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| 16th Air Expeditionary Wing | |
|---|---|
 Two F-16s from Aviano Air Base, Italy, after fueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker over the Adriatic Sea | |
| Active | 1997-2003 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Control of deployed expeditionary units |
| Part of | United States Air Forces in Europe |
| Motto | We Clear the Skies |
| Engagements | Global War on Terrorism |
| Insignia | |
| Emblem used by the 16th Air Expeditionary Wing[1] |  |
TheUnited States Air Force's16th Air Expeditionary Wing (16 AEW) was a provisional Air Expeditionary unit of theUnited States Air Forces in Europe from 1997 for the purpose of supporting US no-fly zone and other operations in the Balkans. It remained active until June 2003, when it was replaced by the401st Air Expeditionary Wing at Aviano.[2]
The wingheadquarters was located atAviano Air Base, Italy. It operated from expeditionary sites atCamp Bondsteel, Kosovo;Camp Able Sentry, Macedonia;Sarajevo andTuzla Air Base, Bosnia;Taszar Air Base, Hungary;Zagreb, Croatia andNaval Air Station Sigonella andSan Vito Air Station, Italy; in addition to a contingency processing center atRhein-Main Air Base, Germany.
On 1 July 1995,United States Air Forces Europe activated the7490th Wing (Provisional) at Aviano Air Base, Italy to control units deployed temporarily on the base in connection withOperation Deny Flight.[3] The wing was replaced on 11 March 1996 by the4190th Wing (Provisional) when theUnited States Air Force (USAF) began numbering provisional units based on the theater exercising operational control, rather than the Major Command to which they were assigned.[4] The 4190th wing participated inOperation Deny Flight andOperation Joint Endeavour.[5]
On 1 June 1997 the16th Air Expeditionary Wing replaced the 4190th as USAF replaced its provisional units with expeditionary units. Its initial mission was as a component ofOperation Allied Force, which was theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization response toSerbian aggression against ethnicAlbanians inKosovo.
In June 2003 the401st Air Expeditionary Wing was activated at Aviano Air Base, Italy, replacing the 16th Air Expeditionary Wing, which inactivated to eliminate an overlap in designation with the 16th Special Operations Wing atHurlburt Field, Florida.[6]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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