The 162nd Combat Communications Group is an inactive unit of the

California Air National Guard The California Air National Guard (CA ANG) is one of three components of the California National Guard, a reserve of the United States Air Force, and part of the National Guard of the United States. As militia units, the units in the Californi ...

. It was headquartered at North Highlands Air National Guard Station near

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

Mission

The Air National Guard's mission, state and federal, is to provide trained, well-equipped men and women who can augment the active force during national emergencies or war, and provide assistance during

natural disaster A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...

s and civil disturbances. When air guard units are in a non-mobilized status they are commanded by the governor of their respective state, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Territory of Guam, Territory of the Virgin Islands, and the commanding general of the District of Columbia

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. ...

. The governors (except in the District of Columbia) are represented in the

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. Military chain of command In a military context, the chain of command is the line of authority and responsibility along which orders ...

by the adjutant general of the state or territory. The Air National Guard under order of state authorities, provides protection of life and property, and preserves peace, order and

public safety Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensu ...

. State missions, which are funded by the individual states, include

disaster relief Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actu ...

in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and

forest fires A forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire ( in Au ...

;

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

; protection of vital

public services A public service or service of general (economic) interest is any service (economics), service intended to address the needs of aggregate members of a community, whether provided directly by a public sector agency, via public financing availab ...

; and support to

civil defense Civil defense or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from human-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency management: Risk management, prevention, mitigation, prepara ...

. The 162nd also provides the Adjutant General with voice and

data communications Data communication, including data transmission and data reception, is the transfer of data, signal transmission, transmitted and received over a Point-to-point (telecommunications), point-to-point or point-to-multipoint communication chann ...

throughout the

state of California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

during state emergencies or contingencies. Under its federal mission, the 162nd trained, deployed, operated and maintained tactical communications-electronic facilities, and provided tactical command and control communications services for operational commands supporting

Military of the United States The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

wartime contingencies. – Under its federal mission, 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 ...

trained, deployed, operated and maintained tactical communications-electronic facilities, and provided tactical command and control communications services for operational commands supporting US military wartime contingencies.

History

The 162nd's history goes back to the 599th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion activated at

Drew Field Tampa International Airport is an international airport west of Downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA)., effective May 15, 2025. The airp ...

, Florida on 30 March 1944. Shortly thereafter, the unit moved to

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

, Hawaii. Some of its components saw action in the Marshall and

Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The unit was inactivated on 29 July 1946, but was reactivated on 13 May 1948 as the 162nd Aircraft Control and Warning Group of the California Air National Guard. On 1 May 1951 the unit mobilized to serve state side during 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 ...

until its inactivation on 6 February 1952. The following year, it returned to the State of California and was redesignated the 162nd Tactical Control Group, stationed at

Van Nuys Air National Guard Base Van Nuys Airport is a public airport in the Van Nuys neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles. The airport is operated by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), a branch of the Los Angeles city government, which also operates Los Angeles Internat ...

. At that time three of the presently assigned units (the 147th, 148th, and 149th) were Aircraft Control and Warning Squadrons under the 162nd Group. On 1 March 1961, the group

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

moved to the North Highlands Air National Guard Station near Sacramento, and was redesignated the 162nd Communications Group (Mobile). By that time the 222nd, 234th, and 261st units had joined the group. In 1966 the group was redesignated again, to the 162nd Mobile Communications Group. This designation they kept until 10 February 1976, when they were given their present designation of 162nd Combat Communications Group. The 162nd fell under the command of Air Force Air Combat Command at

Langley Air Force Base Langley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Hampton, Virginia, adjacent to Newport News. It was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the entry of the United States into World War I in April 1 ...

, Virginia. The group was inactivated on 1 September 2015 and its assets were transferred to the

195th Wing The 195th Wing is a unit of the California Air National Guard, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. If mobilized, the wing would be assigned to the United States Space Force. It comprises seven subordinate units at five locations thr ...

