Country United States | Garrison/HQ Southwest Asia | |
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Active 1941–1946; 2002–2012; 2015- Branch United States Air Force Type Provisional Expeditionary Wing Part of United States Air Forces Central | ||
The 332d Air Expeditionary Wing (332 AEW) is a Provisional Wing of Air Combat Command, currently active. It was last inactivated on 8 May 2012, and most recently reactivated on 19 May 2015.
Contents
The Wing's 332d Expeditionary Operations Group (332 EOG), is the direct descendant organization of the World War II 332d Fighter Group, the Tuskegee Airmen. The title Tuskegee Airmen refers to all who trained in the groundbreaking Army Air Forces African-American pilot training program at Moton Field and Tuskegee Army Airfield, Alabama between 1941 and 1945. It includes pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, instructors and all the personnel who kept the planes in the air.
Overview
The 332 AEW conducted a number of missions. The F-16 aircraft were responsible for maintaining air supremacy in the skies over Iraq. Additionally, the A-10 and F-16 aircraft performed close air support missions as required. The C-130 unit provided required airlift within Iraq and to other US Central Command bases as necessary. The HH-60 Pave Hawks performed combat search and rescue missions. Finally, the MQ-1 Predators and MC-12W Liberty aircraft provided tactical surveillance and reconnaissance within Iraq. Additionally, the unit operated the Air Force Theater Hospital and served as the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility.
The 332d Air Expeditionary Wing's heritage is tied to the famous 332d Fighter Group led by the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. Its mission and traditions were carried out by the airmen at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. With the motto "Tuskegee Airmen...The Legend Continues," the wing pioneered modern warfare tactics using advanced weapons systems such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon, A-10 Thunderbolt II, and the MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for close air support and traditional and non-traditional intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
In a departure from traditional Air Force missions, the 732d Air Expeditionary Group (732 AEG), provided command oversight and advocacy for up to 1,800 Air Force personnel who were tactically assigned to U.S. Army and Marine units throughout Iraq. Operating from Balad Air Base at its inception, six squadrons of the 732 AEG provided direct Joint and Coalition combat and combat support to and/or in lieu of US Army, Marine Corps and Iraqi Army and Police Forces at over 60 locations, including downtown Baghdad; Camp Speicher; Al Asad Air Base; Camp Anaconda (Balad Air Base); Camp Bucca; Camp Caldwell (Kirkush); Tallil Air Base; Mosul Air Base; Camp Rustamiyah; Baghdad International Airport; Green Zone; Kirkuk Air Base; Camp Hadithah; and Taji Air Base.
Units
Current units
Former units
At Joint Base Balad (JBB), the 332d Air Expeditionary Wing consisted of the following major groups:
History
See: 332d Air Expeditionary Group for the World War II fighter unit.Established in July 1947 under the United States Air Force's Wing /Base reorganization (Hobson Plan), with the 332d Fighter Group becoming the operational component of the wing, controlling its flying resources. the 332d Fighter Wing replaced the 447th Composite Group and 580th Air Service Group. The new wing participated in firepower demonstrations, gunnery training, and operational missions to maintain combat proficiency. The African-American segregated unit was inactivated in July 1949 as a result of Executive Order 9981. EO 9981 abolished racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces. The 332d's personnel and equipment were reassigned to other units.
Air Expeditionary Wing
In August 2002, the Air Combat Command (ACC) 332d Air Expeditionary Group at Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, was authorized to expand to a Wing. The 332d Air Expeditionary Wing was activated as a provisional organization on 12 August 2002 by ACC, with the 332d AEG becoming the Wing's flying organization. A support organization was also activated as part of the 332 AEW, consisting of the 332d Expeditionary Maintenance Group; 332d Expeditionary Mission Support Group; 332d Expeditionary Medical Group, and the 332d Expeditionary Security Forces Group.
At its peak strength, the 332d AEW consisted of over 8,000 personnel, including 1,800 Airmen of the 732 AEG, provided operational oversight for Airmen tactically assigned to U.S. Army and Marine units at over 60 forward operating locations throughout Iraq.
Employing A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, F-16 Fighting Falcons, HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters and HC-130 Hercules aircraft the 332d AEW initially participated in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), playing a critical role in the defeat of the Taliban regime and later providing key air support for Afghanistan's provisional government.
After the initiation of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) the 332d was moved to Tallil Air Base, Iraq. To better position airpower within the theater of operations, the 332d AEW was moved to Balad AB, Iraq, in February 2004. In June 2008, the base was officially renamed Joint Base Balad. The new name was indicative of the joint nature of operations by all branches of service at the base.
During the height of operations, the 332d AEW contained nine groups—including four geographically separated groups at Ali AB, Sather AB, Al Asad AB, and Kirkuk AB—as well as numerous detachments and operating locations scattered throughout Iraq. The wing had as many as two F-16 fighter squadrons, a Predator UAV squadron, a C-130 squadron, a combat search and rescue squadron (HH-60s), a MC-12 Liberty squadron, and a Control and Reporting Center.
During the drawdown of forces from Iraq, the 332d AEW provided intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, combat search and rescue, armed overwatch and close air support to one of the largest logistics movements since World War II.
In support of the re-posture of U.S. forces, the wing continued to support U.S. Forces-Iraq after forward deploying to an undisclosed air base in Southwest Asia in November 2011 so Joint Base Balad could be returned to the government of Iraq. And as the last U.S. convoy left Iraq on 18 Dec. 2011 with the 332d AEW's F-16s and MQ-1B Predators in the skies providing overhead watch.