| Washington Air National Guard | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the Washington Air National Guard | |
| Active | 6 August 1924- present |
| Country |  United States |
| Allegiance |  Washington |
| Branch |  Air National Guard |
| Type | state militia,military reserve force |
| Part of | Washington Military Department United States National Guard Bureau National Guard |
| Headquarters | Bldg 1, Camp Murray, Tacoma, Washington, 98430 |
| Commanders | |
| Civilian leadership | PresidentDonald Trump (Commander-in-Chief) Frank Kendall III (Secretary of the Air Force) GovernorBob Ferguson (Governor of the State of Washington) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Transport | RC-26B Metroliner |
| Tanker | KC-135R Stratotanker |
TheWashington Air National Guard (WA ANG) is the aerial militia of theState of Washington,United States. It is a reserve of theUnited States Air Force and along with theWashington Army National Guard an element of theWashington National Guard and of the much largerUnited States National Guard Bureau.
As state militia units, the units in the Washington Air National Guard are not in the normalUnited States Air Forcechain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of theGovernor of Washington through the office of theWashington Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of thePresident of the United States. The Washington Air National Guard is headquartered atCamp Murray, Tacoma, and its commander is Brigadier general Gent Welsh.
Under the "Total Force" concept, Washington Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components (ARC) of theUnited States Air Force (USAF). Washington ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by aMajor Command of the USAF if federalized. In addition, the Washington Air National Guard forces are assigned to Air Expeditionary Forces and are subject to deployment tasking orders along with their active duty andAir Force Reserve counterparts in their assigned cycle deployment window.
Along with their federal reserve obligations, as state militia units the elements of the Washington ANG are subject to being activated by order of the Governor to provide protection of life and property, and preserve peace, order and public safety. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of vital public services, and support to civil defense.
In addition, theWashington State Guard (WSG) is an all-volunteer militia force under theWashington Military Department that provides reserve personnel to both the Washington Army National Guard and the Washington Air National Guard. It is under state jurisdiction and its members are employed only within the State of Washington. It is not subject to be called, ordered or assigned as any element of the federal armed forces. Its mission is to provide units organized, equipped and trained in the protection of life or property and the preservation of peace, order and public safety under competent orders of State authorities.[1]
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The Washington Air National Guard consists of the following major units:
The Washington Air National Guard origins date to 28 August 1917 with the establishment of the116th Aero Squadron as part of theWorld War IAmerican Expeditionary Force. The 116th served in France on theWestern Front, then after the1918 Armistice with Germany was demobilized in 1919.
TheMilitia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, liable for immediate state service. Iffederalized by Presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, theMilitia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units.[5]
In 1924, the Adjutant General for theWashington National Guard, who was traveling throughSpokane, made a simple proposal to the city fathers. Whichever city, Spokane,Seattle orTacoma, could raise 10,000 dollars first for building hangars would get an Observation Squadron. As the General's westward train pulled out of the station and was approaching the city limits, a telegraph wire sent out ahead of the train stated, "The $10,000 has been raised. We want the squadron."[6]
On 6 August 1924 the116th Observation Squadron, Washington National Guard, received federal recognition. They established their unit headquarters at the former Parkwater Municipal Golf Course (nowFelts Field) near Spokane. Major John T. "Jack" Fancher, a World War I veteran, would act as the units' first commander. It is one of the29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of theUnited States Army National Guard formed beforeWorld War II.[6] The 116th Observation Squadron was ordered into active service on 16 September 1940 as part of the buildup of theArmy Air Corps prior to the United States entry into World War II.
On 24 May 1946, theUnited States Army Air Forces, in response to dramatic postwar military budget cuts, imposed by PresidentHarry S. Truman, allocated inactive unit designations to theNational Guard Bureau for the formation of an Air Force National Guard. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units.[7]
The modern Washington ANG received federal recognition on 1 July 1946 as the116th Fighter Squadron atFelts Field, Spokane. It was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and its mission was the air defense of the state. 18 September 1947, however, is considered the Washington Air National Guard's official birth concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the United States military under the National Security Act[7] The 143rd Air Control and Warning Squadron was formed in 1948 and was later redesignated as a combat communications squadron, operating out of Boeing Field in Seattle for its first 60 years. Additional combat communications units were added throughout the Cold War years under the umbrella of the 252nd Combat Communications Group, which was federally recognized in 1953. On 1 May 1956 the 116th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 141st Fighter Group (Air Defense) was allotted by the National Guard Bureau, extended federal recognition and activated. The Washington Air National Guard took on a support operations mission with the formation of the 111th Air Support Operations Squadron at Camp Murray in 1988.[8]
Today, the 141st ARW provides aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and allied nation aircraft. The 194th WG, formed in 2006 to bring together various units throughout the state, includes mission specializations in cyberspace operations and air support operations; at the time of its formation, the 194th was the only non-flying Wing in the Air National Guard. WADS is one of two sectors responsible to NORAD's aerospace warning and control mission.
After theSeptember 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, elements of every Air National Guard unit in Washington has been activated in support of the globalwar on terrorism. Flight crews, aircraft maintenance personnel, communications technicians, air controllers and air security personnel were engaged inOperation Noble Eagle air defense overflights of major United States cities. Also, Washington ANG units have been deployed overseas as part ofOperation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan andOperation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq as well as other locations as directed.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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