World War II The squadron was first activated at
Presque Isle Army Air Field, Maine in late July 1942 as the
30th Ferrying Squadron, one of the original squadrons of the 8th Ferrying Group. In August, the 8th Group squadrons were moved to various bases along the
North Atlantic ferrying route and the squadron moved to
Bluie West One, at
Narsarsuak, Greenland. The 30th ferried
bombers and
Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft until August 1943. Implementing this program, the 30th, now the
30th Air Transport Squadron was activated at
Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, where it was assigned to the 1600th Air Transport Group and took over the personnel and eight
Douglas C-74 Globemaster aircraft of the 1253d Air Transport Squadron, which was discontinued. The squadron began to convert to
Douglas C-54 Skymaster transports shortly after activation, but this conversion was cancelled and the unit reverted to flying
Douglas C-118 Liftmasters in August. Although the squadron continued to fly C-118s, by 1954, the advent of larger transport aircraft, such as the c-74 and the
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II prompted the Air Force to change its designation from a heavy transport squadron to a medium transport unit. In April 1955,
Strategic Air Command took over Westover from MATS. The 1600th Air Transport Wing was inactivated, but the squadron moved its operations to
McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. The squadron was organized again in April 1967 as the
30th Military Airlift Squadron and equipped with
Lockheed C-141 Starlifters. Starting in August, conducted worldwide airlift, including support for the
Vietnam War, earning a
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm for its support.
Active duty associate On 8 July 2006 the 30th became the first active-duty associate unit partnering with the
Wyoming Air National Guard's
153d Airlift Wing. As an associate unit, the squadron flies the
Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft of the 153d Wing on tactical
airlift missions in the "Total Force Integration" concept. Although its administrative headquarters is an active duty group, it is under the operational control of the 153d Wing. Housing, medical, and other support is provided by the
90th Mission Support Group at
Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. The 153d Wing added five aircraft to support this program, which was implemented as a result of the
2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Members of the squadron deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan after its reactivation, including supporting *
Operation New Dawn, although the squadron does not appear to have deployed as a unit. In 2014, two consecutive commanders of the squadron were relieved of command, as the unit went through four commanders in less than a year. The reliefs were due to a "lack of confidence" in the commanders involved and the atmosphere in the squadron, although no additional information was publicly released. On 1 September 2015, due to budget cuts, the active duty airmen and their aircraft were withdrawn from Wyoming and the aircraft were transferred to the
152d Airlift Wing of the
Nevada Air National Guard by the following month. ==Lineage==