| North Carolina Air National Guard | |
|---|---|
 C-130 Hercules Cargo aircraft in the main hangar at Charlotte Air National Guard Base, North Carolina | |
| Active | 1947–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Allegiance |  North Carolina |
| Branch |  Air National Guard |
| Type | state militia,military reserve force |
| Role | "To meet state and federal mission responsibilities" |
| Part of |  North Carolina National GuardUnited States National Guard Bureau National Guard |
| Headquarters | Raleigh,North Carolina |
| Motto | "We stand ready" |
| Commanders | |
| Civilian leadership | PresidentDonald Trump (Commander-in-Chief) Troy Meink (Secretary of the Air Force) GovernorJosh Stein (Governor of North Carolina) |
| Adjutant General of North Carolina | Major General M. Todd Hunt |
| Insignia | |
| Emblem |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Transport | Boeing C-17 Globemaster III |
TheNorth Carolina Air National Guard (NCANG) is the aerial militia of theState of North Carolina,United States of America. It is a reserve of theUnited States Air Force and along with theNorth Carolina Army National Guard an element of theNorth Carolina National Guard of the largerUnited States National Guard Bureau.
As state militia units, the units in the North Carolina Air National Guard are not in the normalUnited States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of theGovernor of North Carolina through the office of theNorth Carolina Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of thePresident of the United States. The North Carolina Air National Guard is headquartered in Raleigh, and its commander is Major General M. Todd Hunt.
Under the "Total Force" concept, North Carolina Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components (ARC) of theUnited States Air Force (USAF). North Carolina 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 North Carolina Air National Guard forces are assigned to Air Expeditionary Forces and are subject to deployment tasking orders along with their active duty and Air Force Reserve counterparts in their assigned cycle deployment window.
Along with their federal reserve obligations, as state militia units the elements of the North Carolina 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.
The North Carolina Air National Guard (NC ANG) consists of the following major unit:
The NC ANG also contains the following support units and capabilities:
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.[2]
The North Carolina Air National Guard origins date to 15 March 1948 with the establishment of the156th Fighter Squadron and is oldest unit of the North Carolina Air National Guard. It was federally recognized and activated at Morris Field, near Charlotte and was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts. Its mission was the air defense of the state.
In 1950 the 156th was re-equipped with formerWorld War IIF-51 Mustangs, now designated RF-51D which had been used in the United States in a training role. The squadron became part ofTactical Air Command (TAC) as a Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. The 156th Fighter Squadron was federalized due to theKorean War on 10 October 1950. During its federalization period, the 157th was deployed toToul-Rosières Air Base, departing for Europe in January 1952. On 9 July 1952 the activated North Carolina Air National Guard was released from active duty and returned to state control.
In 1955 the facilities at Morris Field were expanded, two years later the 145th Fighter Group was organized consisting of the 156th Fighter Squadron and subordinate units. In 1960 the 145th FG group was redesignated the 145th Aeromedical Transport Group flying evacuation missions. In 1964 the 145th ATG was redesignated 145th Air Transport Group (Heavy). From 1966 to 1971 the 145th ATG was deployed toVietnam, flying over 20 million km without an aircraft accident.[3]
In 1990 North Carolina Army and Air National Guard units were mobilized forOperation Desert Shield, followed byOperation Desert Storm in 1991. Personnel from the 145th Airlift Wing were deployed to Germany and other locations. In 1995 North Carolina Army and Air National Guard troops were mobilized for service inBosnia,Hungary, andGermany.[4]
After theSeptember 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, elements of every Air National Guard unit in North Carolina have 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, North Carolina 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.
In 2012, theWhite Draw Fire burned 8 miles northeast ofEdgemont, South Dakota.[5] On 1 July 2012, an NC Air National Guard C-130 aircraft that was tasked as aModular Airborne FireFighting System crashed, killing four military personnel and injuring two.[6]
On 18 December 2015,Clarence Ervin became the firstAfrican-American chief of staff of the North Carolina Air National Guard in its history.[7]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Media related toNorth Carolina Air National Guard at Wikimedia Commons
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