The

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

's 157th Air Operations Group is an

St Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. The unit is geographically separated from its supporting unit, the Missouri Air National Guard's 131st Bomb Wing.

Mission

The 157 Air Operations Group responds to operational requirements within the Headquarters

Pacific Air Forces The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PAC ...

(HQ PACAF) area of responsibility, which covers an area from the east coast of Africa to the west coast of the Americas.

Operations

The group mans an

Air Operations Center An Air Operations Center (AOC) is a type of command center used by the United States Air Force (USAF). It is the senior agency of the Air Force component commander to provide command and control of air operations.command and control of aerospace forces in support of a Joint Force Commander. An AOC consists of a large number of related systems which interoperate to plan, conduct, and monitor the air and space war.

History

World War II

The 157th Air Operations Group was first organized in the

Signal Corps A signal corps is a military branch, responsible for military communications (''signals''). Many countries maintain a signal corps, which is typically subordinate to a country's army. Military communication usually consists of radio, telephone, ...

on 15 January 1944 as the 582d Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion. The battalion served in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...

as an element of Twelfth and Ninth Air Forces. The battalion was organized in Italy, primarily from elements of the provisional 2691 Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion (Mobile) and 732d through 734th Signal Aircraft Warning Companies that had been attached to it, which were simultaneously disbanded. The battalion operations were conducted by radar operating detachments, which frequently moved. Elements of the battalion participated in

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil), known as Débarquement de Provence in French ("Provence Landing"), was the code name for the landing operation of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15Augu ...

, the invasion of southern France. Following

V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

, the battalion remained in Germany as part of the occupation forces until it was inactivated, along with its component companies, on 7 November 1945. This was a period of personnel turmoil, with most experienced members of the unit being transferred to other units for return to the United States, being replaced by "low point" men who were late arrivals to the theater. On 22 October, the battalion was reduced to nominal strength of one officer and one airman, who were transferred to the 555th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion when the 582d was inactivated.

Air National Guard

The battalion was converted to the Air Corps, redesignated the 157th Aircraft Control and Warning Group and allotted to the

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

in May 1946. It was organized in the

Missouri National Guard The Missouri National Guard (MONG), commonly known as the Missouri Guard, is a component of the Army National Guard and Missouri State Department of the National Guard. It is composed of Army National Guard, Army and Missouri Air National Guard, A ...

later that year, but did not receive federal recognition until 1948. The

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

was mobilized for the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

in the fall of 1951 and served at

Alexandria Air Force Base Alexandria International Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles (5 mi, 7 km) west of the central business district of Alexandria, in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. The airport is operated by the E ...

, where it was released from active duty on 1 November 1953. It was redesignated the 157th Tactical Control Group in 1952 and its mission changed from

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

to control of tactical strike aircraft. The group was activated the same day in the Missouri Air National Guard. It became the ''157th Air Control Group in 1992 and the 157th Air Operations Group in 2001. The group's initial mobilization gaining command was

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...

In 2016 the 157th Air Operations Group converted from a non-traditional Group -> Division organization into a traditional Group -> Squadron organization. With such, new squadron commanders were designated for the newly established 157 Combat Operations Squadron (COS), 157th Air Intelligence Squadron (AIS), and the 157th Air Communications Squadron (ACOMS). All of which will report to the 157th Air Operations Group Commander. Also in 2016, the 157th Air Operations Group gained an additive mission set supporting U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command and the 608th Air Operations Center located at Barksdale AFB, LA. Once fully operational, the additive unit will be known as the 257th Combat Operations Flight. The unit's Commander reports directly to the Commander, 157th Air Operations Group.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 582d Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion on 27 November 1943 : Activated on 15 January 1944 : Inactivated on 30 November 1945 * Converted to the Air Corps, redesignated 157th Aircraft Control and Warning Group and allotted to the National Guard on 24 May 1946 : Activated on 22 September 1946 : Federally recognized on 26 April 1948 * Called to Federal Service on 1 November 1951 * Redesignated 157th Tactical Control Group on 20 November 1952 * Inactivated and released from Federal Service on 1 November 1953 * Redesignated 157th Air Control Group on 16 June 1992 * Redesignated 157th Air Operations Group on 18 April 2001

Assignments

* 64th Fighter Wing, 15 January 1944 – 20 November 1945 *

71st Fighter Wing The 71st Fighter Wing (71 FW) is a disbanded unit of the United States Air Force, last stationed at Lambert Field, St. Louis, Missouri. It was withdrawn from the Missouri Air National Guard (MO ANG) and inactivated on 31 October 1950. This wing ...

