55th Wing, US Air Force

55TH WING, US AIR FORCE

History: Established as 55 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing on 29 June 1948. Activated on 19 July 1948. Inactivated on 14 October 1949. Redesignated as 55 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Medium, on 27 October 1950. Activated on 1 November 1950. Redesignated as: 55 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing on 16 August 1966; 55 Wing on 1 September 1991. Provided precise mapping and photographic reconnaissance, 1948-1949. Performed strategic reconnaissance, charting photography, precise electronic geodetic mapping, and electronic reconnaissance, 1950-1954. When mapping and charting functions transferred on 1 May 1954, wing assumed mission of global strategic reconnaissance, including electronic reconnaissance, weather reconnaissance (to June 1963), and photographic reconnaissance (to May 1964). Deployed at Ben Guerir AB, French Morocco, May-August 1955. Responsible for an Atlas missile complex, August 1964-March 1965. Became responsible for the Strategic Air Command’s (SAC’s) airborne command post and post-attack command and control operations, August 1966. In addition, flew SAC logistic support missions after September 1971. Conducted K/E/RC-135 pilot training as required. Became responsible for the National Emergency Airborne Command Post E-4 aircraft fleet in 1975. Began Airborne Launch Control operations in 1978 using EC-135Cs as flying launch/control platforms for Minuteman, and later, Peacekeeper strategic missile systems. Awarded the P. T. Cullen award five times since 1971 for its contributions to photo and signal intelligence collection. Operated from bases in the US, Mediterranean, Europe, and the Pacific. Provided reconnaissance for contingencies in Grenada, 1983; Libya, 1986; and Southwest Asia, 1990-1991. Ended nearly twenty-five years of continuous Airborne Command Post operations in 1990, assumed a modified alert posture, and continued worldwide reconnaissance. Provided crews and aircraft for enforcement of no-fly zones over southern Iraq, 1992- and Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1992-1996. Subordinate units operated in England, Japan, Greece, and southwest Asia. Flew global reconnaissance and air-sampling missions during the 1990s, including Open Skies Treaty flights to monitor the military activities of other nations. In 1994, the airborne command post mission was altered to include support for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for response to natural disasters. Strategic Command awarded Omaha Trophy to the 55 Wing in 1995. Provided worldwide reconnaissance, command and control, and combat support to national leadership and war fighting commanders, 2000-.

Official blazon
English	blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

The Emblem was approved on 20 November 1951; latest rendering, 20 October 2000.

Literature:Image from Wikimedia Commons

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