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| 386th Air Expeditionary Wing | |
|---|---|
 386th Air Expeditionary Wing emblem | |
| Active | 25 November 1942 – 7 August 1945, 1956–1957, 2001–present |
| Country |  United States of America |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Part of | United States Air Forces Central |
| Garrison/HQ | Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait |
| Decorations |  AFMUA[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Sergio E. Anaya[2] |
| Notable commanders | Joe W. Kelly |
The386th Air Expeditionary Wing (386 AEW) is a provisionalUnited States Air Force unit assigned toUnited States Air Forces Central. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time. It is currently stationed atAli Al Salem Air Base,Kuwait inSouthwest Asia. During World War II, the group's predecessor unit, the386th Bombardment Group (Medium) was aB-26 Marauder bombardment group assigned to theEighth and laterNinth Air Force. During theBattle of Normandy, it supported Allied forces atCaen, and participated in the massive blows against the enemy atSaint-Lô on 25 July 1944. The unit knocked out targets to help clear theFalaise pocket of German forces in August 1944 and hit strong points atBrest during September.
The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing has a diverse mission which canvases the CENTCOM AOR. The 386th AEW is the primary aerial hub for Operation Inherent Resolve and provides airlift support for various operations around the CENTCOM AOR.
Under the new AFFORGEN concept, which is how the Air Force deploys and presents its forces to the combatant commanders, the 386th AEW now has the 386th Expeditionary Air Base Group,[3] A-staff directorates, the special staff, and various flying units under its command. The 386th EABG is composed of units from Civil Engineering, Security Forces, Logistics, Medical, Communications, Contracting, Force Support and Maintenance. The special staff is composed of legal, public affairs and other helping agencies. The A-staff component is there to provide planning to the operational squadrons and answer requests for information from higher headquarters. The flying units consist of C-130s, MQ-9s and U.S. Army helicopters.
The wing's mission is to partner, deliver and support to provide combat power and increase regional stability. Its vision is through teamwork to enhance cooperation, invest in enduring relationships, and cultivate inclusive and innovative warfighters. The three campaign priorities are People, Partnership and Project Combat Power.
The wing is also home to one of two contingency aeromedical staging facilities (CASF) in the theater. The CASF serves as a gateway for patients airlifted to Germany or the United States for further medical treatment.
The following units are assigned:
The586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron was part of the wing's586th Air Expeditionary Group until it was inactivated in 2008.
The unit was constituted as the386th Bombardment Group (Medium) on 25 November 1942, and was activated on 1 December 1942 atMacDill Field, Florida. The group was equipped with theMartin B-26 Marauder medium bomber. Its operational squadrons were the 552d (RG), 553d (AN), 554th (RU) and555th (YA)
After training at several airfields in the United States, the group was deployed to Europe in June 1943 and was assigned initially to the3rd Bombardment Wing of theEighth Air Force atRAF Snetterton Heath, England. The group remained at Snetterton Heath only a few days, being transferred toRAF Boxted in northEssex on 10 June 1943 where the Martin B-26 Marauder groups were being consolidated for operations and retrained in medium altitude bombing after low level tactics had produced disastrous losses. The group flew its first mission on 30 July, with operations concentrating on airfields but also attacked marshalling yards and gun positions along the channel coast.
The 386th was again transferred toRAF Great Dunmow on 24 September 1943. Missions of the 386th concentrated on airfields but also bombed marshalling yards and gun positions during the first months of combat. In common with all B-26 Marauder units of the Eighth Air Force, the 386th was transferred toNinth Air Force on 16 October 1943.
Tactical operations were carried out against V-weapon sites along the coast of France in the winter of 1943–1944, and bombed airfields in theNetherlands and Belgium duringBig Week, 20–25 February 1944.
Great Dunmow was the first airfield visited byGeneral Eisenhower in his USAAF airfield tour on Tuesday, 11 April 1944, and he arrived in time to see thirty-nine Ninth Air Force Marauders take off at twenty second intervals for a mission to attack the marshalling yards inCharleroi, Belgium.
The 386th hammered gun positions, and airfields preceding theinvasion of Normandy and made numerous assaults on bridges of theSeinelate in May. Struck coastal batteries onD-Day and hit bridges, supply and fuel stores, gun positions, and defended areas during the remainder of theBattle of Normandy. Supported Allied forces atCaen, and participated in the massive blows against the enemy atSaint-Lô on 25 July 1944. Knocked out targets to help clear theFalaise pocket of German forces in August 1944 and hit strong points atBrest during September.
