State of Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...

Florida Army National Guard The Florida Army National Guard is Florida's component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. In the United States, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the federal army's available combat forces ...

Florida National Guard The Florida National Guard is the National Guard force of the state of Florida. It comprises the Florida Army National Guard and the Florida Air National Guard. The United States Constitution charges the National Guard with dual federal and st ...

United States National Guard The National Guard is a state-based military force that becomes part of the reserve components of the United States Army and the United States Air Force when activated for federal missions.National Guard Bureau (NGB). As a

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

(

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

) organization, the Florida Air National Guard is also part of the USAF's Air Reserve Component (ARC), a position it shares with its "federal" ARC partner, the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). As state militia units, the units in the Florida Air National Guard are not in the normal

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

. FL ANG units remain under the jurisdiction of the

Governor of Florida A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

through the office of the Florida Adjutant General, also known as the "TAG," unless they are federalized by order of the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

. This jurisdictional model of answering to state, commonwealth or territorial governors applies to all Air National Guard units in all fifty states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with the sole exception being the District of Columbia Air National Guard, which is under the direct jurisdiction of the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

through the office of the Commanding General, District of Columbia National Guard. The Florida Air National Guard is headquartered at St. Francis Barracks (also known as the State Arsenal), in St. Augustine, and its commander is Brigadier General Michael A. Valle.

Overview

Under the "Total Force" concept, all Florida Air National Guard (FL ANG) units at the wing, group, squadron and flight level are considered to be part of the Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

(USAF). FL ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force, maintain the same readiness standards as Regular Air Force and Air Force Reserve units, and are operationally gained by a

Major Command of the USAF This is a list of major commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force. A major command is a significant Air Force organization subordinate to Headquarters, US Air Force. Major commands have a headquarters staff and subordinate organizations, ty ...

(MAJCOM) or, in the case of the FL ANG's

114th Space Control Squadron The United States Air Force's 114th Space Control Squadron (SPCS) is a Florida Air National Guard unit located at Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. It is operationally gained by the United States Space Forc ...

(114 SPCS), to the

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...

(USSF), if federalized. In addition, the Florida Air National Guard forces are assigned to Air Expeditionary Forces and are subject to deployment tasking orders along with their active duty and Air Force Reserve Command counterparts in their assigned cycle deployment window. Along with their federal reserve obligations, as state militia units on par with the Florida Army National Guard, the elements of the Florida Air National Guard are subject to being activated by order of the Governor of Florida to provide protection of life and property, and preserve peace, order and public safety. State missions include disaster relief in times of hurricanes, floods, forest fires and wildfires, search and rescue, protection of vital public services, Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA), and support to civil defense.

Components

The Florida Air National Guard comprises the following major units: Line unit functions and capabilities: *

125th Fighter Wing The 125th Fighter Wing (125 FW) is a unit of the Florida Air National Guard, stationed at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida. If activated to federal service with the United States Air Force, the 125 FW is operationally gained by the A ...

(125 FW) : Established 9 February 1947 (as the 159th Fighter Squadron); operates the

F-15C/D Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...

plus the

RC-26B Metroliner The Fairchild C-26 "Metroliner" is the designation for the Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner series twin turboprop aircraft in the service of the United States military. It was not officially named by the US Armed Forces, but is unofficially known ...

: Stationed at: Jacksonville International Airport ( Jacksonville Air National Guard Base), Jacksonville : Operationally Gained by: Air Combat Command (ACC) : As a unit of the First Air Force (1 AF) and AFNORTH, the 125 FW performs an air defense mission for

United States Northern Command United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) is one of eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense. The command is tasked with providing military support for non-military authorities in the U.S., and protect ...

(USNORTHCOM) and

North American Aerospace Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

(NORAD) under the Continental NORAD Region (CONR) commander in peacetime, wartime, or in the event of national emergency, for the defense of the North American continent. The 125 FW is also available to other combatant commanders for forward deployment to perform air superiority/air dominance missions in other theaters outside of the United States, providing air superiority/air dominance as part of Air and Space Expeditionary Forces. :

125th Fighter Wing The 125th Fighter Wing (125 FW) is a unit of the Florida Air National Guard, stationed at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida. If activated to federal service with the United States Air Force, the 125 FW is operationally gained by the A ...

Detachment 1 (125 FW Det 1) : Stationed at:

Homestead Air Reserve Base Homestead Air Reserve Base (Homestead ARB), previously known as Homestead Air Force Base (Homestead AFB) is located in Miami–Dade County, Florida to the northeast of the city of Homestead. It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW) of th ...

, Homestead :: Rotational F-15 aircraft, pilots and maintenance crews from the 125 FW at Jacksonville, manning FL ANG Operating Location Alfa Alfa (OL-AA), an air defense Alert Facility at Homestead ARB : Operationally Gained by: Air Combat Command (ACC) : Provides the Continental NORAD Region (CONR) commander with rapid response to invasions of the sovereign airspace of the southern United States and to respond with appropriate air defense measures. * Detachment 1, HQ Florida Air National Guard / 325th Fighter Wing Associate Unit (325 FW AU) : Stationed at:

Tyndall Air Force Base Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing (325 ...

, Panama City : Operationally Gained by: Air Combat Command (ACC) : Det 1, HQ FLANG / 325th Fighter Wing Associate Unit provides instructor pilot augmentation to the active duty 325th Fighter Wing (325 FW) and is the premier Air National Guard (ANG) fighter associate unit, training active duty Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard personnel for the

F-22A Raptor The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, ...

aircraft in the Air Dominance Role. * 101st Air and Space Operations Group (101 AOG) : Stationed at:

Tyndall AFB Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing (325 ...

, Panama City : Operationally Gained by: Air Combat Command (ACC) : Previously known as the

Southeast Air Defense Sector The Southeast Air Defense Sector (SEADS), was a unit of the US Air Force located at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida. It provided air defense and surveillance of the southeastern region of the US. SEADS closed in winter 2005, ...

(SEADS), the 101 AOG provides manning for First Air Force's

601st Air and Space Operations Center The 601st Air Operations Center (601 AOC) is an active unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the First Air Force and stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The unit plans, directs, and assesses air operations for the North Americ ...

(601 AOC) for operational-level Command and Control (C2) of air and space forces and as the focal point for planning, directing, and assessing air and space operations within the CONUS NORAD Region (CONR) and USNORTHCOM. *

114th Space Control Squadron The United States Air Force's 114th Space Control Squadron (SPCS) is a Florida Air National Guard unit located at Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. It is operationally gained by the United States Space Forc ...

(114 SPCS) : Stationed at

Patrick Space Force Base Patrick Space Force Base is a United States Space Force installation located between Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is named in honor of Major General Mason Patrick, USAAC. It is home to Space ...

and

Cape Canaveral Space 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 statio ...

, Cocoa Beach : Operationally Gained by:

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...

(USSF) : Previously activated as 114th Combat Communications Squadron under Air Combat Command and later redesignated as 114th Range Operations Squadron under

Air Force Space Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

(AFSPC). Redesignated as the 114 SPCS under Air Force Space Command, providing defensive and offensive counter-space and space situational awareness in support of global and theater campaigns. The 114 SPCS became operationally gained by the

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...

in December 2020 following the inactivation of Air Force Space Command and the establishment of the U.S. Space Force. * 249th Special Operations Squadron (249 SOS) : Established 2015 as Detachment 2, HQ Florida Air National Guard, operating the CV-22B Osprey; redesignated as the 249th Special Operations Squadron on 28 August 2020 : Stationed at

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 Spe ...

, Mary Esther : Operationally Gained by: Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) : Previously activated in 2015 as Detachment 2, HQ Florida Air National Guard to support the active duty

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 is ...

's mission to rapidly plan, execute and sustain specialized air power. Past operations and activities have included support to numerous multilateral exercises and multiple named operations, to include Title 10 USC mobilization and combat flight operations while forward deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Activated as the 249 SOS on 28 August 2020. The 249 SOS is an "Associate" squadron, flying CV-22B aircraft assigned to the active duty 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW) and sharing operations with the active duty

8th Special Operations Squadron The 8th Special Operations Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The squadron is equipped with the Be ...

(8 SOS) at Hurlburt Field. Although operationally gained by

AFSOC 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 ...

and the 1 SOW while in a Title 10 USC status, administrative control for the 249 SOS while in a Title 32 USC status remains with the 125 FW at Jacksonville ANGB. Support Unit Functions and Capabilities: *

202d RED HORSE Squadron The United States Air Force's 202d RED HORSE squadron (202 RHS) is a civil engineering unit of the Florida Air National Guard located at Camp Blanding, Florida. The acronym RED HORSE is derived from "Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operationa ...

(202 RHS) : Stationed at

Camp Blanding Camp Blanding Joint Training Center is the primary military reservation and training base for the Florida National Guard, both the Florida Army National Guard and certain nonflying activities of the Florida Air National Guard. The installation i ...

Joint Training Center, Starke : Operationally gained by: Air Combat Command (ACC) : As a Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron (RED HORSE), the 202 RHS provides a highly mobile, rapidly deployable civil engineering response force, optimized to perform heavy damage repair for the recovery of airfields, other critical Air Force facilities, and associated military utility systems following enemy attack or natural disaster. * 290th Joint Communications Support Squadron (290 JCSS) : Stationed at

MacDill Air Force Base MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...

, Tampa : Operationally gained by: Air Mobility Command (AMC) : Provides Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed, globally deployable, enroute, and early entry communications support to geographic

combatant command A unified combatant command (CCMD), also referred to as a combatant command, is a joint military command of the United States Department of Defense that is composed of units from two or more service branches of the United States Armed Forces, ...

s, the

United States Special Operations Command The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Ar ...

, individual U.S. armed services, other Department of Defense activities and combat support agencies, other U.S. Government agencies, and the state of Florida. The 290 JCSS is associated with the

U.S. Transportation Command The United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is one of eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense. The command is located at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, and was established in 1987. The USTRANSCO ...

's (USTRANSCOM) Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC) and the Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE). Because of JCSE's command relationship to JECC and JECC to USTRANSCOM, the squadron is operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC), the USAF component command of USTRANSCOM, in the 290 JCSS status as a USAF organization. * 131st Training Flight (131 TF) : Stationed at:

Camp Blanding Camp Blanding Joint Training Center is the primary military reservation and training base for the Florida National Guard, both the Florida Army National Guard and certain nonflying activities of the Florida Air National Guard. The installation i ...

Joint Training Center, Starke : Operationally gained by the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) : Previously known as the Air National Guard Weather Readiness Training Center (ANGWRTC), the 131 TF trains and provides personnel to the Air National Guard weather community. * 159th Weather Flight (159 WF) : Stationed at:

Camp Blanding Camp Blanding Joint Training Center is the primary military reservation and training base for the Florida National Guard, both the Florida Army National Guard and certain nonflying activities of the Florida Air National Guard. The installation i ...

Joint Training Center, Starke : Operationally gained by the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) : Trains wartime ready, professional teams to provide the highest quality meteorological services to varying national, state and local missions.

History

On 24 May 1946, the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

, in response to dramatic postwar military budget cuts imposed by President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

, 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. 159th Fighter Squadron - North American P-51H-10-NA Mustang 44-64603

159th Fighter Squadron - North American P-51H-10-NA Mustang 44-64603

A National Guard Bureau document dated 16 March 1946, gave states permission to request an Army Air Forces unit allotment. Months later, Florida accepted the 159th Fighter Squadron with an authorized strength of 50 officers and 303 enlisted men. The unit was established at Imeson Airport in Jacksonville and Governor Millard F. Caldwell formally accepted the unit on 30 August 1946. Full federal recognition of the unit was granted on 9 February 1947, when it became a National Guard unit under the U.S. Army Air Forces. However, 18 September 1947 is considered to be the Florida Air National Guard's official birth, concurrent with the establishment of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

as a separate branch of the United States military under the National Security Act of 1947. F-86L Sabres - 159th FIS - Jacksonville Airport - Florida

In 1954, the 159th relinquished their F-51s for

F-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was 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, prod ...

s and in 1956 upgraded again to

F-86 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 ...

s. On 1 July 1956, the 159th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level organization and the 125th Fighter-Interceptor Group (125 FIG) was established by the National Guard Bureau, with the 159 FIS becoming the group's flying squadron. Both organizations remained operationally gained by the Air Defense Command (ADC) and in 1960 transitioned to the F-102 Delta Dagger. In 1968, ADC was renamed

Aerospace Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly ina ...

and remained the 125 FIG's gaining command. That same year, the 125 FIG and its F-102 aircraft relocated from the soon-to-be closing Imeson Airport to a newly constructed military installation at the new Jacksonville International Airport. This was followed by another aircraft transition in 1974 to the

F-106 Delta Dart The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft of the United States Air Force from the 1960s through to the 1980s. Designed as the so-called "Ultimate Interceptor", it proved to be the last specialist interceptor ...

.

159th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron-f-106-f-16-1987

159th_Fighter_Squadron_F-15s_over_jacksonville

With the disestablishment of ADC in October 1979, operational claimancy of the 125 FIG was shifted to Tactical Air Command (TAC) and the unit transitioned to the F-16 Fighting Falcon in its F-16A and F-16B Air Defense Fighter (F-16 ADF) variant in 1987. With the disestablishment of TAC in 1992, the 125 FIG was renamed the 125th Fighter Group (125 FG) and in October 1995 it was expanded to a wing level organization and renamed the

125th Fighter Wing The 125th Fighter Wing (125 FW) is a unit of the Florida Air National Guard, stationed at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida. If activated to federal service with the United States Air Force, the 125 FW is operationally gained by the A ...

(125 FW), operationally gained by Air Combat Command (ACC). The same year, the 125th also transitioned from the F-16 to the F-15A and F-15B Eagle. This was followed by later transition to the F-15A and F-15B Eagle Multi-Stage Improvement Program (MSIP) aircraft, and then to the F-15C and F-15D Eagle aircraft that the 125 FW continues to fly today.https://www.ngaus.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/FY21-F-15-Fact-Sheet.pdf Another Florida ANG flying unit, originally designated as Detachment 1, Southeast Air Defense Sector (Det 1, SEADS), is the 325th Fighter Wing Associate Unit (325 FW AU), which was officially activated on 1 October 1999 at

Tyndall Air Force Base Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing (325 ...

, Florida. The unit's initial mission was to train active duty and Air National Guard pilots to fly the F-15 Eagle in its F-15A/B and F-15C/D variants in the air dominance role. The Associate Unit members were completely integrated into all aspects of the active duty

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit, ...

, 43rd, and

95th Fighter Squadron The 95th Fighter Squadron (95 FS) is a disbanded F-22 Raptor squadron of the United States Air Force. Last activated on 11 October 2013 and stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, the squadron's aircraft and personnel were distributed ac ...

s, as well as the 325th Operations Support Squadron. Today, the unit continues that mission training responsibility for active duty Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard pilots to fly the

F-22 Raptor The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, th ...

in the air dominance role. The associate unit is operationally controlled by the 325th Operations Group under the overall direction of the 325th Fighter Wing. After the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, elements of every Air National Guard unit in Florida have been activated in support of the

Global War on Terrorism The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...

. Flight crews, aircraft maintenance personnel, communications technicians, air controllers and air security personnel were also engaged in

Operation Noble Eagle Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) is the United States and Canadian military operation related to homeland security and support to federal, state, and local agencies. The operation began 11 September 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks.. ...

air defense overflights of major United States cities. Florida ANG units have been deployed overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq, as well as other overseas locations as directed.

References

* Gross, Charles J (1996), The Air National Guard and the American Military Tradition, United States Dept. of Defense,
Florida Air National Guard (also 125th Fighter Wing)

External links

Florida Air National Guard

Florida National Guard

State of Florida Department of Military Affairs

History of the Florida Air National Guard
{{Florida United States Air National Guard Military in Florida 1947 establishments in Florida

Overview

Components

History

See also

References

External links