Active 1954–present Type Combat Communications | Country United States Part of AFSPC / ANG | |
Branch United States Air Force Garrison/HQ Abston Air National Guard Station, Alabama, USA | ||
The United States Air Force's 226th Combat Communications Group is a combat communications headquarters unit located at Abston Air National Guard Station in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. The Group is one of two Air National Guard Combat Communications Groups nationwide, which together constitute over 60% of the U.S. Air Force's tactical communications capability. The 226 CCG is one of three major organizations that make up the Alabama Air National Guard.
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Mission
The mission of the 226th Combat Communications Group is to command, organize, equip, train and administer assigned and attached forces to ensure complete mission readiness in support of emergency USAF requirements, and to provide timely and reliable communications and engineering and installation in support of state emergencies.
History
The 226 CCG was originally organized on 18 June 1954 as part of the 225th Radio Relay Squadron. The 225th was initially organized in March 1953 in Greenville, Mississippi, as part of the Mississippi Air National Guard. The unit was formally organized on 18 June 1954, and was eventually transferred to the Alabama Air National Guard and relocated to Gadsden.
On 22 February 1971, an element of the 225th was reorganized as the Headquarters, 226th Mobile Communications Group and allotted to the National Guard Bureau. (The remainder of the 225th eventually became the 225th Combat Communications Squadron.) The unit received federal recognition on 29 September 1971. In 1986, the 226th was renamed, becoming the 226th Combat Communications Group.
The group headquarters moved to Abston Air National Guard Station in February 1996.
The 226th gained seven additional squadrons on 1 October 2013, when the 281st Combat Communications Group was inactivated (30 September 2013).
Emblem Description and Significance
Blue and yellow are the Air force colors. Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of Air force operations. Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel. The red "X" is reminiscent of the Alabama state flag and reflects the unit’s home location. The sword surmounting the globe represents the Group’s support to the tactical units and their ability to rapidly deploy anywhere in the world. The large star at the pommel of the sword handle stands for the Group’s headquarters. The six smaller stars denote the subordinate elements of the Group and the lightning flashes symbolize the electronic connectivity provided between the Group’s headquarters and its field units.