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940th Wing
940th Wing - Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Block 20 Global Hawk 04-2015
940th Wing - RQ-4B Global Hawk 04-2015
Active 1 October 1963-Present
Country Flag of the United States United States
Branch Flag of the United States Air Force United States Air Force
Type Wing
Role Composite
Part of AFR Shield  Air Force Reserve Command
Garrison/HQ Beale Air Force Base, California
Motto(s) "Citizen Warriors – Always First – Answering America’s Call."
Tail Code "BB"
Engagements Operation Desert Storm, Operation Allied Force, Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Joint Forge
Decorations Outstanding Unit ribbon AFOUA
Vietnam gallantry cross unit award-3d RVGC w/ Palm
Commanders
Current
commander
Colonel Kevin G. Cavanagh
Insignia
926th Group emblem 926th Group - emblem
Aircraft flown
Reconnaissance RQ-4 Global Hawk

The 940th Wing (940 WG) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The 940th WG is a composite wing, with associate units assigned which are gained by the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces and the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency if mobilized.

Overview[]

The 940th Wing is responsible for the stand up and total force integration of the Air Force Reserve Command's newest multi-mission wing, including command & control, intelligence and reconnaissance forces.

Units[]

  • 940th Operations Group
13th Reconnaissance Squadron
50th Intelligence Squadron
718th Intelligence Squadron
  • 940th Mission Support Group

History[]

Following the mobilizations in 1961 and 1962 for the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Continental Air Command (ConAC) realized that it was unwieldy to mobilize an entire wing unless absolutely necessary. Their original Table of Organization for each Wing was a wing headquarters, a troop carrier group, an Air Base Group, a maintenance and supply group, and a medical group. In 1957, the troop carrier group and maintenance and supply groups were inactivated, with their squadrons reassigned directly to the wing headquarters - despite the fact that many wings had squadrons spread out over several bases due to the Detached Squadron Concept dispersing Reserve units over centers of population. To resolve this, in late 1962 and early 1963, ConAC reorganized the structure of its reserve Troop Carrier Wings by establishing fully deployable Troop Carrier Groups and inserting them into the chain of command between the Wing and its squadrons at every base that held a ConAC troop carrier squadron. At each base, the group was composed of a material squadron, a troop carrier squadron, a tactical hospital or dispensary, and a combat support squadron. Each troop carrier wing consisted of 3 or 4 of these groups. By doing so, ConAC could facilitate the mobilization of either aircraft and aircrews alone, aircraft and minimum support personnel (one troop carrier group), or the entire troop carrier wing. This also gave ConAC the flexibility to expand each Wing by attaching additional squadrons, if necessary from other Reserve wings to the deployable groups for deployments. As a result, the 940th Troop Carrier Group was established with a mission to organize, recruit and train Air Force Reserve personnel in the tactical airlift of airborne forces, their equipment and supplies and delivery of these forces and materials by airdrop, landing or cargo extraction systems. The group was equipped with C-119 Flying Boxcars for Tactical Air Command airlift operations.

The group was one of four C-119 groups assigned to the 312th TCW in 1963, the other being the 938th Troop Carrier Group at Hamilton AFB, California; 939th Troop Carrier Group, at Portland International Airport, Oregon, and the 941st Troop Carrier Group at Paine AFB, Washington.

The 941st performed routine reserve airlift operations; was upgraded to the C-124 Globemaster II intercontinental airlifter in 1965. The group flew overseas missions, particularly to the Far East and Southeast Asia.

Air Refueling[]

In March 1974 the group converted to C-130A Hercules and only three years later moved to Mather AFB, Calif. and converted to the KC-135A Stratotanker. It was at this time the group became the 940th Air Refueling Group. In September 1986, the 940 ARG traded its older KC-135A Stratotankers for the upgraded KC-135E configuration. When Mather AFB closed, the 940 ARG temporarily moved to McClellan AFB, Calif from July 1993 until May 1998. It then moved to its current home at Beale AFB, Calif. In the summer of 2005 the 940 ARW upgraded its KC-135s to the KC-135R model. Following the approval of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations by President Bush, the 940th ARW changed missions from flying the KC-135 to the RQ-4 Global Hawk, unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft and other command and control missions.

In 2009 the 940th Air Refueling Wing was redesignated as the 940th Wing and became a composite organization, operating both tankers and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)s.

Lineage[]

  • Established as 940th Troop Carrier Group, Medium, and activated in the Reserve, on 15 Jan 1963
Organized on 11 Feb 1963
Re-designated as: 940th Troop Carrier Group, Heavy on 1 Apr 1965
Re-designated as: 940th Air Transport Group, Heavy on 1 Dec 1965
Re-designated as: 940th Military Airlift Group on 1 Jan 1966
Re-designated as: 940th Tactical Airlift Group on 1 Apr 1972
Re-designated as: 940th Air Refueling Group, Heavy on 1 Jan 1977
Re-designated as: 940th Air Refueling Group on 1 Feb 1992
Status changed from Group to Wing, 1 Oct 1994
Re-designated as: 940th Air Refueling Wing on 1 Oct 1994
Re-designated as: 940th Wing on 1 Jul 2009.

Assignments[]

Components[]

Stations[]

Aircraft[]

Decorations[]

  • Outstanding Unit ribbon Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
    • 1 Oct. 2003 - 30 Sept. 2005
    • 1 Oct. 2001- 30 Sept. 2003
    • 1 Oct. 1999 - 30 Sept. 2001
    • 1 Oct. 1998 - 30 Sept. 1999
    • 1 Oct. 1995 - 30 Sept. 1997
    • 31 July 1989 - 30 Sept. 1990
    • 1 Jan. 1979 - 31 Dec. 1980
    • 1 March 1981 - 29 Feb. 1984
    • 1 March 1963 - 29 Feb. 1965

References[]

PD-icon This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

  • Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
  • Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
  • Cantwell, Gerald (1987), Citizen Airmen, A History of the Air Force Reserve, 1946-1994. Washington, D.C.: Air Force History and Museums Program: GPO, 1997 ISBN 0-16049-269-6
  • 940th Wing Official Website
  • AFHRA history 940th Wing

External links[]




All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at 940th Wing and the edit history here.
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