Need for reserve troop carrier groups During the first half of 1955, the Air Force began detaching Air Force Reserve squadrons from their parent wing locations to separate sites. The concept offered several advantages. Communities were more likely to accept the smaller
squadrons than the large
wings and the location of separate squadrons in smaller population centers would facilitate recruiting and manning.
Continental Air Command (ConAC)'s plan called for placing Air Force Reserve units at fifty-nine installations located throughout the United States. When these relocations were completed in 1959, reserve wing
headquarters and wing support elements would typically be on one base, along with one (or in some cases two) of the wing's flying squadrons, while the remaining flying squadrons were spread over thirty-five Air Force, Navy and civilian airfields under what was called the Detached Squadron Concept. Although this dispersal was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it proved difficult. This weakness was demonstrated in the partial mobilization of reserve units during the
Berlin Crisis of 1961 To resolve this, at the start of 1962, ConAC determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishing
groups with support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons. This reorganization would facilitate mobilization of elements of wings in various combinations when needed. However, as this plan was entering its implementation phase, another partial mobilization occurred for the
Cuban Missile Crisis, with the units being released on 22 November 1962. The formation of troop carrier groups occurred in January 1963 for units that had not been mobilized, but was delayed until February for those that had been.
Activation of 916th Troop Carrier Group As a result, the
916th Troop Carrier Group was established at
Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina on 17 January 1963, Along with group headquarters, a Combat Support Squadron, Materiel Squadron and a Tactical Infirmary were organized to support the 77th. The group's mission was to organize, recruit and train Air Force Reserve personnel in the tactical airlift of airborne forces, their equipment and supplies and delivery of these forces and materials by
airdrop, landing or cargo extraction systems. The group was equipped with
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars for
Tactical Air Command airlift operations. The 916th was one of three C-119 groups assigned to the
435th Troop Carrier Wing in 1963, the others being the
915th Troop Carrier Group at
Homestead Air Force Base, Florida and the
917th Troop Carrier Group at
Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. In 1966 was equipped with
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II airlifters, being a reserve unit of
Military Airlift Command. Conducted air and ground training activities, airlifting personnel and cargo in support of
active duty forces worldwide. It has supported missions included military airlift to
South Vietnam beginning in 1965 and to U.S. forces in the
Dominican Republic during a 1965 crisis. It also participated in numerous
humanitarian airlift missions. February 8, 2020 the wing retired its last KC-135R tanker. On June 12, 2020, the wing accepted its first of twelve KC-46A. ==Lineage==