| 176th Air Control Squadron | |
|---|---|
176 ACS emblem |
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| Active | 1952-Present[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Air National Guard |
| Role | Air Defense |
| Part of | 176th Wing / Alaska NORAD Region |
| Garrison/HQ | Elmendorf Air Force Base |
| Nickname | Top Rock |
| Motto | Eyes of the North |
The 176th Air Control Squadron is a part of the United States Air National Guard, which provides mission-ready personnel to operate and maintain the Alaskan Region Air Operations Center (RAOC) of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). It integrates fixed and airborne radar into the NORAD Global Command and Control System (NGCCS), and conducts 24-hour Alaskan NORAD Region (ANR) and Eleventh Air Force (11th AF) air sovereignty and theater air control operations.
The 176th Air Control Squadron is unique amongst the other American sectors in that it controls the only sector within its region, while the Eastern Air Defense Sector and Western Air Defense Sector both comprise the Continental NORAD Region (CONR). In addition to this distinction, it is the only sector that has regular reported intercepts of foreign military aircraft, with multiple intercepts of Russian Tu-95 "Bear" aircraft through its lifetime.
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The 176th Air Control Squadron traces its lineage, honors and history to Murphy Dome Air Force Station (AFS), (originally situated in a mountainous region known as the Yukon-Tanana Upland, 20 miles northwest of Fairbanks, Alaska). It was one of the ten original aircraft control and warning sites constructed during the early 1950s to establish a permanent air defense system in Alaska.
Murphy Dome was initially operated by a detachment of the 532nd Aircraft Control and Warning Group, Ladd Air Force Base (now Fort Wainwright). When the 532nd was inactivated in 1951, the site was then operated by a detachment of the 143rd Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard. As part of HQ Alaskan Air Command’s (HQ AAC) plan to upgrade all remote sites to full squadrons, the 744th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (744 ACWS) was activated at Murphy Dome on 1 February 1953 with an authorized strength of 249 personnel.
The mission of the 744 ACWS was to support, administer and train assigned personnel to perform air defense missions, support tactical missions as directed by HQ AAC, and operate and maintain the Murphy Dome AFS.
In 1977, the 744 ACWS was assigned to the newly reactivated 531st Aircraft Control and Warning Group (531 ACWG). The 531 ACWG was later redesignated the 11th Tactical Control Group (11 TCG) in 1981.
In the early 1980s, construction began on a new NORAD Region Operations Control Center (ROCC) at Elmendorf AFB, which would be responsible for managing all air defense operations in Alaska, making all manned remote radar sites redundant. The 744 ACWS was selected to man the ROCC, which achieved full operational status on 15 September 1983. All remote radar squadrons were deactivated by 1 November 1983. Under HQ AAC’s “Seek Igloo” project, civilian manning at all remote radar sites was reduced to approximately four civilian personnel per site.
In 1989, the 744 ACWS was aligned under the newly established 11th Tactical Control Wing (11 TCW). In 1992, this wing was renamed the 11th Air Control Wing (11 ACW), and the 744 ACWS was renamed the 744th Air Defense Squadron (744 ADS). The 11 ACW was reorganized on 1 July 1994 as the 611th Air Operations Group (611 AOG), and the 744 ADS was renamed the 611th Air Control Squadron (611 ACS). In 2001, the 611 ACS began a four-year transition to the Alaska Air National Guard. On 1 October 2004, the 611 ACS was officially inactivated and the 176 ACS was ceremonially recognized. Thus, the 176 ACS traces its heritage and honors from the original 744 ACWS/ADS, handed down over the past 50 years.
Comprises the units that directly execute the wing's missions: tactical airlift, strategic airlift, air control, and combat search and rescue:
The squadron has earned four Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards for the following periods: 13 Aug 1967-21 Aug 1967, 1 Jan 1976-31 Dec 1976, 1 Jan 1978-31 Dec 1978, 1 Jul 1982-8 Nov 1983, 1 Jul 1994 – 30 Jun 1996, and 1 Oct 1999 – 30 Sept 2001
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