| 55th Wing | |
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55th Wing Insignia |
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| Active | June 29, 1948-present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Role | Reconnaissance, Electronic Combat |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Offutt Air Force Base |
| Motto | Videmus Omnia - "We See All" |
| Decorations | DUC MUA AFOUA |
The 55th Wing (55 WG) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The unit is stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
The 55 WG is the only Air Force wing with continuous operations, maintenance, and aircraft presence in the United States Central Command area of responsibility since Operation Desert Storm.[1]
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The 55 WG mission is to provide worldwide reconnaissance, real-time intelligence, command and control, information warfare and combat support to U.S. leaders and commanders. One of the wing's units, the 55th Operations Group, operates 46 aircraft, including 13 models of seven different types.
The "Fightin’ Fifty-Fifth" has made significant contributions to the defense of the United States of America for more than 50 years. Having won honor and distinction for its combat record since World War II with two Distinguished Unit Citations, the wing has since compiled an admirable record of achievements. Since its inception, the unit has operated around the world, flying a wide variety of aircraft.
On November 1, 1950, the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (55 SRW) activated and was bestowed with the awards and honors of the 55th Reconnaissance Group at Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico. From 1950 to 1954 the Wing's task was to perform strategic reconnaissance, charting photography, precise electronic geodetic mapping, and electronic reconnaissance missions. In 1952, the wing returned to Forbes AFB, Kansas and converted to RB-50s. The wing formally assumed a global strategic reconnaissance mission in 1954 and transited to the RB-47E "Stratojet." The Wing was deployed at Ben Guerir Air Base, in what was then French Morocco, between May and August 1955.
When the mapping and charting functions originally assigned to the 55th Reconnaissance Group were transferred on May 1, 1954, the wing assumed the mission of global strategic reconnaissance, including electronic reconnaissance. It also carried out weather reconnaissance operations until June 1963, and photographic reconnaissance missions until May 1964.
The 55 SRW moved to Offutt AFB, Nebraska, in August 1966. That same year the 55th’s 38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron assumed responsibility for SAC’s airborne command and control system. The 2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron inherited this mission after activation on April 1, 1970. The 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron, flying E-4A aircraft, transferred to the 55th on November 1, 1975, bringing with it the National Emergency Airborne Command Post, now called the National Airborne Operations Center. The Wing flew reconnaissance operations during the U.S. military operations in Grenada in 1983 and Libya in 1986. On March 1, 1986, the 55 SRW became the host unit at Offutt after the inactivation of the 3902d Air Base Wing.
The Wing ended nearly twenty-five years of continuous Airborne Command Post ('Looking Glass') operations in 1990, assumed a modified alert posture, and continued worldwide reconnaissance. In October 1998, the wing transferred control of the EC-135 LOOKING GLASS mission to the United States Navy's TACAMO aircraft and the 7th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, which flew the EC-135 LOOKING GLASS aircraft, inactivated.
The wing deployed to the Persian Gulf on August 8, 1990, and began 24-hour-a-day reconnaissance of the region for Central Command Commander Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, under Operation DESERT SHIELD. At the start of Operation DESERT STORM, January 18, 1991, the wing continued to provide real-time information to theater commanders and remains there yet today.
The 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing became the 55th Wing on September 1, 1991, to reflect the wing’s performance of a diversity of missions. When SAC disestablished and Air Combat Command (ACC) established, the wing transferred to ACC and gained its fifth operational location.
The 55th SRW and the 55th Wing has been awarded the USAF's P. T. Cullen Award five times since 1971 for its contributions to photo and signal intelligence collection.
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This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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