940th Wing

940th Wing
940th Wing - RQ-4B Global Hawk 04-2015
Active	1 October 1963-Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Wing
Role	Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C2ISR)
Part of	Air Force Reserve Command
Garrison/HQ	Beale Air Force Base, California
Motto	"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	AFOUA RVGC w/ Palm
Website	www.940wg.afrc.af.mil
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel John E. Trnka Jr.
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 940 WG is a Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance 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.

The 940th supports units assigned to the 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group (ISRG), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, and a unit assigned to the 622nd Civil Engineer Group, Dobbins ARB, GA. Those units are the 50th Intelligence Squadron, the 38th Intelligence Squadron, and the 583rd Red Horse Squadron respectively.

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. This Wing is the only Reserve Wing that operates the RQ-4 Global Hawk; this is done through the 13th Reconnaissance Squadron.

Units

• 940th Operations Group

13th Reconnaissance Squadron

701st Combat Operations Squadron, March ARB, CA

Det 1, 701st Combat Operations Squadron, Hickam AFB, HI

710th Comabt Operations Squadron, Langley AFB, VA

713th Combat Operations Squadron

Det 1, 713th Combat Operations Squadron, Hickam AFB, HI

940th Operations Support Flight

• 940th Mission Support Group

940th Force Support Squadron

940th Security Forces Squadron

940th Civil Engineer Flight

940th Logistics Readiness Squadron

• 940th Aerospace Medical Squadron

History

Following the mobilizations in 1961 and 1962 for the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Continental Air Command (ConAC), later AFRes, 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 349th 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. After a move from Paine AFB, WA to McChord AFB, WA in late 1965 the Group inactivated in 1969.

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 940 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.

On 12 March 2005 the 13th Reconnaissance Squadron was activated at Beale AFB, CA with the mission of working hand in hand with their Active Duty counterparts in the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. On 1 October 2007 the 50th Intelligence Squadron was activated with the same underlying mission but working with the 548th Intelligence Group, later the 548th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group. Both units were aligned under the 610th Regional Support Group, Fort Worth, TX until the 940th Air Refueling Wing concluded their tanker mission.

On 1 July 2009 the 940th Air Refueling Wing was redesignated as the 940th Wing under 10th Air Force operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)s. The 940th Maintenance Group, 940th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 940th Maintenance Squadron, 940th Maintenance Operations Flight, and 314th Air Refueling Squadron Inactivated thus ending the air refueling mission at Beale AFB, CA once again. On the same date the 13 RS and 50 IS were realigned under the 940th Wing. The 713th Combat Operations Squadron, Beale AFB, CA was also activated on this date and aligned under the 940th.

Four Geographically Separated Units (GSUs) were realigned under the 940th Wing shortly there after. The 701st Combat Operations Squadron, March ARB, CA, the 710th Combat Operations Squadron, Langley AFB, VA, Detachment 1 - 701st Combat Operations Squadron, Hickam AFB, HI, and Detachment 1 - 713th Combat Operations Squadron, Hickam AFB, HI.

On 1 May 2011 the 718th Intelligence Squadron was activated at Langley AFB, CA and aligned under the 940th Wing's C2ISR Mission like that of the 50 IS.

In 2013 at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, Col Douglas Drakeley, formerly of the 713th Combat Operations Squadron, stood up the 655th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group. This Group is a direct reporting unit to 10th Air Force, Fort Worth, TX. Once activated all Intelligence Squadrons that fall under the Air Force Reserve Command began to consolidate under this group. On 15 September 2013 the 50th Intelligence Squadron and the 718th Intelligence Squadron were realigned under the 655th ISRG.

Lineage

• Established as the 940th Troop Carrier Group, Medium and activated in the Reserve on 15 January 1963 (not organized)

Organized on 11 February 1963

Redesignated 940th Troop Carrier Group, Heavy on 1 April 1965

Redesignated 940th Air Transport Group, Heavy on 1 December 1965

Redesignated 940th Military Airlift Group on 1 January 1966

Redesignated 940th Tactical Airlift Group on 1 April 1972

Redesignated 940th Air Refueling Group, Heavy on 1 January 1977

Redesignated 940th Air Refueling Group on 1 February 1992

Redesignated 940th Air Refueling Wing on 1 October 1994

Redesignated 940th Wing on 1 July 2009

Assignments

• Continental Air Command, 15 January 1963
• 349th Troop Carrier Wing, 11 Feb 1963
• 452d Military Airlift (later, 452d Tactical Airlift; 452d Air Refueling) Wing, 26 Jan 1968
• Fourth Air Force, 1 Oct 1994
• Tenth Air Force, 1 Oct 2008–Present

Components

• 940th Operations Group: 1 Oct 1994–Present
• 314th Troop Carrier (later Air Transport, Military Airlift, Tactical Airlift, Air Refueling) Squadron: 11 Feb 1963-1 Jul 2009.

Stations

• McClellan AFB, California, 11 Feb 1963
• Mather AFB, California, 1 Jan 1977
• McClellan AFB, California, 1 Jul 1993
• Beale AFB, California, 1 Oct 1997–Present

Aircraft

• C-119 Flying Boxcar (1963–1974)
• C-130 Hercules (1974–1977)
• KC-135A/E/T (1977–2008)
• RQ-4 Global Hawk (2008–Present)

Decorations

• 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

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• 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