87th Air Base Wing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1952–1953; 2009–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Air base wing |
| Role | Installation support |
| Size | 3,100 personnel |
| Part of | Air Mobility Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst |
| Motto | Ut Unum Vincere (Latin for 'Win as One')[1] |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Michael D. Stefanovic |
| Army Deputy Installation Commander | Colonel Bryan R. Dunker |
| Navy Deputy Installation Commander | Captain James B. Howell |
| Command Chief | CMSgt Nicholas Conner |
| Insignia | |
| 87th Air Base Wing emblem[a][1] |  |
The87th Air Base Wing is the hostwing atJoint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL), New Jersey and its headquarters are on theMcGuire Air Force Base portion of the Joint Base. The 42,000-acre (170 km2) large joint base is located 18 miles southeast ofTrenton, New Jersey,[citation needed] and is home to 80 unique DOD activities. The wing provides installation support to commands atMcGuire Air Force Base,Fort Dix, andNaval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst. Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst is theDepartment of Defense's (DoD) only tri-service joint base that consolidatedAir Force,Army, andNavy installations.
Before assuming host duties at JB MDL in 2009, the wing had been active as anAir Force Reserve troop carrier wing during theKorean War. It was inactivated less than a year after it was formed, when the434th Troop Carrier Wing was released from active duty and assumed the 87th Wing's personnel and equipment.
Ingarrison, the 87th Mission Support Group prepares the wing todeploy, bed down and sustain forward operations. At McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and in deployed locations the group provides facilities, services,logistics management,contracting,force protection,fire protection, crisis action planning and response, communications, passenger and cargo movement, andpersonnel management.[2]
The 400-member 87th Medical Group operates a multi-specialtyoutpatient clinic. Its mission is to trainmission-ready medics, deliver a medically ready operational force and ensure a healthy base community. The group prepares service members to serve at their home station and on deployment, while meeting healthcare needs of nearly 17,000Tricare Prime enrollees and over 42,000 DoD beneficiaries.[5]
AllAir Force Reserve combat flying organizations were mobilized for theKorean War.[6] The mobilization left the reserve without aircraft, and the reserve units did not receive aircraft until July 1952.[7] In preparation for the return of reserve flying operations, the Air Force activated the87th Troop Carrier Wing atAtterbury Air Force Base, where it absorbed the personnel of the 923d Reserve Training Wing. The wing began to train for troop carrier operations, primarily withCurtiss C-46 Commandos, under the supervision of the 2466th Air Force Reserve Training Center. The wing also flew a number of other aircraft possessed by the center.[1]
In early 1953, the434th Troop Carrier Wing, which had been the reserve flying wing at Atterbury until called to active duty in May 1951, was released from active duty and returned to the reserve. The 87th Wing was inactivated and transferred its mission, equipment and personnel to the 434th Wing.[1][8]
The2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended the combination of facilities of different armed services that were close to one another. As a result, Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst was established in central New Jersey from the formerMcGuire Air Force Base,Fort Dix andNaval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst. The Air Force was designated the lead service for support activities at the new base and organized the87th Air Base Wing to carry out the mission.[3] The wing'scadre was taken from the mission support and medical groups of the305th Air Mobility Wing, which retained itsoperations group and became a tenant organization.
In addition to its two groups and one squadron, the wing has 14 staff agencies.[b] Although the wing commander is an Air Force officer, its command structure includes an Army Joint Base Deputy Commander and a Navy Joint Base Deputy Commander.[3]
The wing has supported several significant operations and activities, including recovery operations forHurricanes Irene andSandy. It has earned fourAir Force Outstanding Unit Awards.[3]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
| Air Mobility Command (AMC) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbered Air Forces | | ||||||||||||
| Command Organizations | |||||||||||||
| Bases | |||||||||||||
| Group | |||||||||||||
| Wings |
| ||||||||||||
| Leadership |  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure |
| ||||||||||
| Personnel and training | |||||||||||
| Uniforms and equipment | |||||||||||
| History and traditions |
| ||||||||||
