Maine Air National Guard | |
---|---|
Active | February 4, 1947 – present |
Country | United States |
Allegiance | Maine |
Branch | Air National Guard |
Type | state militia, military reserve force |
Role | "To meet state and federal mission responsibilities." |
Part of | Maine Department of Defense, Veterans, and Emergency Management Maine National Guard United States National Guard Bureau |
Garrison/HQ | Maine Air National Guard, Bangor Air National Guard Base, 103 Maineiac Avenue #505, Bangor, Maine, 04401 |
Commanders | |
Civilian leadership | President Joe Biden (Commander-in-Chief) Frank Kendall III (Secretary of the Air Force) Governor Janet Mills (Governor of the State of Maine) |
Adjutant General of Maine National Guard | Maj. Gen. Douglas A. Farnham |
Maine Air National Guard Commander | Brig. Gen. Frank W. Roy |
Insignia | |
Logo | |
Aircraft flown | |
Tanker | KC-135R Stratotanker |
The Maine Air National Guard (ME ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Maine, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Maine Army National Guard, an element of the Maine National Guard of the much larger United States National Guard Bureau.
As state militia units, the units in the Maine Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Maine through the office of the Maine Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Maine Air National Guard is headquartered at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Bangor.
Under the "Total Force" concept, Maine Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components (ARC) of the United States Air Force (USAF). Maine 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 Maine 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 militia units the elements of the Maine 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 Maine Air National Guard consists of the following major unit:
Support Unit Functions and Capabilities:
On 24 May 1946, the United States Army Air Forces, in response to dramatic postwar military budget cuts imposed by President Harry S. Truman, allocated inactive unit designations to the National Guard Bureau for the formation of an Air Force National Guard. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. [2]
The Maine Air National Guard origins date to the formation of the 132d Fighter Squadron at Dow Army Airfield, Bangor, receiving federal recognition on 4 February 1947. It was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and its mission was the air defense of the state. 18 September 1947, however, is considered the Maine Air National Guard's official birth, concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the United States military under the National Security Act. [2]
The 132d was placed under the organization of the 67th Fighter Wing with headquarters at Logan Airport, Boston, Massachusetts (USA). The Maine 101st Fighter Group was federally recognized on 4 April 1947 with station at Camp Keyes, Augusta, Maine. Additional units of the 101st FG were organized and federally recognized. These units were:
In December 1948 the command was transferred to the Continental Air Command. Two years later the 101st FG was reorganized into a Wing-Base in order to standardize the Guard units with their active duty counterparts. This provided for additional supporting medical, service, transportation and base operating elements.
The 101st Fighter Group was federalized and ordered to active service on 10 February 1951 as a result of the Korean War, being assigned to the Eastern Air Defense Force, Air Defense Command (ADC). ADC changed the status of the 101st from a Group to a Wing, and established the 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing. The 101st Fighter-Interceptor Group was assigned to the new Wing as a subordinate unit. Support elements of the wing were the 101st Air Base Group; 101st Maintenance and Supply Group, and 101st Medical Group. The 132d, 133d and 134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons remained assigned to the 101st FIG.
The mission of the 101st FIW was the air defense of New England. Its assigned squadrons were dispersed and equipped as follows:
On 1 February 1952, the 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing and Group were inactivated, the unit being taken over by the Air Defense Command 4711th Defense Wing at Presque Isle AFB, Maine. The 4711th assumed its mission and its operational squadrons all being transferred to the 4711th DW. The Maine State ANG Headquarters, Camp Keyes, Augusta was organized and federally recognized on 19 March 1952.
On 15 April 1956 the 101st FG was put on duty in New Hampshire until December 1960, when it was reassigned and reactivated in the State of Maine. The first nurses were assigned to the Maine Air National Guard in June 1956. Four years later the responsibility for training and inspection of the ANG was transferred from the Continental Air Command to the Air Defense Command. When the USAF Air Defense Command reorganized its Continental Air Defense forces to a numbered Air Force/Air Division Organization in April 1966, the 101st Air Defense Wing was assigned to the 36th Air Division located at Topsham Air Force Station, Maine and to Headquarters, First Air Force located at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. In September 1967 the number of aircraft was reduced from 25 to 18.
In April 1976, the first KC-135A Stratotankers were assigned to the unit and the gaining command was changed from Air Defense Command to Strategic Air Command.
