36th Wing
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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 36th Wing is the host
wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...
for
Andersen Air Force Base Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacif ...
,
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
. It is part of
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 ...
'
Eleventh Air Force The Eleventh Air Force (11 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska.This unit is not related to the Eleventh Air Force headquart ...
. The 36th Wing provides day-to-day mission support to more than 9,000 military, civilian, dependent and retired personnel and 15 associate units on the base. The 36th Wing has three major missions: operate
Andersen Air Force Base Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacif ...
via its subordinate 36th Mission Support and 36th Medical Groups; Provide power projection through an attached, rotational bomber force via its subordinate 36th Operations and 36th Maintenance Groups; and provide rapid air base opening and initial air base operation ability via its subordinate 36th Contingency Response Group. The 734th Air Mobility Squadron assists the 36th Wing in accomplishing this mission by operating Andersen's air cargo terminal on behalf of
Air Mobility Command The Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri, ...
.


Units

* 36th Operations Group * 36th Maintenance Group ** 36th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron ** 36th Maintenance Squadron ** 36th Munitions Squadron * 36th Contingency Response Group ** 736th Security Forces Squadron ** 554th RED HORSE Squadron ** 36th Contingency Response Squadron ** 36th Contingency Response Support Squadron ** 644th Combat Communications Squadron * 36th Medical Group ** 36th Medical Operations Squadron ** 36th Medical Support Squadron * 36th Mission Support Group ** 36th Communications Squadron ** 36th Civil Engineering Squadron ** 36th Contracting Squadron ** 36th Logistics Readiness Squadron ** 36th Security Forces Squadron ** 36th Force Support Squadron * Tenant Units ** 254th Air Base Group – Guam Air National Guard ** 337th Air Support Flight – Australia ** 497th Combat Training Squadron ** 624th Regional Support Group ** 734th Air Mobility Squadron ** Det. 1, 69th Reconnaissance Group ** Det. 2,
21st Space Operations Squadron The 21st Space Operations Squadron (21 SOPS) is a satellite control unit of the Space Delta 6 of the United States Space Force, located at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Prior to July 2020, it was part of the 50th Network Operations ...
– U.S. Space Force (
Satellite Control Network The Satellite Control Network (SCN), operated by the United States Space Force's Space Delta 6, provides support for the operation, control, and maintenance of a variety of United States Department of Defense and some non-DoD satellites. This in ...
,
Remote Tracking Station The Satellite Control Network (SCN), operated by the United States Space Force's Space Delta 6, provides support for the operation, control, and maintenance of a variety of United States Department of Defense and some non-DoD satellites. This i ...
) ** Det. 602,
AFOSI The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI or AFOSI) is a U.S. federal law enforcement agency that reports directly to the Secretary of the Air Force. OSI is also a U.S. Air Force field operating agency under the administrative guid ...
** HSC-25 Island Knights ** United States Department of Agriculture


History

: ''For additional history and lineage, see 36th Operations Group'' On 2 July 1948 the United States Air Force 36th Fighter Wing was activated at
Howard Air Force Base Howard Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Panama. It discontinued military operations on 1 November 1999 as a result of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which specified that US military facilities in the former P ...
,
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...
. The former USAAF 36th Fighter Group became the operational component of the new Air Force wing. Active squadrons of the 36th were: *
22d Fighter Squadron The 22nd Fighter Squadron, sometimes written as 22d Fighter Squadron, (22 FS) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 52nd Operations Group and stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. Originally constitu ...
(F-80A/B, Red color band) *
23d Fighter Squadron The 23d Electronic Warfare Squadron (23 EWS) is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 350th Spectrum Warfare Group and stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. It was most recently activated on 18 April 2025. The 23 ...
(F-80A/B, Blue color band) *
53d Fighter Squadron The 53rd Fighter Squadron (53 FS) is an active unit of the United States Air Force, stationed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Assigned to the 495th Fighter Group, the squadron was last activated on 10 December 2021, as an associate unit to t ...
(F-80A/B, Green color band)


