The Virgin Islands Air National Guard (VI ANG) is the aerial militia of the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

, an

unincorporated territory Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions overseen by the federal government of the United States. The various American territories differ from the U.S. states and tribal reservations as they are not sove ...

of the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. It is, along with the

Virgin Islands Army National Guard The Virgin Islands National Guard (VING) was federally recognized on October 19, 1973 in a ceremony officiated by Major General La Vern E. Weber, Director of the United States Army National Guard. Major Leayle Galiber was appointed acting Adjut ...

, an element of the Virgin Islands National Guard. As territorial militia units, the units in the Virgin Islands 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 ...

. They are under the jurisdiction of the

governor of the United States Virgin Islands The governor of the United States Virgin Islands is the head of government of the United States Virgin Islands whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Territory addresses to the Virgin Islands Legislature, submitting ...

through the office of the Virgin Islands adjutant general 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 ...

. The Virgin Islands Air National Guard is headquartered at St Croix Air National Guard Station, Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, St. Croix, and its commander is Deborah Y. Howell.

Overview

Under the "Total Force" concept, Virgin Islands Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components (ARC) of the

(USAF). Virgin Islands ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force 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 ...

if federalized. In addition, the Virgin Islands 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 counterparts in their assigned cycle deployment window. Along with their federal reserve obligations, as territorial militia units the elements of the Virgin Islands ANG are subject to being activated by order of the governor to provide protection of life and property, and preserve peace, order and public safety. Territorial missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of vital public services, and support to civil defense.

Components

285th Civil Engineering Squadron The United States Air Force's 285th Civil Engineering Squadron (285 CES) is an Air National Guard civil engineering unit located at St Croix ANGS. History On 7 May 1980 the 285th Combat Communications Flight (CMBTCF) was established, creating t ...

History

The Virgin Islands Air National Guard was founded on the island of St. Croix in February 1980, as the 285th Combat Communications Flight, a subordinate unit of the 226th Combat Communications Group. The original authorized strength was one officer and 21 enlisted members. Original federal recognition came in May 1980 and is the official beginning of the Virgin Islands Air National Guard. The 285th grew quickly both in size and capability. Within 10 years of inception the unit had won the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

Outstanding Unit Award The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and was the first independent Air Force d ...

twice and was later awarded the award a third time. St Croix Air National Guard Station was opened in 1986 as the very first National Guard–owned facility in the Virgin Islands. When Hurricane Hugo devastated St. Croix in 1989, the 285th's facility became the heart of the recovery effort, and the 285th provided the first official communications off the island to the rest of the U.S.

References

* Gross, Charles J (1996), The Air National Guard and the American Military Tradition, United States Dept. of Defense,
Virgin Islands Air National Guard

External links

{{U.S. Virgin Islands United States Air National Guard Military in the United States Virgin Islands 1980 establishments in the United States Virgin Islands