In July 1944, the 553rd Bomb Squadron was selected to host the squadron performing operational testing on the newDouglas A-26 Invader. A special squadron of A-26s was attached to the 386th Bombardment Group by order of "Special Operations Order #205, Project 3AF JY Class TM 0725", which created the "A-26 Combat Evaluation Project Squadron" - or simply, Project Squadron to the crews. This squadron conducted eight combat missions with the 386th between 6 Sep 1944 and 19 Sep 1944. Having successfully completed their evaluation assignment, the Project Squadron was detached from the 386th and transferred to the 416th Bombardment Group to train their pilots on converting over to the A-26.
On 2 October 1944, the 386th Bomb Group moved to Beaumont-sur-Oise (A-60) Airfield, inNormandy, France. On the continent, the 386th BG used the following Advanced Landing Grounds:
While the unit was at Beaumont-sur-Oise, they were fully converted from the B-26 Marauder to the A-26 Invader. By March 1945, the 386th Bomb Group was flying Invaders in combat missions and the old B-26s had been retired stateside.
AfterV-E Day, the group returned to the United States, first toSeymour Johnson AFB, then toWestover AFB where the unit was disbanded and their aircraft was dispersed. The 386th Bomb Group was inactivated on 7 November 1945.
The386th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium was established on 23 March 1953, but was never made active nor assigned any aircraft or mission.
The386th Fighter-Bomber Group was activated on 8 April 1956 atBunker Hill AFB,Indiana as part of the323d Fighter-Bomber Wing. Assigned to theTactical Air Command, the group had three squadrons, 552d, 553d and 554th. Initially training with North American F-86Fs, these were quickly upgraded to theNorth American F-86H Sabre and then to theNorth American F-100A to become proficient in tactical air operations.
The wing's aircraft wore a band on the tail, and around the nose edged with small black checkers.
In 1955,Strategic Air Command (SAC) began stationing units at the base, and theEighth Air Force claimed jurisdiction of Bunker Hill AFB in September 1957. With the turnover of the base to SAC, the 323d was phased down and replaced by the SAC 401st Air Base Group on 1 September 1957.
Colonel Al Allenback "established and commanded the 9th Air Expeditionary Group at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, duringOperation Desert Thunder."[5]
In 1998, in preparation for Operation Desert Fox, the9th Air Expeditionary Group stood up and in 2001 was redesignated as the386th Air Expeditionary Group.
Effective Aug. 12, 2002, a few months prior to the start of theIraq War, the 386th Air Expeditionary Group was redesignated the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing and aligned under the9th Air Expeditionary Task Force.[4] At the same time, the363d Air Expeditionary Wing was being inactivated.
This unit was literally at the forefront ofOperation Southern Watch. For several years following the Persian Gulf War, the base was a sleepy radar site, manned by just a handful of Air Force people monitoring air traffic in the southern Iraq no-fly zone. The74th Air Control Squadron deployed from August to November 1995 to set up and operate a radar site—the only source of a 24-hour air picture in-theater – as part ofOperation Vigilant Sentinel. Exactly one year later, 74th ACS personnel deployed once again, this time for 120 days in support of Southern Watch and Operation Desert Strike.
After tensions in the region flared in late 1997, coalition forces started massing at the base. When the buildup renewed in November 1998, prior toOperation Desert Fox, the base doubled in size to a population of 1,500.
The 9th Air Expeditionary Group provided air surveillance and control through that same radar site, while a fleet of C-130 Hercules provide theater airlift and, if necessary, combat search and rescue and aeromedical evacuation for Operation Southern Watch forces. The 9th AEG brought all those functions under one umbrella. Life on The Rock was austere, even by the standards of Southwest Asia's deployed locations. Many Air Force people at other Southern Watch bases lived and worked in permanent buildings but The Rock was almost entirely a tent city, with very few actual buildings. Most "buildings" were Quonset-shaped, foldable general purpose structures.
During the summer of 2001, Airmen from all over the world were called to participate in Operation Southern Watch's AEF-6, also called the 386th Air Expeditionary Group. From the late spring to early fall, the active duty Airmen were joined by members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. Although from different divisions of the same service, they personified the "seamless air force" concept.
Air Expeditionary Force Eight came to a hot start under the desert sun when members of the729th Air Control Squadron fromHill AFB, Utah, arrived in August 2001. There was a two-thirds changeover of base personnel due to AEF Eight rotations. Approximately one-third of the members assigned to the 729th ACS deployed to here assuming duties as the 386th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron for the next 90 days.
The 386th EACS began focused preparations for the deployment about six months earlier. Their wartime mission was to deploy to potentially austere environments, so the base here was not much of a departure. The 386th EACS also conducted field training in the desert environment of Western Utah to practice chemical warfare, security and other combat skills.
In 2000, the first hardened structures were built here. Hardened structures continue to be built on The Rock.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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