United States Air Forces in Europe

As a result of the
Berlin Blockade The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, roa ...
and other
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
tensions in Europe, the 36th Fighter Wing was reassigned to
United States Air Forces Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
(USAFE). The squadron was assigned to
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base ( German: "Fliegerhorst Fürstenfeldbruck" or "Flugplatz Fürstenfeldbruck") is a former German Air Force airfield near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany. Fürstenfeldbruck became famous fir ...
West Germany on 13 August 1948, being the first USAFE unit to be jet-equipped with the
Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star is the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, two p ...
. At Fürstenfeldbruck tactical operations included air defense, tactical exercises, maneuvers, and photographic reconnaissance. In May 1949, the wing formed the aerial demonstration team, which it controlled until August 1952, and again from October 1956 to January 1962 when it was disbanded. On 20 January 1950, the wing was redesignated as the 36th Fighter-Bomber Wing when 89
Republic F-84E Thunderjet The Republic F-84 Thunderjet is an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunde ...
s arrived. Existing USAFE bases in West Germany, however, were deemed very vulnerable to an attack by the Soviet Union, given their proximity to East Germany and other
Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...
nations. Negotiations with other
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
nations were made to build new bases west of the
Rhine River The Rhine ( ) is one of the major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Swiss-Austrian border. From Lake Cons ...
. The F-80s were sent back to CONUS to equip
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia (United States), militia of each U.S. ...
units. In addition to its primary installation at Fürstenfeldbruck, the wing controlled Oberpfaffenhofen AB, West Germany, December 1949 – February 1950. The 36th FBW remained at Fürstenfeldbruck until 1952 when it was reassigned to the new
Bitburg Air Base Bitburg (; ; ) is a city in Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate approximately 25 km (16 mi.) northwest of Trier and 50 km (31 mi.) northeast of Luxembourg city. The American Spangdahlem Air Base is nearby. History ...
, in the
Eifel mountains The Eifel (; , ) is a low mountain range in western Germany, eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Com ...
west of the
Rhine River The Rhine ( ) is one of the major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Swiss-Austrian border. From Lake Cons ...
. Throughout the summer, elements of the 36th FBW moved into Bitburg, with the wing officially arriving in November 1952. Under various designations, the 36th would remain at Bitburg for the next 40 years. In August 1953, the
North American F-86F Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
was introduced to the wing, replacing the F-84s. On 31 March 1954, The
1st Pilotless Bomber Squadron The 1st Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 585th Tactical Missile Group at Bitburg Air Base, West Germany, where it was inactivated on 18 June 1958. The first predecessor of th ...
, equipped with the Martom B-61A Matador, was attached to the 36th Fighter Bomber Wing, making it the first operational U.S. missile unit. The 1st eventually was renamed a Tactical Missile Squadron, and in 1958 was replaced by the
71st Tactical Missile Squadron The 71st Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 485th Tactical Missile Wing at Florennes Air Base, Belgium, where it was inactivated on 30 September 1989 with the implementation of the ...
and the unit was assigned to the
701st Tactical Missile Wing 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...
, headquartered at
Hahn Air Base Hahn Air Base was a United States Air Force (USAF) installation near Lautzenhausen in Germany for over forty years. The major unit was the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing of the USAF during most of the years it was active. In the mid-1970s, Hahn Air ...
, although the squadron remained at Bitburg. In August 1954, the wing was redesignated as the 36th Fighter-Day Wing. In 1956, the wing received the
North American F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation. The first of the Century Series of American jet fighters, it was the first United ...
, marking the first time a wing in USAFE flew supersonic jets. On 15 May 1958, the 36th FDW was redesignated as the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing, with its squadrons redesignated as tactical fighter squadrons, because its missions had now grown to include delivery of tactical nuclear weapons. In May 1961, the wing received the
Republic F-105 Thunderchief The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War. It ...
. Formal USAFE acceptance of the Mach 2 fighter-bombers was held at the
Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (, ''Salon du Bourget'') is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in France. Organized by the French aerospace industry's primary representative body, the ''Groupement des industries frança ...
on 3 June 1961. Deliveries of the F-105D model were completed in 1963, and the 36th carried on its Cold War mission of tactical nuclear weapons delivery. Twice in the early 1960s when Cold War tensions were elevated due to the 1961
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...
crisis and 1962
Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...
the 36th rose to a high level of alert. By 1966 the Thud was being phased out of NATO, being replaced by the
McDonnell F-4D Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bowers ...
. The tactical nuclear deliver mission, still necessary, was being eclipsed by the ability of ICBMs and the primary mission of the 36th TFW changed to Tactical Air support of NATO ground units in West Germany. By December 1966, all the 36th TFW Thuds had been ferried stateside for combat crew training duties at
McConnell Air Force Base McConnell Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located four miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district of Wichita, a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States., effective 2007-12-20 The airbase was named in ...