, 26 April 1948 * Missouri Air National Guard, 1 November 1951 *

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...

, November 1951 *

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint D ...

, November 1951 – 1 November 1953 * Missouri Air National Guard, 1 November 1953

Stations

Frattamaggiore Frattamaggiore (locally also known as Fratta) is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, Italy. It is located north of Naples and southwest of Caserta. It was awarded the title of "City of art" in 2008 and named Benedictine ci ...

, Italy, 15 January 1944 * San Felice, Italy, 1 June 1944582nd SAW Bn: African and Italian Operations pp. 157–158 * Rocca di Palma, Italy, 6 June 1944 * Ortobello, Italy, 19 June 1944 * Santa Maria Airfield, Italy, 21 July 1944 * St Tropez, France, 9 September 1944 * Rosières-aux-Salines, France, 18 November 1944 *

Nancy, France Nancy is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the northeastern Departments of France, French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It was the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, which was Lorraine and Barrois, annexed by France under King Louis X ...

, 17 January 1945 *

Edenkoben Edenkoben () is a municipality in the Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It lies approximately halfway between Landau and Neustadt an der Weinstraße. Edenkoben is one of the towns situated along the German Wine R ...

, Germany, 2 April 1945 *

Schwäbisch Hall Schwäbisch Hall (; 'Swabian Hall'; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall'') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the N ...

-Hessental Airfield, 29 April 1945 – 20 November 1945 * St Louis, Missouri, 22 September 1946 * Jefferson Barracks, Missouri 1951 – September 1951 * Alexandria Air Force Base, Louisiana, September 1951 * Jefferson Barracks, Missouri October 1951–Present

Components

* Integral Companies (Headquarters and Plotting Company, Reporting Company A, Reporting Company B, Reporting Company C): 15 January 1944 – 20 November 1945 ; Squadrons * 115th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron: by February 1954 – June 1963, 1963 – c. June 1965 * 117th Tactical Control Squadron: c. 1 August 1965 – c. 15 September 1971 * 119th Tactical Control Squadron (later 119th Tactical Control Flight): 1 September 1965 – 16 June 1992 * 121st Air Control Squadron: 16 June 1992 – 1999 * 122d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron: 16 October 1946 – 1 November 1951, November 1951 – 1 November 1953 * 123d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron: 2 November 1953 – December 1958 * 124th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron: November 1951 – 1 November 1953 * 128th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron: 2 November 1953 – c. June 1965 * 131st Aircraft Control Squadron (later 131st Tactical Control Squadron): 22 September 1946 – 1 November 1951, November 1951 – 1 November 1953, 1 November 1952 – c. 1 August 1965 * 131st Direct Air Support Squadron: c. 1 August 1965 – s. 7 April 1968 * 132d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron: 18 December 1947 – May 1951 * 133d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (later 133d Aircraft Control and Warning Flight): 22 September 1946 – May 1951, 1 November 1952 – c. April 1958 * 157th Tactical Control Squadron (later 157th Tactical Control Flight): 1972 – c. 1981 * 157th Tactical Air Control Squadron: 30 September 1971 – unknown * 157th Combat Operations Squadron: 2016–Present * 157th Air Communications Squadron: 2016–Present * 157th Air Intelligence Squadron: 2016–Present ; ; Flights * 110th Tactical Control Flight: 8 October 1971 – unknown * 112th Aircraft Control and Warning Flight: 1 December 1953 – 1958 * 115th Tactical Control Flight: 15 September 1971 – unknown * 117th Aircraft Control and Warning Flight: December 1958 – c. 1 August 1965 * 118th Aircraft Control and Warning Flight: December 1958 – unknown * 119th Aircraft Control and Warning Flight: 1 December 1953 – 1 September 1965 * 119th Tactical Control Flight (see 119th Tactical Control Squadron) * 128th Tactical Control Flight: 1 September 1965 – 8 February 1974 * 129th Tactical Control Flight: c. 1 March 1965 – 1969 * 133d Aircraft Control and Warning Flight (see 133d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron) * 157th Tactical Control Flight (see 157th Tactical Control Squadron) * 257th Combat Operations Flight; 2017–Present (Air Force Global Strike Command)

Gaining Command

* Tactical Air Command, *

(1993–Present) * AF Global Strike Command (257th COF; 2017–Present)

Weapons Systems Operated

* AN/USQ-163 Falconer Air Operations Center (199x-Present)

References

Notes

Citations

External links

Missouri Air National Guard
{{US Air Force navbox Air operations groups of the United States Air Force