Michigan Air National Guard
Michigan Air National Guard | |
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MQ-9 Reaper | |
Tanker | KC-135T Stratotanker |
The Michigan Air National Guard (MI ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Michigan, United States of America. It is, along with the Michigan Army National Guard, an element of the Michigan National Guard. The Michigan Air National Guard is also an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force.
As a state militia, the Michigan Air National Guard are not in the United States Air Force chain of command unless it is federalized. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Michigan through the office of the Michigan Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Michigan Air National Guard is headquartered at the Joint Forces Headquarters compound, located in Lansing, Michigan and its commander is currently[update] Brigadier General Bryan J. Teff.[1]
Overview
Michigan ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a
Along with their federal reserve obligations, as state militia units the elements of the Michigan 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.
Components
The Michigan Air National Guard consists of the following major units:
- 110th Attack Wing
- Established 16 September 1947 (as: MQ-9 Reaper
- Stationed at: Kellogg Air National Guard Base, Battle Creek
- Gained by: Air Combat Command
- The wing was slated to operate the C-27J Spartan, manufactured by the Italian company Alenia Aermacchi. At the time the C-27J was the newest cargo aircraft in the Air Force inventory. The missions of the C-27 would have included direct support of Army units, homeland security, disaster response, and medical evacuation, as well as multiple other Federal and State requirements. Due to political decisions, the C-27 mission was replaced with a new Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) MQ-9 Reaper mission.[2]
- Established 7 May 1926 (as: 107th Observation Squadron)
- flying squadrons: KC-135T Stratotanker
- Stationed at: Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Harrison Township
- Elements gained by: Air Combat Command and Air Mobility Command
- A composite wing composed of approximately 1,700 Citizen-Airmen and provides highly trained personnel and aircraft and support resources to serve the community, state and nation. The wing operates Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, providing global aerial refueling capability in support of Air Mobility Command, and the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, flying the close air support mission for Air Combat Command. The Wing also supported the Air Force Special Operations Command with its 107th Weather Flight (inactivated by 30 September 2017).[3] The current commander of the 127th Wing is Brig. Gen. Rolf E. Mammen. With approximately 1,700 personnel assigned, the 127th Wing is among the most complex Air National Guard wings. The 127th Wing's home station, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, is the largest facility managed by a reserve component (Air National Guard or U.S. Air Force Reserve) of the U.S. Air Force.
Support Unit Functions and Capabilities:
- Houses the Combat Readiness Training Center which trains various units from National Guard and the USAF.
History
The origins of the Michigan Air National Guard can be traced back to the
The
It was reformed on 7 May 1926, as the 107th Observation Squadron and is oldest unit of the Michigan Air National Guard. It is one of the
World War II
The unit was activated again on 15 October 1940, being redesignated 107th Observation Squadron with
Under War Department policy, many of Michigan's National Guard units were detached from their former organizations and attached to other units. Such was the case for the 107th Observation Squadron, which entered service with the 32nd Division. The squadron was later attached to the 67th Fighter Reconnaissance Group and performed outstanding service in the European Theater of Operations.
The 67th Group was sent to
Assigned to support the
Reorganization
Following their service during World War II, all Michigan National Guard units remaining in Federal service were officially deactivated by the Army. Officers and men returned to their homes as individuals rather than in units. The Michigan National Guard was again required to undertake post-war re-establishment and organization from scratch.
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.[8]
The
Insofar as possible, units were allotted to Michigan communities that had previously sponsored National Guard units and where state-owned or leased armory facilities were available. Initial priority was given to the organization of the State Headquarters, the 46th Infantry Division, and Air National Guard units. On 29 September 1946, the first post-war units of the Michigan National Guard were activated. 18 September 1947, however, is considered the Michigan 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.[8]
Intense organizational efforts continued for the next two years. On 30 June 1948, the Adjutant General reported to the Governor that 94 percent of the first priority units had been organized and federally recognized. A total of 121 units (including 15 Air Guard units) had been organized in 40 communities with a strength of 8,818 officers and enlisted.[9]
Korean War
The United States' second mobilization in a decade was touched off by the invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950. 26 Michigan Army and Air National Guard units were called to active military service during the Korean War. Inducted strength of these units totaled 2,742 officers and men. All three squadrons of the 127th Fighter Wing, Michigan Air National Guard, were federalized in 1951. Two squadrons were stationed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The Battle Creek squadron was assigned to Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The remaining federalized Michigan Army and Air National Guard units served in the United States, but some of their officers and men were transferred to units that eventually saw service in Korea. With the exception of those who elected to remain on active duty, most of Michigan's Guardsmen completed their tours of duty by the late spring or summer of 1952 and returned home.[10]
1990s
When tensions began to reach the breaking point with
Elements of the Michigan National Guard were some of the last to serve at U.S. military installations in
War on Terror
operated by the Estonian Defence Forces
Michigan Air National Guard F-16s took to the skies within hours of the
See also
- Michigan Volunteer Defense Force
- Michigan Wing Civil Air Patrol
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ "Michigan Air National Guard Commander and Assistant Adjutant General - Air".
- ^ "110th Attack Wing > Home". www.110aw.ang.af.mil.
- ^ "127th Wing > Home". www.127wg.ang.af.mil.
- ^ ANG Chronology 1908-2007, see also Brief History of the Minnesota Air National Guard and the 133rd Airlift Wing, 1.
- ^ Media, AfterDark. "Order of Battle : 107th FS Michigan Air National Guard".
- ^ "DMVA - Preparing for World War II". www.michigan.gov.
- ^ "DMVA - Michigan National Guard in World War II". www.michigan.gov.
- ^ a b Rosenfeld, Susan and Gross, Charles J (2007), Air National Guard at 60: A History. Air National Guard history program AFD-080527-040 Archived 2012-10-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "DMVA - Reorganizing the Guard Post-World War II". www.michigan.gov.
- ^ "DMVA - The Korean Conflict". www.michigan.gov.
- ^ "DMVA - Post-Desert Storm". www.michigan.gov.
- ^ "DMVA - Dawn of the New Millennium". www.michigan.gov.
- Gross, Charles J (1996), The Air National Guard and the American Military Tradition, United States Dept. of Defense, ISBN 0160483026
- Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs website