History
On 24 May 1946, the United States Army Air Forces, in response to dramatic postwar military budget cuts imposed by President Harry S. Truman, allocated inactive unit designations to the National Guard Bureau for the formation of an Air Force National Guard. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units.
The Nebraska Air National Guard origins date to the formation of the 173d Fighter Squadron at Lincoln Army Airfield, Lincoln, receiving federal recognition on 26 July 1946. It was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and its mission was the air defense of the state. 18 September 1947, however, is considered the Nebraska Air National Guard's official birth concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the United States military under the National Security Act.
On 1 July 1960 the 173d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 155th Fighter-Interceptor Group was allotted by the National Guard Bureau, extended federal recognition and activated.
Today, the 155th Air Refueling Wing (155 ARW) provides aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and allied nation aircraft. In 2007, the 170th Group at Offutt AFB was formed. The 170th evolved from Detachment 1, Headquarters Nebraska ANG established in June 2002. Under this initiative, highly qualified ANG instructor aircrew integrate into the 338th Combat Training Squadron to provide initial qualification, re-qualification and upgrade training to active duty and ANG aircrew members. These functional areas include requirements, weapons and tactics, intelligence, base operations, weather, and aviation resource management.
After the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, elements of every Air National Guard unit in Washington has been activated in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Flight crews, aircraft maintenance personnel, communications technicians, air controllers and air security personnel were engaged in Operation Noble Eagle air defense overflights of major United States cities. Also, Nebraska ANG units have been deployed overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq as well as other locations as directed.
Read more about this topic: Nebraska Air National Guard
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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