Texas Air National Guard
| Texas Air National Guard | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1947 - present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Air National Guard |
| Role | "To meet state and federal mission responsibilities." |
| Garrison/HQ | Camp Mabry in Austin |
| Commanders | |
| Civilian leadership | President Barack Obama (Commander-in-Chief) Michael B. Donley (Secretary of the Air Force) Governor Rick Perry (Governor of the State of Texas) |
| State military leadership | Brigadier General John F. Nichols |
| Insignia | |
| USAF Roundel |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | F-16C/D Fighting Falcon |
| Reconnaissance | MQ-1 Predator |
| Transport | C-130H Hercules |
The Texas Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Texas and a component of the Texas Military Forces (along with the Texas Army National Guard and the Texas State Guard). It is composed of airmen and officers assigned to three flying wings and three geographically separated units throughout Texas.
From 2001 through 2007, elements of every Air National Guard unit in Texas were activated in support of the Global War on Terror. Flight crews, aircraft maintenance personnel, communications technicians, air controllers and air security personnel deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar, Israel, and other locations throughout Southwest Asia. Additionally, in 2005 elements of all the units were activated to provide relief after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Units of the Texas Air National Guard
[edit] Texas Air National Guard Headquarters
Texas Air National Guard Headquarters at Camp Mabry in Austin includes the state headquarters staff whose mission is to provide command and control of Texas Air Guard units.
[edit] 136th Airlift Wing
The 136th Airlift Wing in Fort Worth flies C-130H cargo aircraft carrying personnel and equipment around the world. Its main unit is the 181st Airlift Squadron. The 531st Air Force Band is co-located with the 136th Airlift Wing.[2]
[edit] 221st Combat Communications Squadron
The 221st Combat Communications Squadron is co-located in Grand Prairie with their command unit, the 254th Combat Communications Group. The function of the 221st Combat Communications Squadron is to provide communications in a deployed environment. Such requirements may include establishing a Local Area Network, Telephone Network, Wide Area Network, and Radio Communications. All this while ensuring reliable connectivity for those parties serviced and maintaining mission effectiveness.
[edit] 254th Combat Communications Group
The 254th Combat Communications Group is located in Grand Prairie and provides worldwide command, control, communications and computer systems, information management and combat support critical to war fighting capabilities.[citation needed] The 254th's primary mission is to provide planning and engineering for Combat Communications Squadrons that provide tactical (high-frequency radio, telephone, satellite and network) communications and terminal air traffic control services to support emergency U.S. Air Force requirements.[citation needed] The 254th provides a staff element for management of communications personnel and equipment when deployed in support of Air Force missions worldwide in locations where these capabilities don't exist, and are prepared to do so under hostile conditions and during peacetime as well. The 254th commands six squadrons across Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana - the 221st and 236th Combat Communications Squadrons and the 205th, 214th, 219th and 272nd Engineering and Installation Squadrons.
[edit] 147th Reconnaissance Wing
The 147th Reconnaissance Wing, headquartered in Houston on the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, provides a worldwide deployable reconnaissance capability in the battlefield tactical reconnaissance mission.[3]
[edit] 111th Reconnaissance Squadron
The 111th Reconnaissance Squadron is attached to the 147th Reconnaissance Wing. The Squadron flies the MQ-1 Predator, a USAF Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA).
[edit] 149th Fighter Wing
The 149th Fighter Wing is headquartered in San Antonio on Lackland Air Force Base. The fighter wing is assigned to the US Air Forces Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and is one of the primary "school houses" for F-16 pilots.[4]
[edit] 182d Fighter Squadron
The 182nd Fighter Squadron is attached to the 149th Fighter Wing. The Squadron flies the F-16C/D Block 30 dual-role fighter.
[edit] 204th Security Forces Squadron
The 204th Security Forces Squadron located at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, El Paso. They are one of few heavy weapons security forces units in the Air National Guard.[citation needed] Since the September 11 attacks, members of the 204th SFS have seen duty in central and southwest Asia, in Africa and even onboard ship in the Persian Gulf.[citation needed] They have served on installations in several states in the U.S. and taught military base defense in Latin American countries.
[edit] 272d Engineering Installation Squadron
The 272d Engineering Installation Squadron, headquartered in La Porte, provides worldwide engineering, installation and relocation of command, control, communications, computers and intelligence systems.
[edit] 273d Information Operations Squadron
The 273d Information Operations Squadron, located in San Antonio (Port of San Antonio), provides support to two active duty units (23d Information Operations Squadron and 346th Test Squadron) conducting Information Operations tactics and testing to help defend United States Air Force networks.[citation needed] Securing the AF gateways against IO attacks. It is subordinate to the 149th Fighter Wing located on Lackland AFB.
[edit] 217th Training Squadron
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2011) |
The 217th TRS (Nighthawks) is an intelligence training unit that is subordinate to the 149th Fighter Wing at Lackland AFB, Texas. The 217th TRS is a GSU (geographically separated unit) and is located on Goodfellow AFB, Texas. The unit stood up officially on August 15, 2008 as a unit that works directly for and with the following active duty units: 315 Training Squadron, 316 Training Squadron, and 17 Training Support Squadron, under the 17th Training Group (TRG). 217 TRS instructors are integrated into the existing courses taught within the 17 TRG - primarily the 315 TRS. The main purpose of the unit is to provide additional instructors to Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and the 17th Training Group to further augment the active duty cadre, bring additional experience and continuity to the intelligence courses, and continue with the Department of Defense's vision of "total force integration". Although some 217th TRS instructors are drill status guardsmen, most are full-time air technicians. Lieutenant Colonel James W. Marrs became the first commander of the newly formed 217th Training Squadron upon its activation. Additionally, the 217 TRS will soon be a major training source for Incident Awareness and Assessment (a FEMA disaster response program) and the Geospatial Information Interoperability Exploitation-Portable (GIIEP)system. The unit will be responsible for training any Air National Guard units that require it in order for them to be better prepared to respond to local and national disasters.
[edit] Air Division
The Air Division of the Texas State Guard directly supports and extends the mission and operations of the Texas Air National Guard and serves the State of Texas directly as a volunteer command in the Texas Military Forces. Air Division units are embedded with their parent Texas Air National Guard units in San Antonio, Austin, Ft. Worth, Garland, Houston and La Porte.[5]
[edit] Active aircraft
The following is a list of currently[as of?] active aircraft:
| Aircraft | Origin | Type |
|---|---|---|
| C-130 Hercules |  United States |
Tactical Transport |
| F-16C/D Fighting Falcon | United States |
Air Superiority Fighter |
| MQ-1 Predator | United States |
Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) |
[edit] Notable former personnel
- George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States
- Congressman Charlie Gonzalez
- Brigadier General David Lee "Tex" Hill
- Congressman Ron Paul
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.txsg.state.tx.us/about/about.aspx
- ^ http://www.136aw.ang.af.mil/units/index.asp
- ^ http://www.147rw.ang.af.mil/units/index.asp
- ^ http://www.149fw.ang.af.mil/units/
- ^ http://www.txsg.state.tx.us/air/pr/index.html
[edit] External links
- Official sites
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