, stationed at

Beale Air Force Base Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base in Yuba County, California, Yuba County, California. It is outside Linda, California, Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville, California, Marysville and Yuba City, and abo ...

, California.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 599th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion : Activated on 30 March 1944 : Inactivated on 29 July 1946 * Redesignated 162nd Aircraft Control and Warning Group and allotted to the National Guard in August 1946 : Activated on 13 May 1948 and federally recognized : Called to active duty on 1 May 1951 : Inactivated on 6 February 1952 * Redesignated 162nd Tactical Control Group and returned to the control of the Air National Guard : Activated on 1 Feb 1953 : Redesignated 162nd Communications Group (Mobile) on 1 March 1961 : Redesignated 162nd Mobile Communications Group on 16 March 1968 : Redesignated 162nd Combat Communications Group on 1 April 1976 : Redesignated 162nd Combat Information Systems Group on 1 July 1985 : Redesignated 162nd Combat Communications Group on 1 October 1986 : Inactivated on 1 September 2015

Assignments

* Signal Aircraft Warning Training Center, 30 March 1944 * VII Fighter Command c. September 1944 * Signal Aircraft Warning Service, VII Fighter Command, c. September 1944 – 29 July 1946 *

62nd Fighter Wing The 62d Fighter Wing (62 FW) is a disbanded unit of the United States Air Force, last stationed at Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys, California. It was withdrawn from the California Air National Guard (CA ANG) and inactivated on 31 October 1950. This ...

, 13 May 1948 * California Air National Guard, c. 30 October 1950 *

Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Reserv ...

, 1 May 1951 *

Western Air Defense Force The Western Air Defense Force (WADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 July 1960. History WA ...

, c. 10 May 1951 *

25th Air Division The 25th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force intermediate echelon command and control organization. It was last assigned to First Air Force, Tactical Air Command (ADTAC). It was inactivated on 30 September 1990 at McChord Air ...

, 1 June 1951 – 6 February 1952 * California Air National Guard, 1 January 1953 – 1 September 2015

Components

* 147th Combat Communications Squadron in San Diego, California *

148th Space Operations Squadron The United States Air Force's 148th Space Operations Squadron (148 SOPS) is a satellite control unit located at Vandenberg AFB, California. The 148th SOPS is tasked with back-up command and control of the MILSTAR satellite constellation. Missio ...

Vandenberg Air Force Base Vandenberg may refer to: * Vandenberg (surname), including a list of people with the name * USNS ''General Hoyt S. Vandenberg'' (T-AGM-10), transport ship in the United States Navy, sank as an artificial reef in Key West, Florida * Vandenberg S ...

, California * 149th Combat Communications Squadron at North Highlands ANGS, California *216th Operations Support Squadron at

, California * 222nd Combat Communications Squadron in

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge o ...

, California *

234th Intelligence Squadron The United States Air Force's 234th Intelligence Squadron is an Air National Guard intelligence unit located at Beale Air Force Base, California. History Lineage ; 234th Mobile Communications Flight * Constituted as the 234th Airways and Air ...

Beale AFB Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base in Yuba County, California. It is outside Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City, and about north of Sacramento. The host unit at Beale is the 9th Rec ...

, California * 261st Combat Communications Squadron in

Van Nuys, California Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Van Nuys City Hall, Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley ...

Stations

* Drew Field, Florida, 30 March 1944 *

, Hawaii, c. September 1944 *

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

, Mariana Islands, 22 September 1944 – 29 July 1946 * Van Nuys Municipal Airport, 13 May 1948 *

Larson Air Force Base Larson Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located five miles (8 km) northwest of the central business district (CBD) of Moses Lake, in Grant County, Washington. After its closure in 1966, the airport facility became ...

, Washington, c. 10 May 1951 – 6 February 1952 * Van Nuys Air National Guard Base, 1 January 1953 * North Highlands Air National Guard Station, 1 March 1961 – 1 September 2015

References

External links

{{California Groups of the United States Air National Guard Communications groups of the United States Air Force