California Air National Guard
California Air National Guard | |
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C-130J Hercules (MAFFS) |
The California Air National Guard (CA ANG) is one of three components of the
As militia units, the units in the California Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of California through the office of the California Adjutant General unless they are federalized when ordered by the President of the United States. The California National Guard has multiple bases located across the state and the commander is Matthew Beevers.
Overview
Under the "Total Force" concept, California Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components (ARC) of the
Along with their federal reserve obligations, the California ANG is subject to activation 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.
Components
The California Air National Guard consists of the following major units:
- Established 3 April 1955; operates: HH-60G Pave Hawk
- Stationed at: Moffett Air National Guard Base, Mountain View
- Gained by: Air Combat Command
- The members of the 129th have performed rescues under a variety of conditions - from rough Pacific seas to the rugged Sierra Nevada, using its combination of HC-130 tankers and HH-60 helicopters. Many high-risk lifesaving missions involved long-range, over-water flights, air refueling of helicopters by the HC-130 aircraft, and skilled maneuvering by ships and helicopters to recover patients from the decks of these vessels.[1]
- Established 2 June 1948; operates: F-15 Eagle
- Stationed at: Fresno Air National Guard Base, Fresno with additional Alert Detachment at March Air Reserve Base, Riverside
- Gained by: Air Combat Command
- Provides air defense protection for California from the Mexican border to Oregon utilizing the F-15 Eagle.[1]
- Established 16 June 1924 (as: C-130J Hercules(MAFFS)
- Stationed at: Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Oxnard
- Gained by: Air Mobility Command
- The oldest unit of the CA ANG, the 146th AW provides global military airlift capability to a full spectrum of state and federal agencies.[1]
- 163rd Attack Wing
- Established 9 November 1946 (as: MQ-9 Reaper[2]
- Stationed at: March Joint Air Reserve Base, Riverside
- Gained by: Air Combat Command/Air Education and Training Command
- Has 902 members of which roughly 220 are full-time. Currently in transition from a KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling mission to an MQ-1 Predator ISR wing, executing global unmanned aerial systems, combat support, and humanitarian missions.[3]
- Established 13 May 1948; non-flying unit
- Stationed at: Beale Air Force Base, Marysville
- Gained by: Air Force Space Command
- Responsible for non-flying missions including electronic intelligence, communications, network warfare, space control, and administrative programs.[4]
History
The California Air National Guard origins date to 28 August 1917 with the establishment of the 115th Aero Squadron as part of the
The
The 115th Observation Squadron was established by the
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.[7]
The modern California ANG received federal recognition on 1 July 1946 as the 62d Fighter Wing at Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys. Its 115th Bombardment Squadron was equipped with A-26 Invader light bombers. On 16 September 1946, its 146th Fighter Group was also formed at Van Nuys, with several fighter squadrons equipped with F-51 Mustangs and its mission was the air defense of the state. 18 September 1947, however, is considered the California 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[7]
On 4 April 1948 the 61st Fighter Wing with its 144th Fighter Group was formed at Hayward Municipal Airport, Hayward. The 61st's mission was the air defense of Northern California, the 62d, Southern California.
Today, units of the CA ANG perform a homeland defense mission; worldwide airlift missions, aerial firefighting, combat search and rescue, and Unmanned Aerial (UAV) Reconnaissance missions. The 162d CCG also maintains tactical communications-electronic facilities, and provides tactical command and control communications services for operational commands supporting US military wartime contingencies.
After the
Also, California ANG units have been deployed overseas as part of
See also
References
- ^ a b c "The Official Home Page of the U.S. Air Force". ca.ang.af.mil. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ Air Force Magazine, June 2019, p. 74
- ^ "163d Reconnaissance Wing". Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ "Ceremony to Mark Activation of Cal Guard's 195th Wing". California Air National Guard. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ ANG Chronology 1908-2007, see also Brief History of the Minnesota Air National Guard and the 133rd Airlift Wing, 1.
- ^ "California State Militia and National Guard Unit Histories: 115th Observation Squadron". militarymuseum.org. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Rosenfeld, Susan and Gross, Charles J (2007), Air National Guard at 60: A History" (PDF). Air National Guard history program AFD-080527-040. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2016.
- ^ Lindlaw, Scott (26 December 2007). "F-15 grounding strains U.S. air defenses". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Further reading
- Gross, Charles J. (1996). The Air National Guard and the American Military Tradition. United States Dept. of Defense. ISBN 0160483026.
External links
- "California Air National Guard". Archived from the original on 22 July 2011.
- "California Air National Guard website".