The Texas Air National Guard consists of the following major units: •
136th Airlift Wing : Established 27 January 1947 (as
181st Fighter Squadron); operates:
C-130H Hercules :The 136 AW will upgrade to the
C-130J in 2023. : Stationed at:
Carswell Field,
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. : Gained by:
Air Mobility Command : The 136th AW mission is tactical airlift. The aircraft is capable of operating from rough, dirt strips and is the prime transport for air dropping troops and equipment into hostile areas. •
147th Attack Wing : Established 29 June 1923 (as
111th Observation Squadron); operates:
MQ-9 Reaper : Stationed at:
Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, Houston : Gained by:
Air Combat Command : The 147th Attack Wing provides flies combat support missions 24/7 via advanced satellite communications thus providing surveillance, reconnaissance, and air support for US and Allied forces. In conducting combat support sorties, the 147 ATKW provides theater and national-level leadership with critical real-time Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance and air-to-ground munitions and strike capability. A collocated Air Support Operations Squadron provides terminal control for weapons employment in a close air support scenario integrating combat air and ground operations. •
149th Fighter Wing : Established 27 January 1947 (as
182d Fighter Squadron); operates:
F-16C/D Fighting Falcon : Stationed at:
Kelly Field Annex,
Joint Base San Antonio : Gained by:
Air Education and Training Command : The unit is an F-16 flying training unit that includes a support group with a worldwide mobility commitment. Support Unit Functions and Capabilities: in 2006 • Texas Air National Guard Headquarters : Texas Air National Guard Headquarters at
Camp Mabry in
Austin includes the state headquarters staff whose mission is to provide command and control of Texas Air Guard units. • Air Component Command - TXSG : The Air Component Command of the
Texas State Guard directly supports and extends the mission and operations of the Texas Air National Guard and serves the State of Texas directly as a volunteer command in the
Texas Military Forces. AirCC units are embedded with their parent Texas Air National Guard units in San Antonio, Austin, Ft. Worth, Garland, Houston and La Porte. • 254th Combat Communications Group : The 254th Combat Communications Group is located in Grand Prairie and provides worldwide
command, control, communications and computer systems, information management and combat support critical to war fighting capabilities. The 254th's primary mission is to provide planning and engineering for Combat Communications Squadrons that provide tactical (high-frequency radio, telephone, satellite and network) communications and terminal air traffic control services to support emergency U.S. Air Force requirements. The 254th provides a staff element for management of communications personnel and equipment when deployed in support of Air Force missions worldwide in locations where these capabilities don't exist, and are prepared to do so under hostile conditions and during peacetime as well. The 254th commands six squadrons across Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana - the 221st and 236th Combat Communications Squadrons and the 205th, 214th, 219th and 272nd Engineering and Installation Squadrons. • 204th Security Forces Squadron : The 204th Security Forces Squadron located at
Biggs Army Airfield,
Fort Bliss,
El Paso. They are the only heavy weapons security forces unit in the Air National Guard. Since the
September 11 attacks, members of the 204th SFS have seen duty in central and southwest
Asia, in
Africa and even on board ship in the
Persian Gulf. They have served on installations in several states in the U.S. and taught military base defense in
Latin American countries. • 217th Training Squadron (Inactivated) : The 217th TRS (Nighthawks) was an intelligence training unit subordinate to the
149th Fighter Wing at
Lackland AFB, Texas. The 217th TRS was a GSU (geographically separated unit) located at
Goodfellow AFB, Texas. The unit stood up officially on August 15, 2008 as a unit that works directly for and with the following active duty units: 315 Training Squadron, 316 Training Squadron, and 17 Training Support Squadron, under the 17th Training Group (TRG). 217 TRS instructors were integrated into the existing courses taught within the 17 TRG - primarily the 315 TRS. The main purpose of the unit was to provide additional instructors to Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and the 17th Training Group to further augment the active duty cadre, bring additional experience and continuity to the intelligence courses, and continue with the Department of Defense's vision of "total force integration". Although some 217th TRS instructors were drill status guardsmen, most were full-time air technicians. Lieutenant Colonel James W. Marrs became the first commander of the newly formed 217th Training Squadron upon its activation. The unit was inactivated September 7, 2013 • 221st Combat Communications Squadron : The 221st Combat Communications Squadron is co-located in
Grand Prairie with their command unit, the 254th Combat Communications Group. The function of the 221st Combat Communications Squadron is to provide communications in a deployed environment. Such requirements may include establishing a Local Area Network, Telephone Network, Wide Area Network, and Radio Communications. All this while ensuring reliable connectivity for those parties serviced and maintaining mission effectiveness. • 273d Information Operations Squadron : The 273d Information Operations Squadron, located in San Antonio (
Port of San Antonio), provides support to two active duty units (23d Information Operations Squadron and 346th Test Squadron) conducting Information Operations tactics and testing to help defend United States Air Force networks. Securing the AF gateways against IO attacks. It is subordinate to the 149th Fighter Wing located on Lackland AFB. ==History==