913th Airlift Group

The 913th Airlift Group (913 AG) is an active United States Air Force Reserve unit. It is assigned to the 22d Air Force, stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. It was activated circa 13 July 2014.

Overview
The 913th Airlift Group is trained and equipped Air Force Reservists to perform the combat missions of tactical airlift and aerial re-supply.

Subordinate organizations of the 913th AG are:
 * 327th Airlift Squadron (327 AS)


 * 913th Operations Support Squadron (913 OSS)


 * 913th Maintenance Squadron (913 MXS)


 * 913th Force Support Squadron (913 MSG)


 * 913th Aeromedical Medical Squadron (913 AMDS)


 * 96th Aerial Port Squadron (96 APS)

History
Following the mobilizations in 1961 and 1962 for the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Continental Air Command (ConAC) realized that it was unwieldy to mobilize an entire wing unless absolutely necessary. Their original Table of Organization for each Wing was a wing headquarters, a troop carrier group, an Air Base Group, a maintenance and supply group, and a medical group. In 1957, the troop carrier group and maintenance and supply groups were inactivated, with their squadrons reassigned directly to the wing headquarters - despite the fact that many wings had squadrons spread out over several bases due to the Detached Squadron Concept dispersing Reserve units over centers of population.

To resolve this, in late 1962 and early 1963, ConAC reorganized the structure of its reserve Troop Carrier Wings by establishing fully deployable Troop Carrier Groups and inserting them into the chain of command between the Wing and its squadrons at every base that held a ConAC troop carrier squadron. At each base, the group was composed of a material squadron, a troop carrier squadron, a tactical hospital or dispensary, and a combat support squadron. Each troop carrier wing consisted of 3 or 4 of these groups. By doing so, ConAC could facilitate the mobilization of either aircraft and aircrews alone, aircraft and minimum support personnel (one troop carrier group), or the entire troop carrier wing. This also gave ConAC the flexibility to expand each Wing by attaching additional squadrons, if necessary from other Reserve wings to the deployable groups for deployments.

As a result, the 913th Troop Carrier Group was established with a mission 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 C-119 Flying Boxcars for Tactical Air Command airlift operations.

The 913th TCG was one of three C-119 groups assigned to the 512th TCW in 1963, the others being the 912th Troop Carrier Group also at Willow Grove NAS, and the 914th Troop Carrier Group at Niagara Falls International Airport, New York.

The 913th performed air transportation for airborne forces, airdrops, airlandings, and extraction delivery of equipment and supplies, as well as airlift of personnel and cargo. During the Vietnam War the group also helped train Vietnamese Air Force C-119 Flying Boxcar aircrews in 1967 and ferried aircraft to Southeast Asia in March 1968 and to Taiwan in January 1969.

In 1970, the 913th transitioned from the C-119 to the C-130 Hercules. Beginning in 1977 the 913th participated in rotational "Coronet Oak" operations in the Panama Canal Zone flying airlift in support of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) at Howard AFB. In addition, it has performed humanitarian airlift and supported contingency operations worldwide, including operations in Southwest Asia and the Balkans.

The 913 AW was inactivated on 1 October 2007 pursuant to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 action, with its C-130 Hercules aircraft redistributed to other active duty Air Force and Air Force Reserve airlift units.

The 913 AG was activated at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas circa 13 July 2014. It is equipped with the C-130 Hercules.

Lineage

 * Constituted as the 913th Troop Carrier Group, Medium and activated on 15 January 1963
 * Organized in the Reserve on 11 Feb 1963
 * Redesignated 913th Tactical Airlift Group on 1 July 1967
 * Redesignated 913th Airlift Group on 1 February 1992
 * Redesignated 913th Airlift Wing on 1 October 1994
 * Inactivated on 1 October 2007


 * Redesignated 913th Airlift Group
 * Activated c. 13 July 2014

Assignments

 * Continental Air Command, 15 January 1963 (not organized
 * 512th Troop Carrier Wing, 11 February 1963
 * 302d Troop Carrier Wing, 8 January 1965
 * 514th Troop Carrier Wing, (later 514th Tactical Airlift Wing, 514th Military Airlift Wing), 1 July 1966 (attached to 302d Special Operations Wing after 1 July 1970)
 * 302d Special Operations Wing, 16 Sep 1970 (attached to 403d Composite Wing after 1 April 1971)
 * 403d Composite Wing(later 403d Tactical Airlift Wing), 21 April 1971
 * 459th Tactical Airlift Wing(later 459th Airlift Wing), 8 January 1976
 * 403d Airlift Wing (later, 403d Wing), 1 August 1992
 * Tenth Air Force, 1 October 1994
 * Twenty-Second Air Force, 1 April 1997 – 1 October 2007
 * Twenty-Second Air Force, c. 13 July 2014 – present

Components

 * 913th Maintenance Group: 1 August 1992 - 30 September 2007
 * 913th Operations Group: 1 August 1992 - 30 September 2007
 * 913th Support Group (later 913th Mission Support Group): 1 August 1992 - 30 September 2007
 * 31 Mobile Aerial Port Squadron: 1 October 1983 - 1 August 1992
 * 96th Aerial Port Squadron: c. 13 July 2014 – Present
 * 327th Tactical Airlift Squadron (later 327th Airlift Squadron): 11 February 1963 - 1 August 1992, 13 July 2014 – Present
 * 913th Operations Support Squadron: c. 13 July 2014 – Present
 * 913th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (later 913th Maintenance Squadron: 11 February 1963 - 1 August 1992, c. 13 July 2014 – Present
 * 913th Combat Support Squadron (later 913th Force Support Squadron): 11 February 1963 - 1 August 1992, ac. 13 July 2104 – Present
 * 913th Aerospace Medical Squadron: c. 13 July 2014 – Present
 * 913th Aerial Port Flight (later 913th Mobile Aerial Port Flight): 15 February 1964 - 30 June 1971, 1 December 1972 - 1 October 1983

Stations

 * Willow Grove Air Reserve Facility (later, Station), Pennsylvania, 11 Feb 1963-30 Sep 2007
 * Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, c. 13 July 2014 – Present

Aircraft operated

 * C-119 Flying Boxcar (1963–1971)
 * C-130 Hercules (1970–2007) (2014–Present)