Alaska Air National Guard | |
---|---|
![]() Emblem of the Alaska Air National Guard | |
Active | 15 September 1952 – present |
Country | ![]() |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | State militia, reserve force |
Role | "To meet state and federal mission responsibilities." |
Part of | Alaska National Guard National Guard Bureau National Guard |
Garrison/HQ | Alaska Air National Guard, Joint Forces Headquarters, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, 81657 |
Website | https://ak.ng.mil/Careers/Alaska-Air-National-Guard/ |
Commanders | |
Civilian leadership | President Joe Biden (Commander-in-Chief) Frank Kendall III (Secretary of the Air Force) Governor Mike Dunleavy (Governor of the State of Alaska) |
State military leadership | Brigadier General Brian D. Kile |
Aircraft flown | |
Reconnaissance | HH-60G |
Transport | C-130, C-17, KC-135, HC-130 |
The Alaska Air National Guard (AK ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Alaska, United States of America. It is, along with the Alaska Army National Guard, an element of the Alaska National Guard.
As state military units, the units in the Alaska Air National Guard are not typically in the normal United States Air Force chain of command unless federalized. They are under the jurisdiction of the governor of Alaska though the office of the Alaska Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the president of the United States. The Alaska Air National Guard is headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson and its commander is Brigadier General Scott A. Howard.
Under the "Total Force" concept, Alaska Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components (ARC) of the United States Air Force (USAF). Alaska ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. In addition, the Alaska Air National Guard forces are assigned to Air Expeditionary Forces and are subject to deployment tasking orders along with their active duty and Air Force Reserve counterparts in their assigned cycle deployment window.
Along with their federal reserve obligations, as state military units the elements of the Alaska ANG are subject to being activated by order of the Governor to provide protection of life and property, and preserve peace, order and public safety. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of vital public services, and support to civil defense.
The Alaska Air National Guard consists of the following major units:
Support Unit Functions and Capabilities:
![]() | This section includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(April 2019) |
The Alaska Air National Guard was formed in Anchorage in July 1952 when Major General Earl T. Ricks of the National Guard Bureau announced that the territorial government of Alaska was willing to invest $1.5 million to establish an Air National Guard unit in Anchorage, either at the city's international airport or on Elmendorf Air Force Base. The only condition: that enough people could be recruited to man the unit.
The Alaska Air National Guard was organized 15 September 1952 as the 8144th Air Base Squadron. At its creation, the 8144th included 11 enlisted men and five officers. It had no planes. Its headquarters were located in a small office above what was then the bus depot on Fourth Avenue in Anchorage. Because the office was so small, the men convened for their first training assembly in a nearby Quonset hut.
The unit's first aircraft, a 1941 T-6 Texan trainer arrived in February 1953. Soon five more trainers arrived, operating out of Elmendorf AFB Hangar #3. In keeping with the Air Guard's mission to provide national air defense, the pilots began training in earnest for their planned transition to jet fighters. The unit was re-designated as the 144th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 1 July 1953.
In 1969, the 144th Tactical Airlift Squadron (TAS) was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 176th Tactical Airlift Group (176th TAG) was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 176th TAG received federal recognition and was activated on 1 April 1969. The 144th TAS was assigned as the new unit's operational squadron.
In 1986 the 168th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron designation was transferred from the Illinois ANG to the Alaska Air National Guard. It was re-designated as the 168th Air Refueling Squadron, extended federal recognition and reactivated on 1 October 1986. The 168th would operate as a geographically separated unit (GSU), at Eielson Air Force Base, Fairbanks. It was equipped with Boeing KC-135E Stratotankers to refuel military aircraft over Alaska and the northern Pacific Region.
In 1987, the Air Force announced the 71st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron would be inactivated. The 71st ARRS had a history dating to 1946 as the 10th Air Rescue Squadron (ARS), an active duty squadron organized at Elmendorf Field and mostly manned by Alaskans. However, the tradition of Arctic search and rescue would continue; Alaska Senator Ted Stevens introduced legislation creating a new search and rescue unit for the Alaska Air National Guard. The 210th Air Rescue Squadron received federal recognition from the National Guard Bureau on 4 April 1990 and the unit activation ceremony was held at Kulis Air National Guard Base on 11 August 1990.
After the September 11 attacks, elements of every Air National Guard unit in Alaska has been activated in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Flight crews, aircraft maintenance personnel, communications technicians, air controllers and air security personnel were engaged in Operation Noble Eagle air defense overflights of major United States cities. Also, Alaska ANG units have been deployed overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq as well as other locations as directed.
In 2004, the 176th Air Control Squadron was formed to operate the Alaska NORAD Region (ANR) Regional Operations Control Center (ROCC). Maintains 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week capability to detect, validate and warn of any atmospheric threat to North American air sovereignty. The Alaska ANG unit's legacy dates to September 1951 when the first Alaskan Air Command Aircraft Control and Warning ground control interceptor radar sites were established at Murphy Dome AFS, near Fairbanks and Fire Island AFS near Anchorage were completed and became operational.
