The
wing was organized as the
4708th Defense Wing the beginning of February 1952 at
Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan as part of a major reorganization of
Air Defense Command (ADC) responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing
wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter
squadrons to best advantage. It assumed operational control and the
air defense mission of
fighter squadrons formerly assigned to the inactivating
56th Fighter-Interceptor Wing. The
61st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flying
Lockheed F-94 Starfire aircraft, and the
172d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron flying
World War II era
North American F-51 Mustang aircraft were located at Selfridge, while the
63d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flying
North American F-86 Sabre aircraft, was located at
Oscoda Air Force Base. The
136th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at
Niagara Falls Municipal Airport, flying World War II era
Republic F-47 Thunderbolt aircraft was also transferred to the wing from the
101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, and the
71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at
Greater Pittsburgh Airport, another F-86 unit, was transferred from the
1st Fighter-Interceptor Wing. The support elements of the 56th Wing's 56th Air Base Group and 56th Maintenance & Supply Group were replaced at Selfridge by the wing's
575th Air Base Group, and air base squadrons were activated at each of the dispersed locations assigned to the wing to support the fighter squadrons at those
stations. The wing's mission was to train and maintain tactical units in a state of
readiness to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft attempting to penetrate the air defense system in the Great Lakes area. In July 1952, the units at Oscoda were transferred to the
4706th Defense Wing, while in the following month, the
166th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, at
Youngstown Municipal Airport, flying
Republic F-84 Thunderjet aircraft, was transferred in from the 4706th. In November, the federalized
Air National Guard squadrons were returned to state control. The 136th was returned to the
New York Air National Guard and replaced by the
47th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, the 166th was returned to the
Ohio Air National Guard and replaced by the
86th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, and the 172nd was returned to the
Michigan Air National Guard, and replaced by the
431st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. Another F-51 squadron, the
56th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, was activated at Selfridge later that month. although it converted to F-86 aircraft by the start of 1953. In February 1953, another major reorganization of ADC activated air defense groups at ADC bases with dispersed fighter squadrons. These
groups were assigned to the wing and assumed direct control of the
interceptor squadrons at those bases, as well as support squadrons to carry out their role as the USAF host organizations at the bases. As a result of this reorganization, the 575th Air Base Group was redesignated the 575th Air Defense Group and assumed control of the fighter squadrons at Selfridge, while the
500th Air Defense Group at Pittsburgh and the
502d Air Defense Group at Youngstown controlled the squadrons at these locations. Oscoda (now renamed Wurtsmith Air Force Base), where the
527th Air Defense Group was activated, returned to the control of the wing. Although the
518th Air Defense Group took over operations at Niagara Falls, In November it added an additional radar squadron. As a result of this project, the 500th Group was replaced by the
54th Fighter Group (Air Defense), the 502nd Group was replaced by the
79th Fighter Group (Air Defense), the 527th Group was replaced by the
412th Fighter Group (Air Defense), and the 575th Group was replaced by the
1st Fighter Group (Air Defense). In March 1956, the
4711th Air Defense Wing moved to Selfridge from
Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine and three of the 4708th's radar squadrons were assigned to it. The fighter groups and remaining radar detection and control squadrons of the wing were transferred to the
30th Air Division in July. ==Lineage==