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| 940th Wing | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 940th Wing |
| Caption | Emblem of the 940th Wing |
| Dates | 1963–present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force Air Force Reserve Command |
| Type | Wing |
| Role | Airlift and air refueling |
| Garrison | Wheeler Air National Guard Base, Suffolk County, Rhode Island |
940th Wing
The 940th Wing is a component of the Air Force Reserve Command with missions in tactical airlift and strategic air refueling providing operational support to United States Transportation Command, Air Mobility Command, Northeast Air Defense Sector, and joint partners. Established during the Cold War era, the unit has transitioned through aircraft types, command relationships, and basing arrangements while participating in operations linked to Operation Desert Shield, Operation Allied Force, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and humanitarian contingencies such as Hurricane Katrina relief. The wing integrates reservists, civilians, and active-duty liaisons to support global mobility and contingency response.
Activated during the early 1960s amid expansion of the Air Force Reserve Command, the wing traces lineage to reserve groups organized for airlift and special operations supporting Military Air Transport Service missions and later Military Airlift Command tasks. The unit underwent aircraft conversions parallel to strategic shifts from propeller-driven transports like the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar to jet-powered tankers such as the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Cold War readiness included exercises with North American Aerospace Defense Command elements and joint drills with NATO allies. Post-1991 realignments under the Objective Wing construct and the Base Realignment and Closure Commission produced stationing changes and integration into Air Mobility Command operations. After the September 11 attacks, reservists mobilized for homeland defense alongside the Federal Emergency Management Agency and supported overseas campaigns through aerial refueling and aeromedical evacuation partnerships with United States Central Command.
The wing’s core mission encompasses global air mobility, aerial refueling, and aeromedical evacuation in support of combatant commanders including United States Transportation Command and United States Northern Command. Organizationally, the wing comprises operations, maintenance, mission support, and medical groups aligned with Air Force structures like the Air Force Reserve Command’s regional wings and numbered air forces including Twenty-Second Air Force. Subordinate squadrons historically included associate and active-duty integrated units comparable to those within the Air Mobility Command and partner relationships with units such as 89th Airlift Wing for protocol support and Air Force Special Operations Command liaison elements for contingency tasking.
The wing has been assigned to a sequence of major commands reflecting strategic priorities: from Military Airlift Command to Air Mobility Command and operational control relationships with Air Force Reserve Command. Stations have included regional bases serving the northeastern United States, collaborating with state components like the New York Air National Guard and installations similar to Westover Air Reserve Base, Holloman Air Force Base, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for training deployments. The wing’s geographical positioning facilitated support to the Atlantic Fleet and transatlantic logistics corridors during NATO operations and crisis response.
Aircraft operated by the wing evolved from tactical transports to strategic tankers and airlifters. Types historically associated include the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar, Lockheed C-130 Hercules, and the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker for air refueling. Ground and mission support equipment incorporated airlift pallets, aeromedical evacuation litters used in coordination with United States Army Medical Command, and tanker boom refueling systems interoperable with receivers such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, and rotary-wing assets like the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk during joint operations.
Reservists from the wing participated in contingency operations including support to Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, extended aerial refueling and airlift sorties for Operation Enduring Freedom, and sustainment missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom. The wing contributed to humanitarian relief after natural disasters, including missions in response to Hurricane Katrina and multinational relief efforts coordinated with United Nations agencies. Training deployments and exercises included participation in NATO exercises such as Operation Joint Endeavor and bilateral exercises with partners from United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and France to validate interoperability of tanker and transport operations.
The wing’s lineage follows United States Air Force practices for reserve units, encompassing activations, redesignations, and consolidations aligned with Department of Defense force structure guidance and Air Force Instruction policies. Honors include campaign streamers and service ribbons awarded for participation in Southwest Asia operations, global war on terrorism deployments, and disaster response citations coordinated with Department of Homeland Security components. Unit commendations reflect combined operations with joint and coalition partners.
Commanders have alternated between reserve aviators and staff officers with backgrounds in air mobility, logistics, and operations, serving in roles similar to those held by leaders of numbered air forces and wings across the Air Force Reserve Command. Leadership billets foster integration with organizations such as Air Mobility Command, the National Guard Bureau, and joint task force headquarters during mobilizations. Senior enlisted advisors have provided continuity across transitions in aircraft and mission sets.
The wing’s emblem and insignia draw upon heraldic elements common to Air Force units, symbolizing airlift wings, aerial refueling booms, and the global mobility mission shared with organizations like Air Mobility Command and United States Transportation Command. Traditions include annual readiness exercises, heritage events honoring predecessors who flew aircraft like the C-119, and recognition ceremonies coordinated with veteran organizations such as the Air Force Association and Veterans of Foreign Wars.