, Kansas, or to
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
after stateside refurbishment. In October 1965, the 36th accepted command of the 71st Tactical Missile Squadron from the inactivated 38th Tactical Missile Wing at
Sembach Air Base Sembach Kaserne () is a United States Army post in Donnersbergkreis, Germany, near Kaiserslautern. It is approximately east of Ramstein Air Base. From 1995 to 2012 the installation was a United States Air Force installation known as Sembach Air ...
. The 36th maintained and operated two hardened launch sites (at Rittersdorf, Site 7, and at Idenheim, site 8) with a total of 16 CGM-13B Mace tactical missiles until 30 April 1969. In September 1969, the 36th TFW took responsibility for
Spangdahlem Air Base Spangdahlem Air Base (International Air Transport Association airport code, IATA: SPM, International Civil Aviation Organization airport code, ICAO: ETAD, former code EDAD) is a NATO air base with the United States Air Force as a tenant constru ...
West Germany until December 1971. By 1976 a major modernization of USAFE was necessary. The
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
's new generation of
MiG Mig, MiG, or MIG may refer to: Business * MiG, a Russian aircraft corporation **Any of the MiG aircraft *Marfin Investment Group MIG Holdings S.A. (also known as MIG) is a Greece, Greek investment company. It has acquired several companies an ...
and
Sukhoi The JSC Sukhoi Company (, ) is a Russian aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, that designs both civilian and military aircraft. Sukhoi was founded in the Soviet Union by Pavel Sukhoi ...
fighters made NATO military planners anxious. Indeed, intelligence reports about the
MiG-25 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (; NATO reporting name: Foxbat) is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that is among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. Designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau, it is a ...
left little room for comfort; the performance of this latest Russian combat aircraft was far superior to any NATO aircraft. The twin-engined MiG-25 reached speeds of over 3,000 km/h even at high altitude (over 70,000 feet) and it could be armed with radar-guided AA-6 Acrid air-to-air missiles. When the Soviets stationed large numbers in the Soviet Union and later in the GDR, NATO had to address this problem. The solution was provided by the
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force (USAF) selected McDonnell Douglas's desi ...
. Just like the MiG-25 it has two powerful engines and a double tail fin. The 23 aircraft for the first operational squadron (
525th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 525th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 3rd Operations Group at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska. The squadron was first activated as the 309th Bombardment Squadron in February 1942. After t ...
) with the 36th left
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 ...
on 27 April 1977 for a mass Atlantic crossing. Over the following months the aircraft for two other squadrons ( 23d and 53d Tactical Fighter Squadrons) arrived. The 36th's full strength of 79 fully operational F-15As was reached in December 1977. In 1980 more advanced F-15Cs and F-15Ds would replace the original F-15As. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the 36th conducted routine training missions however the outbreak of the 1990–91 Gulf War put the F-15s of Bitburg into the heart of the conflict. The 36th's pilots and aircraft performed magnificently in Operation Desert Storm. Not a single F-15 aircraft was lost in combat during the war. On 13 March 1991, the deployed squadrons of the 36th returned in victory. The celebration was brief, however, as the 36th deployed back to
Incirlik Air Base Incirlik Air Base () is a Republic of Turkey, Turkish air base of slightly more than 3320 ac (1335 ha), located in the İncirlik quarter of the city of Adana, Turkey. The base is within an urban area of 1.7 million people, east of the city ...
, Turkey to support
Operation Provide Comfort Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations initiated by the United States and other Coalition nations of the Persian Gulf War, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurdish refugees fleeing their homes in northern ...
. Between 5 April and 25 May 1991, the 36th flew 285 sorties over Iraq. Just as before, not a single aircraft was lost in Iraq due to hostile fire. On 1 October 1991 the wing was redesignated as the 36th Fighter Wing when the objective wing concept was implemented. The 525th Fighter Squadron was inactivated 31 March 1992 as part of the initial post Cold-War drawdown. Bitburg Air Base was part of the 1993
Base Realignment and Closure Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) was a process by a Federal government of the United States, United States federal government commission to increase the efficiency of the United States Department of Defense by coordinating the realignment and ...
(or BRAC) process that saw the drawdown of many military facilities in a series of post-Cold War force reductions. In July 1993, HQ USAFE announced the closure of Bitburg Air Base and the pending inactivation of the 36th Fighter Wing. The 53d Fighter Squadron was transferred without personnel or equipment to the
52d Operations Group The 52d Operations Group is the flying component of the 52d Fighter Wing, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). The group is stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. Overview The 52d Opera ...
at Spangdahlem Air Base. Some squadron aircraft transferred to 22d Fighter Squadron. The 22d Fighter Squadron was also transferred without personnel or equipment to the 52d Operations Group at Spangdahlem Air Base. The wing's combat readiness was tested in Southwest Asia as part of Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Proven Force. While flying combat air patrols during the war, the F-15s of the 36th were a strong deterrent to the air forces of Iraq. During Operation Desert Storm, the 36th was credited with downing 17 enemy aircraft in air-combat engagements. On 1 October 1994 the 36th Fighter Wing was inactivated and the final 36th Wing Commander, Brigadier General Roger E. Carleton, presented Bitburg Air Base to the German government.


