The 673d Air Base Wing (673 ABW) is the designation for the support unit for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a combination of the United States Air Force's Elmendorf AFB and the United States Army's Fort Richardson.[1]
The 673 ABW traces its history from the 5073d Air Base Squadron, located at Shemya AFB, Alaska. The 5073rd Air Base Squadron operated, maintained, and administered Shemya Airport (later known as Shemya Air Force Station and Shemya Air Force Base), Alaska, and provided support to tenants organizations including Army and Navy units as well as an Operating Location of the Strategic Air Command.[2] By 1974, the support activity at Shemya had increased to a level requiring a group structure and in October 1974, the squadron was reorganized and re-designated as the 5073rd Air Base Group.
In 1990, the Alaskan Air Command inactivated and the 5073d Air Base Group was assigned to the 11th Air Force. In January 1992, the unit received its final designation when the Air Force adopted new rules that eliminated four-digit designations and the 5073d Air Base Group became the 673d Air Base Group. The unit's current designation took effect on 27 January 1992.[3] The 673d was reassigned to the Eleventh Air Force on the 1 July 1994, inactivation of the 11th Air Control Wing. On 1 April 1995, the 673d Air Base Group inactivated at Shemya, known as Eareckson Air Force Station since 1993, and closed the second chapter of the organization.
On 30 July 2010, the 673d Air Base Wing activated as the host wing combining installation management functions of Elmendorf AFB's 3rd Wing and U.S. Army Garrison Fort Richardson.
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