913th Airlift Group

913th Airlift Group

A USAF C-130 Hercules takes off from Little Rock Air Force Base
Active 1963-2007; 2014-present
Country  United States
Role Airlift
Part of Air Force Reserve Command
Garrison/HQ Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
Engagements
Decorations Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Insignia
Emblem of the 913th Airlift Group

The 913th Airlift Group (913 AG) is an active United States Air Force Reserve unit. It is assigned to the 22d Air Force, stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. It was activated circa 13 July 2014.

Overview

The 913th Airlift Group is trained and equipped Air Force Reservists to perform the combat missions of tactical airlift and aerial re-supply.

Subordinate organizations of the 913th AG are:

History

Following the mobilizations in 1961 and 1962 for the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Continental Air Command (ConAC) realized that it was unwieldy to mobilize an entire wing unless absolutely necessary. Their original Table of Organization for each Wing was a wing headquarters, a troop carrier group, an Air Base Group, a maintenance and supply group, and a medical group. In 1957, the troop carrier group and maintenance and supply groups were inactivated, with their squadrons reassigned directly to the wing headquarters - despite the fact that many wings had squadrons spread out over several bases due to the Detached Squadron Concept dispersing Reserve units over centers of population.

To resolve this, in late 1962 and early 1963, ConAC reorganized the structure of its reserve Troop Carrier Wings by establishing fully deployable Troop Carrier Groups and inserting them into the chain of command between the Wing and its squadrons at every base that held a ConAC troop carrier squadron. At each base, the group was composed of a material squadron, a troop carrier squadron, a tactical hospital or dispensary, and a combat support squadron. Each troop carrier wing consisted of 3 or 4 of these groups. By doing so, ConAC could facilitate the mobilization of either aircraft and aircrews alone, aircraft and minimum support personnel (one troop carrier group), or the entire troop carrier wing. This also gave ConAC the flexibility to expand each Wing by attaching additional squadrons, if necessary from other Reserve wings to the deployable groups for deployments.

As a result, the 913th Troop Carrier Group was established with a mission to organize, recruit and train Air Force Reserve personnel in the tactical airlift of airborne forces, their equipment and supplies and delivery of these forces and materials by airdrop, landing or cargo extraction systems. The group was equipped with C-119 Flying Boxcars for Tactical Air Command airlift operations.

The 913th TCG was one of three C-119 groups assigned to the 512th TCW in 1963, the others being the 912th Troop Carrier Group also at Willow Grove NAS, and the 914th Troop Carrier Group at Niagara Falls International Airport, New York.

The 913th performed air transportation for airborne forces, airdrops, airlandings, and extraction delivery of equipment and supplies, as well as airlift of personnel and cargo. During the Vietnam War the group also helped train Vietnamese Air Force C-119 Flying Boxcar aircrews in 1967 and ferried aircraft to Southeast Asia in March 1968 and to Taiwan in January 1969.

In 1970, the 913th transitioned from the C-119 to the C-130 Hercules. Beginning in 1977 the 913th participated in rotational "Coronet Oak" operations in the Panama Canal Zone flying airlift in support of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) at Howard AFB. In addition, it has performed humanitarian airlift and supported contingency operations worldwide, including operations in Southwest Asia and the Balkans.

The 913 AW was inactivated on 1 October 2007 pursuant to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 action, with its C-130 Hercules aircraft redistributed to other active duty Air Force and Air Force Reserve airlift units.

The 913 AG was activated at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas circa 13 July 2014. It is equipped with the C-130 Hercules.

Lineage

Organized in the Reserve on 11 Feb 1963
Redesignated 913th Tactical Airlift Group on 1 July 1967
Redesignated 913th Airlift Group on 1 February 1992
Redesignated 913th Airlift Wing on 1 October 1994
Inactivated on 1 October 2007
Activated c. 13 July 2014

Assignments

Components

Stations

Aircraft operated

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

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