Pacific Air Forces

The wing was reactivated at Andersen Air Force Base,
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
the same day as the 36th Air Base Wing, a non-flying organization taking over as the host unit. The former host unit, the
633d Air Base Wing The United States Air Force's 633rd Air Base Wing is the host organization for Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. Its headquarters are at Langley Air Force Base. The unification of support for Langley and Fort Eustis was directed by the 200 ...
was inactivated in keeping with the Air Force Chief of Staff's policy of keeping the most highly decorated and longest serving Air Force units on active duty. The 36th Air Base Wing was activated at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on 30 September 1994. Under that designation, the wing lived up to its mission several times. In September 1996, the wing provided around-the-clock forward-deployment support to Air Combat Command
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the ...
es during their
Operation Desert Strike The 1996 cruise missile strikes on Iraq, codenamed Operation Desert Strike, were joint United States Navy–United States Air Force strikes conducted on 3 September against Anti-aircraft warfare, air defense targets in southern Ba'athist Iraq, ...
missions over
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
, and began hosting more than 6,600
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...
evacuees during the 8-month
humanitarian assistance Humanitarian assistance is aid and action designed to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity during and after man-made crises and disasters. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including providing food, water, shelter, ...
mission, Joint Task Force Pacific Haven. On 12 April 2006, the 36th Air Base Wing was redesignated as the 36th Wing. Prior to the redesignation, the wing had been using a temporary designation of air expeditionary wing. The change in the wing's official designation was meant to better align Andersen with its mission statement: "To provide a U.S.-based lethal warfighting platform for the employment, deployment, reception, and throughput of air and space forces in the Asia-Pacific region." In February 2007, the 36th Operations Group was reactivated as a permanent subordinate unit to the 36th Wing, replacing the temporary 36th Expeditionary Operations Group.


Lineage

* Established as the 36th Fighter Wing on 17 June 1948 : Activated on 2 July 1948 : Redesignated 36th Fighter-Bomber Wing on 20 January 1950 : Redesignated 36th Fighter-Day Wing on 9 August 1954 : Redesignated 36th Tactical Fighter Wing on 8 July 1958 : Redesignated 36th Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991 : Inactivated on 1 October 1994 : Redesignated 36th Air Base Wing and activated on 1 October 1994 : Redesignated 36th Wing on 15 March 2006


Assignments

*
Caribbean Air Command The United States Air Forces Southern Command is an inactive Major Command of the United States Air Force. It was headquartered at Albrook Air Force Base, Canal Zone, being inactivated on 1 January 1976. Initially designated Panama Canal Air ...
, 2 July 1948 (attached to
6th Fighter Wing Alec Trevelyan is a fictional character who is the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye,'' portrayed by actor Sean Bean. Bean's likeness was also used as the model for Alec Trevelyan in the 1997 video game '' GoldenEye 007'' ...
until 28 July 1948) *
United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
, 13 August 1948 (attached to
2d Air Division The 2nd Air Division (2nd AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Military Airlift Command, assigned to Twenty-Third Air Force, being stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It started operations on 7 ...
6–17 September 1949) * 2d Air Division, 10 October 1949 *
Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...
, 7 May 1951 (attached to Flight A, HQ Twelfth Air Force (Advanced Echelon), 7 May 1951, Twelfth Air Force dvanced Echelon 21 May 1951 – 26 April 1953) * United States Air Forces in Europe, 1 January 1958 (attached to United States Air Forces in Europe (Advanced Echelon), 1 January 1958 – 14 November 1959) *
Seventeenth Air Force The Seventeenth Expeditionary Air Force (17 EAF) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during 1953–1996 and AFAFRICA, United Stat ...
, 15 November 1959 * United States Air Forces in Europe, 1 September 1966 * Seventeenth Air Force, 30 June 1991 * United States Air Forces in Europe, 1 October 1991 – 1 October 1994 *
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 ...
, 1 October 1994 *
Eleventh Air Force The Eleventh Air Force (11 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska.This unit is not related to the Eleventh Air Force headquart ...
28 September 2012 – present


