South Carolina Air National Guard

South Carolina Air National Guard
An F-16C Fighting Falcon Block 52 of the 157th Fighter Squadron flies next to a Lockheed C-130H-LM Hercules from the 169th Operations Support Flight, 169th Fighter Wing. The 157th is the oldest unit in the South Carolina Air National Guard, having over 50 years of service to the state and nation.
Active	9 December 1946 - present
Country	United States
Allegiance	South Carolina
Branch	Air National Guard
Role	"To meet state and federal mission responsibilities."
Part of	South Carolina National Guard United States National Guard Bureau
Garrison/HQ	South Carolina Air National Guard, 1 National Guard Road, Columbia, South Carolina, 29201
Commanders
Civilian leadership	President Joe Biden (Commander-in-Chief) Frank Kendall III (Secretary of the Air Force) Governor Henry McMaster (Governor of the State of South Carolina)
State military leadership	Major General Van McCarty
Insignia
Emblem of the South Carolina Air National Guard
Aircraft flown
Fighter	F-16C/D Fighting Falcon
Transport	C-130H Hercules

The South Carolina Air National Guard (SC ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of South Carolina, United States of America. It is, along with the South Carolina Army National Guard, an element of the South Carolina National Guard.

As state military units, the units in the South Carolina Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of South Carolina though the office of the South Carolina Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The South Carolina Air National Guard is headquartered in Columbia under the command of the Assistant Adjutant General for Air, Brigadier General Russell A. Rushe,^[1] and ultimately reporting to the Army general officer serving as The Adjutant General of South Carolina, Major General Van McCarty.^[2]

Overview[edit]

Under the "Total Force" concept, South Carolina Air National Guard units are considered to be part of the Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force (USAF). South Carolina ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. In addition, the South Carolina 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 state military units the elements of the South Carolina 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. State 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.

Formations[edit]

Air National Guard Element, JFHQ-SC

• 169th Fighter Wing...McEntire JNGB
  • 169th Operations Group
    • 157th Fighter Squadron
    • 245th Air Traffic Control Squadron
      • 169th Operations Support Flight
  • 169th Maintenance Group
    • 169th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
    • 169th Maintenance Squadron
      • 169th Maintenance Operations Flight
  • 169th Medical Group
  • 169th Mission Support Group
    • 169th Civil Engineer Squadron
    • 169th Logistics Readiness Squadron
    • 169th Security Forces Squadron
    • 169th Communications Flight
    • 169th Force Support Squadron

Originally established on 9 December 1946 (as the 157th Fighter Squadron); currently operates: Block 52 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon (F-16CJ/DJ) and one WC-130H Hercules minus weather reconnaissance equipment

Stationed at: McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Eastover; Operationally Gained by: Air Combat Command )ACC)

The federal mission of the 169 FW in accordance with Title 10 USC is to maintain wartime readiness and the ability to mobilize and deploy expeditiously to carry out tactical air missions or combat support activities in the event of a war or military emergency. More specifically, the wing specializes in the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD).

Support Unit Functions and Capabilities:

• 245th Air Traffic Control Squadron, McIntire JNGB

The 245th ATCS has the ability to perform air traffic control at fixed air bases and at remote sites.

History[edit]

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.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).

See also[edit]

• South Carolina State Guard
• South Carolina Wing Civil Air Patrol

References[edit]

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South Carolina Air National Guard.

• 169th Fighter Wing