Kentucky Air National Guard

Under the "Total Force" concept, Kentucky Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components (ARC) of the United States Air Force (USAF). Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 commonwealth militia units the elements of the Kentucky 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. Commonwealth 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==

The Kentucky Air National Guard consists of the following major unit: • 123rd Airlift Wing : Established 16 February 1947 (as: 165th Fighter Squadron); operates: C-130J Hercules : Stationed at: Louisville Air National Guard Base : Gained by: Air Mobility Command ==History==

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. The Kentucky Air National Guard origins date to 9 June 1947 with the establishment of the 123d Fighter Group and is oldest unit of the Kentucky Air National Guard. It was federally recognized and activated at Standiford Field, near Louisville. Its 165th Fighter Squadron, the flying component of the 123d, was equipped with P-51D Mustangs. Its mission was the air defense of the state. 18 September 1947, however, is considered the Kentucky Air National Guard's official birth concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the United States military under the National Security Act of 1947. ==See also==