Components

; Wings * 121st Tactical Fighter Wing: attached 12–27 May 1977 * 7149th Tactical Fighter Wing: attached 15 April – 15 September 1969 ; Group * 36th Fighter Group (later 36th Fighter-Bomber Group, 36th Fighter Day Group, 36th Operations Group): 2 July 1948 – 8 December 1957 (not operational after 1 October 1956), 31 March 1992 – 1 October 1994; 15 March 2006 – present ; Squadrons * 1st Pilotless Bomber Squadron (later 1st Tactical Missile Squadron): attached 14 March 1955 – 15 April 1956. * 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 2 March – 4 April 1973, 3 April – 3 May 1974, 4 October – 6 November 1975 *
9th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 9th Attack Squadron is a United States Air Force squadron, assigned to the 49th Operations Group, stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The squadron is a training unit for new pilots and sensor operators for the MQ-9 Reaper Remo ...
: attached 12 September – 6 October 1970, 4 February – 15 March 1973, 6 September – 7 October 1975 *
18th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron The 18th Attack Squadron is a squadron (aviation), squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 432d Operations Group, and has been stationed at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada since 2009. The squadron conducts strike, intelligen ...
: attached 12–28 April 1977. * 22d Fighter-Day Squadron (later 22d Tactical Fighter Squadron, 22d Fighter Squadron), attached 1 October 1956 – 7 December 1957, assigned 8 December 1957 – 31 March 1992 (not operational 25 October 1976 – 30 June 1977) * 23d Fighter-Day Squadron (later 23d Tactical Fighter Squadron), attached 1 October 1956 – 7 December 1957, assigned 8 December 1957 – 31 December 1971 * 32d Fighter-Day Squadron (later 32d Tactical Fighter Squadron, 32d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: attached 1 October 1956 – 7 December 1957, assigned 8 December 1957 – 8 April 1960 *
39th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron The squadron (aviation), squadron was the 739th Bombardment Squadron, which was activated in June 1943. After training in the United States with the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, the 739th deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, par ...
: attached 1 April 1969 – 31 December 1971 * 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: attached 13 August 1948 – 25 March 1949 * 53d Fighter-Day Squadron (later 53d Tactical Fighter Squadron, 53d Fighter Squadron)], attached 1 October 1956 – 7 December 1957, assigned 8 December 1957 – 31 March 1992 (not operational, 1 February – July 1977) * 71st Tactical Missile Squadron: 1 October 1965 – 30 April 1969 * 461st Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 1 October 1956 – 7 December 1957, assigned 8 December 1957 – 1 August 1959 * 525th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (later 525th Tactical Fighter Squadron): 1 November 1968 – 31 March 1992 (not operational, 9 March – 26 April 1977)


Stations

* Howard Air Force Base, Panama Canal Zone, 2–25 July 1948 * Furstenfeldbruck Air Base, Germany, 13 August 1948 * Bitburg Air Base, Germany, 17 November 1952 – 1 October 1994 * Andersen Air Force Base,
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
, 1 October 1994 – present


Shakey the Pig

Shakey the Pig is the wild boar mascot of 36th Munitions Squadron at Andersen AFB. The first boar given this name was captured in the late 1970s from the jungle near the munitions flight storage area, with the intention of slaughtering the animal and cooking it on a barbecue. The airmen relented and kept it as a mascot. When the incumbent mascot dies, another is caught from the jungle to take its place. It is rumoured that some Shakeys "were the guests of honor at more barbecues than people might imagine" and MSgt David Torelli has said at least one Shakey "was the main course at a local wedding dinner."


List of commanders

* Brig Gen Thomas B. Palenske, 30 June 2023 - present


References

; Notes


Bibliography

* * * * * * USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to Presen


External links


36th Wing's Official Website
{{Navboxes , list = {{USAF Air Forces in Europe Composite wings of the United States Air Force, 0036 Military units and formations in Guam