In August 1990 selected Maine ANG units were mobilized in support of the Operation Desert Storm. Two years later the gaining command changed from SAC to the Air Mobility Command. The 101st ARW was then integrated into the Northeast Tanker Task Force (NTTF) in September 1994. [3]
After the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, elements of every Air National Guard unit in Maine 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, Maine 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.
The 114th Fighter Wing is a unit of the South Dakota Air National Guard, stationed at Joe Foss Field Air National Guard Station, Sioux Falls Regional Airport, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command.
The 101st Air Refueling Wing is a unit of the Maine Air National Guard, stationed at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Bangor, Maine. If activated to federal service with the United States Air Force, the 101 ARW is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC).
The Iowa Air National Guard (IA ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Iowa, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Iowa Army National Guard, an element of the Iowa National Guard.
The 157th Air Refueling Wing is a unit of the New Hampshire Air National Guard, stationed at Pease Air National Guard Base, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command.
The 158th Fighter Wing is the sole unit of the Vermont Air National Guard, stationed at Burlington Air National Guard Base, Burlington, Vermont. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. The mission of the 158th Fighter Wing was to utilize the F-16 Fighting Falcon to provide a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States and allied nations. They have since ceased the use of the F-16, and started receiving the F-35 in September 2019.
The New Hampshire Air National Guard (NH ANG) is the aerial militia of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the New Hampshire Army National Guard, an element of the New Hampshire National Guard of the much larger United States National Guard Bureau.
The Vermont Air National Guard (VT ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Vermont, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Vermont Army National Guard an element of the Vermont National Guard of the larger United States National Guard Bureau. The 158th Fighter Wing is its sole unit. It is under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Vermont through the office of the Vermont Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Vermont Air National Guard is headquartered at Burlington Air National Guard Base. As of 2019, the Vermont Air National Guard is the first Air National Guard unit to be assigned the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II.
The 132nd Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the Maine Air National Guard 101st Air Refueling Wing located at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Bangor, Maine. It is equipped with the KC-135R Stratotanker.
The 173d Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the Nebraska Air National Guard 155th Air Refueling Wing. It is assigned to Lincoln Air National Guard Base, Nebraska and is equipped with the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.
The 133rd Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the New Hampshire Air National Guard 157th Air Refueling Wing located at Pease Air National Guard Base, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. The 133rd, which previously operated the KC-135 Stratotanker, received its first KC-46A Pegasus tanker on 8 August 2019.
The 174th Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the Iowa Air National Guard 185th Air Refueling Wing. It is assigned to Sioux City Air National Guard Base, Iowa and is equipped with the KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft.
The 175th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the South Dakota Air National Guard 's 114th Operations Group stationed at Joe Foss Field Air National Guard Station, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The 175th is equipped with the F-16C/D Fighting Falcon.
The 124th Attack Squadron is a unit of the Iowa Air National Guard 132d Wing. It is assigned to Des Moines International Airport, Iowa and was formerly equipped with F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. The unit is reequipping with the MQ-9 Reaper.
The 125th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the Oklahoma Air National Guard 138th Fighter Wing located at Tulsa Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma. The 125th is equipped with the Block 42 F-16C Fighting Falcon.
The 134th Fighter Squadron, nicknamed the Green Mountain Boys, is a unit of the Vermont Air National Guard 158th Fighter Wing located at Burlington Air National Guard Base, Burlington, Vermont. From 1986 to 2019, the 134th FS were equipped with the General Dynamics F-16C/D Fighting Falcon Block 30. The last F-16s departed Burlington on 6 April 2019 in preparation for the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II which arrived on 19 September 2019. Since becoming an F-35A unit, the Green Mountain Boys are tasked with carrying out the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD).
The 49th Fighter Training Squadron is part of the 14th Flying Training Wing based at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. It operates T-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training.
The 71st Fighter Wing is a disbanded unit of the United States Air Force, last stationed at Lambert Field, St. Louis, Missouri. It was withdrawn from the Missouri Air National Guard and inactivated on 31 October 1950.
The 4711th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan, where it was discontinued in 1956. It was established in 1952 at Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine as the 4711th Defense Wing in a general reorganization of ADC, which replaced wings responsible for a base with wings responsible for a geographical area.
The 4707th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 26th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts where it was discontinued in 1956.
Bangor Air National Guard Base is a United States Air National Guard base located on the grounds of Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency