| 114th Fighter Wing | |
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114th Fighter Wing emblem |
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| Active | 1956-Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Wing |
| Role | Fighter |
| Part of | Air National Guard/Air Combat Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Joe Foss Field, South Dakota |
The United States Air Force's 114th Fighter Wing is an Air National Guard fighter unit located at Joe Foss Field, South Dakota.
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To provide combat capable aircraft, air crew, support personnel, and equipment to augment existing active forces during times of crisis, national emergencies or war.
To provide personnel and resources to protect life and property, and to preserve peace, order and public safety in the State of South Dakota.
To participate in local, state, and national programs that add value to the communities of America.
The unit was organized in 1947 by Joe Foss as the 175th Fighter Squadron at Sioux Falls, and except for brief tours overseas and at Ellsworth Air Force Base in western South Dakota, has been home-based at Sioux Falls for its entire life. The Wing is an integral part of the City's economy and society.
The unit (then the 114th Tactical Fighter Group) received the first of its current F-16C/D fighters in August 1991 with the official conversion from the A-7 to the F-16 occurring on January 1, 1992. The unit was redesignated as the 114th Fighter Group on March 16, 1992 and became a part of the newly formed Air Combat Command on June 1, 1992.
The unit was one of the first four Air National Guard units tasked to deploy in support of Operation Provide Comfort II based out of Incirlik AB, Turkey. Combat patrol missions were flown over the northern "No Fly" zone of Iraq from December 1993 to January 1994. The 114th Fighter Group was redesignated as the 114th Fighter Wing in October 1995. The unit subsequently supported Operation Northern Watch, based out of Turkey in 1995 and 2002, and Operation South Watch based out of Kuwait in 1998 and Saudi Arabia in 2001. The Fighting Lobos were also deployed to Belgium, Singapore, the Netherlands Antilles and Israel.
A new chapter was opened in the history of the Air National Guard with the terrorist attacks on America on September 11, 2001. In addition to the unit's ongoing tasking as part of the Air Expeditionary Force (AEF), unit members were also activated to support Operation Noble Eagle within the United States along with Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom abroad. Over two-thirds of the unit's 1,000 members have actively supported the Global War on Terrorism either at home or abroad. Mobilization orders were received for members of the 114th Security Forces Squadron, Civil Engineering Squadron, Maintenance Squadron (Munitions) and Logistics Readiness Squadron (Transportation). Unit members deployed to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Cyprus, Pakistan, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey, Spain, France and Germany. Further deployments are expected.
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