In 2007, the newest unit of the Alaska ANG was formed when the 249th Airlift Squadron was federally recognized in Anchorage. The 249th's mission is strategic airlift. Its crews mix with crews from the active-duty Air Force 3d Wing, 517th Airlift Squadron to fly eight C-17 Globemaster III jets around the world.
In 2010, the traditional home of the Alaska ANG in Anchorage, Kulis Air National Guard Base, was closed as a result of BRAC 2005. The 176th Wing at Kulis AGB moved to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (in an area now known colloquially as Camp Kulis) in February 2011. The property thereafter reverted to ownership by the State of Alaska, which as of April 2011 had not yet announced plans for the property.
The Eleventh Air Force (11 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska.
The California Air National Guard (CA ANG) is one of three components of the California National Guard, a reserve of the United States Air Force, and part of the National Guard of the United States.
The Ohio Air National Guard is the aerial militia of the State of Ohio, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Ohio Army National Guard an element of the Ohio National Guard of the larger United States National Guard Bureau.
The 168th Wing is a unit of the Alaska Air National Guard, stationed at Eielson Air Force Base, Fairbanks, Alaska. Before it was redesignated in February 2016, it was known as the 168th Air Refueling Wing. If activated to federal service as a USAF unit, the 168 WG is primarily gained by Pacific Air Forces, while its 213th Space Warning Squadron is gained by Air Force Space Command.
The Alaskan Command (ALCOM) is a joint subordinate unified command of the United States Northern Command, responsible for operations in and around the State of Alaska. Alaskan Command is charged with maintaining air sovereignty, deploying forces for worldwide contingencies as directed by the Commander, US Northern Command, providing support to federal and state authorities during civil emergencies and conducting joint training for the rapid deployment of combat forces. ALCOM combined forces include more than 16,000 Air Force, Army, Navy and Coast Guard personnel, and 3,700 guardsmen and reservists. Recently, the Command Representative for Missile Defense position was created to be the focal point for all issues related to Ground-Based Midcourse Defense in Alaska, in support of Alaskan Command, the Alaska NORAD Region, and the Eleventh Air Force.
The 176th Wing is a unit of the Alaska Air National Guard, stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Anchorage, Alaska. If activated to federal service, components of the Wing are gained by several United States Air Force Major Commands.
The 176th Air Defense Squadron is a unit of the Alaska Air National Guard 176th Wing located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska.
Kulis Air National Guard Base was a National Guard of the United States facility in Anchorage, Alaska. The 127-acre (51 ha) facility adjacent to and south of Ted Stevens International Airport was home to the 176th Wing of the Alaska Air National Guard until that unit moved to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in February 2011. The property thereafter reverted to ownership by the State of Alaska, which as of April 2011 had not yet announced plans for the property.
The Mississippi Air National Guard, commonly known as the Mississippi Air Guard, is the aerial militia of the State of Mississippi, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Mississippi Army National Guard, an element of the Mississippi National Guard of the much larger United States National Guard Bureau.
The 144th Airlift Squadron is a unit of the Alaska Air National Guard 176th Wing located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska. The 144th is an associate unit of the active 517th Airlift Squadron, equipped with the C-17 Globemaster III.
The 168th Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the Alaska Air National Guard's 168th Air Refueling Wing stationed at Eielson Air Force Base, Fairbanks, Alaska. The 168th has been equipped with various models of the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker since activating in 1986.
The 210th Rescue Squadron is a unit of the Alaska Air National Guard 176th Wing located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska. The 210th is equipped with the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter.
The 211th Rescue Squadron is a unit of the Alaska Air National Guard 176th Wing located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska. The 211th is equipped with the HC-130J Hercules.
The 212th Rescue Squadron is a unit of the Alaska Air National Guard 176th Wing stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska. The squadron has no assigned aircraft; personnel assigned use aircraft of the 210th and 211th Rescue Squadrons of the Wing.
The 191st Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the Utah Air National Guard 151st Air Refueling Wing located at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, Utah. The 191st is equipped with the KC-135R Stratotanker.
The 249th Airlift Squadron is an inactive unit of the Alaska Air National Guard, formerly located at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska and assigned to the 176th Wing. The 249th was an associate unit of the 517th Airlift Squadron, which was equipped with the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.
On July 28, 2010, a C-17 Globemaster III transport plane of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) crashed at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, while practicing for a flight display at the upcoming Arctic Thunder Air Show. All four crew members on board were killed. It is the only fatal accident of a C-17 aircraft.
Elmendorf Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) facility in Anchorage, Alaska. Originally known as Elmendorf Field, it became Elmendorf Air Force Base after World War II.
The 213th Space Warning Squadron of the Alaska Air National Guard provides early warning of Intercontinental ballistic missiles and Submarine-launched ballistic missiles to the Missile Correlation Center of North American Aerospace Defense Command. The squadron is a geographically separated unit assigned to the 168th Wing at Eielson Air Force Base.
Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson is a United States military facility in Anchorage, Alaska. It is a joint base formed from the United States Air Force's Elmendorf Air Force Base and the United States Army's Fort Richardson, which were merged in 2010.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency