The 919th Special Operations Wing (919 SOW) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) unit of 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 ...

. The 919 SOW is assigned to the

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 ...

of the

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...

(AFRC) and is stationed at

Duke Field Duke Field , also known as Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #3, is a military airport located three miles (5 km) south of the central business district of Crestview, in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. History Duke Field was one of th ...

(Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3), Florida. The 919 SOW is an associate unit of the

1st Special Operations Wing The 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW) at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of three United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The 1st Special Operations Wing ...

(1 SOW),

Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...

(AFSOC), at nearby

Hurlburt Field Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force S ...

, Florida. If mobilized, the 919 SOW is operationally gained by AFSOC. The 919 SOW is the only AFRC special operations wing. The wing is composed of approximately 1,600 reservists. Air Reserve Technicians, commonly referred to as ARTs, are the nucleus of the wing. They provide management continuity to keep units combat ready. ARTs carry dual status as full-time civil service employees for the Air Force who, as a condition of employment, must concurrently participate as Air Force Reservists, but who wear their uniforms and use their rank titles all the time. More than 280 ARTs and 47 civilians support the wing in day-to-day operations, augmented by approximately 900 Traditional Reservists (TR) during unit training assemblies, active duty periods, and mobilizations.

History

Need for reserve troop carrier groups

During the first half of 1955, the Air Force began detaching Air Force Reserve squadrons from their parent wing locations to separate sites. The concept offered several advantages. Communities were more likely to accept the smaller

squadrons Squadron(s) may refer to: Military * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 ...

than the large

wings A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the bene ...

and the location of separate squadrons in smaller population centers would facilitate recruiting and manning.

Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary aug ...

(ConAC)'s plan called for placing Air Force Reserve units at fifty-nine installations located throughout the United States. When these relocations were completed in 1959, reserve wing

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 ...

and wing support elements would typically be on one base, along with one (or in some cases two) of the wing's flying squadrons, while the remaining flying squadrons were spread over thirty-five Air Force, Navy and civilian airfields under what was called the Detached Squadron Concept. Although this dispersal was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it proved difficult. This weakness was demonstrated in the partial mobilization of reserve units during the

Berlin Crisis of 1961 The Berlin Crisis of 1961 () was the last major European political and military incident of the Cold War concerning the status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of History of Germany (1945–90), post–World War II Germany. The crisis cul ...

To resolve this, at the start of 1962, ConAC determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishing

groups 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 ...

with support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons. This reorganization would facilitate mobilization of elements of wings in various combinations when needed. However, as this plan was entering its implementation phase, another partial mobilization occurred for the

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 ...

, with the units being released on 22 November 1962. The formation of troop carrier groups occurred in January 1963 for units that had not been mobilized, but was delayed until February for those that had been.

Activation of 919th Troop Carrier Group

The 919th Troop Carrier Group (919 TCG) was established at

Memphis Municipal Airport Memphis Municipal Airport is a city-owned public use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) northeast of the central business district of Memphis, a city in Hall County, Texas, United States. Facilities and aircraft Memphis Municipal A ...

, Tennessee on 11 February 1963 as the headquarters for the 701st Troop Carrier Squadron, which had been stationed there since November 1957. Along with group headquarters, a Combat Support Squadron, Materiel Squadron and a Tactical Infirmary were organized to support the 701st. The group's mission was 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 An airdrop is a type of airlift in which items including weapons, equipment, humanitarian aid or leaflets are delivered by military or civilian aircraft without their landing. Developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible tr ...

, landing or cargo extraction systems. The group was equipped with

Fairchild C-123 Provider The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force Reserve a ...

s for

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 ...

airlift operations. The 919th was one of three groups assigned to the

445th Troop Carrier Wing The 445th Airlift Wing is an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. If mobilized, the wing is gained by the Air ...

in 1963, the others being the 918th Troop Carrier Group at

Dobbins Air Force Base Dobbins Air Reserve Base or Dobbins ARB is a United States Air Force reserve air base located in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb about northwest of Atlanta. Originally known as Dobbins Air Force Base, it was named in honor of Captain Charles M ...

, Georgia, and the 920th Troop Carrier Group, also at

, Tennessee. The 919 TCG was inactivated in December 1965. In 1971, the 919th was reactivated and renamed the 919th Tactical Airlift Group (919 TAG), equipped with the

Lockheed C-130A Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

and based at

, Florida. It performed tactical

airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of Materiel, supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material lo ...

of personnel and cargo, in addition to

ping

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

paratrooper A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infa ...

s during

exercises Exercise or workout is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovasc ...

from 1971 to 1974.

Special Operations

Redesignated the 919th Special Operations Group (919 SOG) on 1 July 1975, the group began transitioning to the Lockheed AC-130A Spectre aircraft and training for

gunship A gunship is a military aircraft armed with heavy aircraft guns, primarily intended for attacking ground targets either as airstrike or as close air support. In modern usage the term "gunship" refers to fixed-wing aircraft having laterally-mo ...

operations, with

close air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...

as a primary duty, but also including the ability to perform armed interdiction,

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

, and escort, as well as

forward air control Forward air control is the provision of guidance to close air support (CAS) aircraft intended to ensure that their attack hits the intended target and does not injure friendly troops. This task is carried out by a forward air controller (FAC). ...

(FAC) and

combat Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...

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 ...

(CSAR) in conventional or

unconventional warfare Unconventional warfare (UW) is broadly defined as "military and quasi-military operations other than conventional warfare" and may use covert forces or actions such as subversion, diversion, sabotage, espionage, biowarfare, sanctions, propaga ...

setting. In addition to its primary combat duties, the 919 SOG also provided range clearing support for

missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...

launches at

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida. Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the sta ...

and along the

Eastern Test Range The Eastern Range (ER) is an American rocket range (Spaceport) that supports missile and rocket launches from the two major launch heads located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The range ha ...

from 1979 to 1989 and for

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...

launches at the

John F. Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten NASA facilities#List of field c ...

from 1981 to 1988. Mobilized for active duty for

Operation JUST CAUSE Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

, the then 919 SOG's 711th Special Operations Squadron's AC-130A aircraft hit key facilities and provided cover for U.S. Army troops during the

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, December 1989 – January 1990. On 1 April 1990 the 919 SOG gained a second special operations squadron, the 71st, located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base,

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. Both squadrons participated in the conflict in Southwest Asia: the 71 SOS, flying HH-3Es deployed 12 January 1991 – 16 March 1991 and the 711 SOS, flying AC-130As, deployed 7 February – 12 March. In addition, the 711 SOS used their AC-130As to fly cargo and passengers. On 1 August 1992, the 919 SOG was upgraded to wing status and renamed the 919th Special Operations Wing (919 SOW). The 919 SOW lost the 71 SOS on 1 October 1993 but, in late 1994, gained the 5th Special Operations Squadron (5 SOS). The 5 SOS began to receive their MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft in April 1995 and trained for special operations,

aerial refueling Aerial refueling ( en-us), or aerial refuelling ( en-gb), also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to an ...

of special operations

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

s, and resupply missions. The 711 SOS transitioned from AC-130A gunships to

MC-130E The Lockheed MC-130 is the basic designation for a family of special mission aircraft operated by the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), a wing of the Air Education and Training Command, and an AFSOC-gained wing of the A ...

Combat Talon I and MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft beginning in October 1995 and trained for a primary mission of infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of special operations forces. Periodically the wing deployed personnel and aircraft to support special operations forces in contingency operations worldwide, to include mobilization and forward deployment in 2001-2003 in support of

Operation ENDURING FREEDOM Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

and

Operation IRAQI FREEDOM The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

. The wing also continued to conduct numerous

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an ideology centered on the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotiona ...

deployments. While the 919 SOW would retire its MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft in 2008, the wing continued to conduct flight training in MC-130E Combat Talon I for both

and

from 1 October 1997 until the retirement of the MC-130E in 2013. In 2008, the 919 SOW also added the

U-28A Draco The Pilatus PC-12 is a pressurized, single-engined, turboprop aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland since 1991. It was designed as a high-performance utility aircraft that incorporates a large aft cargo door in addi ...

aircraft and

MQ-1 Predator The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the Predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency ...

remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) to its inventory. An Air Force news release dated 18 April 2013 announced the final flight of the wing's MC-130E aircraft, which was flown to the

309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309th AMARG),Offici ...

(309 AMARG) "boneyard" at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. Release authority 160226-F-oc707-301

Retirement of the MC-130E marked the end of the 919 SOW's status with unit-owned aircraft and its transition to that of an "Associate" unit supporting and sharing aircraft with the active duty Regular Air Force's

and elements of the 492nd Special Operations Wing, both located at nearby Hurlburt Field. The 919 SOW's MC-130E Combat Talons were replaced with PZL C-145A Skytruck aircraft which had already begun arriving at Duke Field. Two years later, the C-145, U-28, and MQ-1 would be augmented by the arrival of the C-146A Wolfhound aircraft. In 2015, the 711th commenced sharing buildings, flightline, aircraft and mission with the active duty

6th Special Operations Squadron The 6th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 27th Special Operations Wing (27 SOW) at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. The squadron operates MC-130J Commando II aircraft in support of special operations. The 6th SOS specializes in the u ...

(6 SOS) at Duke Field. The 6 SOS is a geographically separated unit (GSU) of the 492nd Special Operations Wing (492 SOW) at Hurlburt Field, Florida. In 2018, the 919 SOW's MQ-1 aircraft were retired and replaced by the

MQ-9 Reaper The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, one component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS)) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomi ...

remotely piloted aircraft. In February 2019, in addition to operating the U-28, select flight crews from the 919 SOW's 5th Special Operations Squadron commenced training on the AC-130J Ghostrider aircraft operated by the active duty 1 SOW at Hurlburt Field, qualifying in the aircraft later that year. In June 2020, the first all-Air Force Reserve crew qualified on the AC-130J and flew the aircraft without any active duty USAF personnel aboard, marking the first time that any series of the AC-130 aircraft had been flown by an all-Reserve crew since 1995. In December 2022, the 919 SOW retired its last C-145A aircraft.

Units

* 919th Special Operations Wing,

, Florida ** 919th Special Operations Group ***

2nd Special Operations Squadron The 2nd Special Operations Squadron is an Air Force Reserve Command unit, assigned to the 919th Special Operations Wing. Stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida, the unit operates General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted vehicles. The unit i ...

, Florida ***

5th Special Operations Squadron The 5th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 919th Special Operations Wing. The 5th is based at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It operates U-28A, U-28 aircraft providing special operations capability. Mission The 5th Special Operations Squadro ...

, AC-130J Ghostrider,

, Florida *** 311th Special Operations Intelligence Squadron *** 711th Special Operations Squadron *** 859th Special Operations Squadron, C-146A Wolfhound *** 919th Special Operations Support Squadron ** 919th Special Operations Mission Support Group *** 919th Special Operations Civil Engineering Squadron *** 919th Special Operations Security Forces Squadron *** 919th Special Operations Communications Squadron *** 919th Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron *** 919th Special Operations Force Support Squadron ** 919th Special Operations Maintenance Group *** 919th Special Operations Maintenance Squadron *** 919th Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron *** 919th Maintenance Operations ** 919th Special Operations Medical Squadron

Lineage

* Established as the 919th Troop Carrier Group, Assault and activated on 15 January 1963 (not organized) : Organized in the Reserve on 11 February 1963 : Discontinued and inactivated on 15 December 1965 * Redesignated 919th Tactical Airlift Group on 17 June 1971 : Activated in the Reserve on 30 July 1971 : Redesignated 919th Special Operations Group on 1 July 1975 : Redesignated 919th Special Operations Wing on 1 August 1992

Assignments

, 15 January 1963 (not organized) *

(later 445th Air Transport Wing), 11 February 1963 – 15 December 1965 * 459th Tactical Airlift Wing, 30 July 1971 * Eastern Air Force Reserve Region, 1 December 1974 *

, 8 October 1976 *

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 March 1983 * Tenth Air Force, 1 July 1994 – present

Components

* 919th Operations Group (later 919th Special Operations Group): 1 August 1992 – present * 71st Special Operations Squadron: 1 April 1990 – 1 August 1992 * 701st Troop Carrier Squadron: 11 February 1963 – 15 December 1965 * 711th Tactical Airlift Squadron (later Special Operations Squadron): 30 July 1971 – 1 August 1992

Stations

* Memphis Municipal Airport, Tennessee, 11 February 1963 – 15 December 1965 *

Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso, Florida, Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test ...

Auxiliary Field #3 (

), Florida, 30 July 1971 – present

Aircraft

(1963–1965) *

(1971–1975) * Lockheed AC-130A Spectre (1975–1995) *

Sikorsky HH-3 Jolly Green Giant The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King (company designation S-61) is an American twin-engine anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed and built by Sikorsky Aircraft. A landmark design, it was one of the first ASW rotorcraft to use turboshaft engine ...

(1990–1993) * Lockheed MC-130E Combat Talon (1995–2013) * Lockheed MC-130P Combat Shadow (1995–2008) * Pilatus U-28 (2008–present) *

General Atomics MQ-1 Predator The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the Predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency ...

(2008–2018) * PZL C-145A Skytruck (2013–2022) * Dornier C-146A Wolfhound (2015–present) *

General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, one component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS)) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomi ...

(2018–present)

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * *

External links

919 SOW Home Page
{{USAF Air Force Special Operations Command Military units and formations in Florida

919 __NOTOC__ Year 919 ( CMXIX) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By Place Byzantine Empire * March 25 – Romanos Lekapenos, admiral (''droungarios'') of the Byzantine navy, seizes the Boukoleon Pal ...

Military units and formations of the United States Air Force Reserves