guard/Air Combat Command (1992–Present) for fighter assets
- Air National Guard/Air Mobility Command (1999–Present) for airlift assets
- Air National Guard/United States Air Forces in Europe (1996–Present) for 235th Civil Engineer Flight
- Air National Guard/Tactical Air Command (1962–1992) for fighter assets
- Air National Guard/Air Combat Command (1996–1999) for airlift assets (prior to 1996, airlift assets were not part of the 175th)
Previous designations[1]
- 175th Tactical Fighter Group (1962–1992)
- 175th Fighter Group (1992–1996)
Subordinate units
- 135th Airlift Group
- 135th Airlift Squadron (1996–Present)
- 135th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- 135th Maintenance Operations Flight
- 135th Maintenance Squadron
- 135th Operations Support Flight
- 175th Operations Group
- 104th Fighter Squadron (1962–Present)
- 175th Operations Support Flight
- 175th Maintenance Group
- 175th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- 175th Maintenance Operations Flight
- 175th Maintenance Squadron
- 175th Medical Group
- 175th Mission Support Group
- 175th Security Forces Squadron
- 175th Logistics Readiness Squadron
- 175th Force Support Squadron
- 175th Civil Engineer Squadron
- 175th Communications Squadron
- 175th Student Flight
- 175th Network Warfare Squadron
- 235th Civil Engineer Flight
- 175th Comptroller Flight
Bases stationed
- Warfield Air National Guard Base (Martin State Airport), Maryland (1962–Present)
Aircraft operated
- F-86 Sabre (1962-1970)
- A-37 Dragonfly (1970-1979)
- C-130 Hercules (1996–2011)
- A-10 Thunderbolt II (1979–Present)
- C-27 Spartan (2011–Present)
Decorations
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[2]
- 1999-2001
- 1998-1999
- 1996
- 1992-1994
- 2006-2007
- 2007-2009
References
- ^ Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. ISBN 1-85780-197-0
- ^ Air Force Personnel Center Awards Search (Post-1991)
External links
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