Air National Guard The Air National Guard ( ANG ) , also known as the Air Guard , is the air force militia component of each U . S . state , the District of Columbia , the commonwealth of Puerto Rico , and the territories of Guam and the U . S . Virgin Islands . It is , along with the Army National Guard , an element of the state National Guard . The state Air National Guards are under the jurisdiction of the State Governor or equivalent through the office of the State adjutant general . However , if federalized by order of the President of the United States , ANG units become an active part of the United States Air Force . They are jointly administered by the states ( or equivalents ) and the United States National Guard Bureau . Air National Guard organizations are organized and federally recognized in each of the fifty U . S . states , the commonwealth of Puerto Rico , the territories of Guam and the U . S . Virgin Islands , and the District of Columbia of the United States . Each state , the District of Columbia and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico each have a minimum of one ANG flying unit with either assigned aircraft or aircraft shared with a unit of the active duty Air Force under an " Associate " arrangement . The ANG of the territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands have no aircraft assigned and perform ground support functions . Air National Guard activities may be located on active duty air force bases , air reserve bases , naval air stations / joint reserve bases , or air national guard bases and stations which are either independent military facilities or collocated as tenants on civilian - controlled joint civil - military airports . ANG units typically operated under Title 32 USC . However , for Title 10 USC purposes , all ANG units are operationally - gained by an active duty USAF major command ( MAJCOM ) . ANG units of the Combat Air Forces ( CAF ) based in the Continental United States ( CONUS ) , plus a single air control squadron of the Puerto Rico ANG , are gained by the Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . Conversely , CONUS - based ANG units in the Mobility Air Forces ( MAF ) , plus the Puerto Rico ANG ' s airlift wing and the Virgin Islands ANG ' s two support squadrons , are gained by the Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) . The vast majority of ANG units fall under either ACC or AMC . However , there remain a few exceptions , such as the Alaska ANG , Hawaii ANG and Guam ANG , whose CAF and MAF units are operationally - gained by Pacific Air Forces ( PACAF ) , while a smaller number of ANG units in CONUS are operationally - gained by Air Education and Training Command ( AETC ) , Air Force Global Strike Command ( AFGSC ) , Air Force Special Operations Command ( AFSOC ) , and Air Force Space Command ( AFSPC ) . Overview . Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U . S . Code , the Air National Guard is part of the state National Guard and is divided up into units stationed in each of the 50 states and U . S . territories and operates under their respective state governor or territorial government . The Air National Guard may be called up for active duty by the state governors or territorial commanding generals to help respond to domestic emergencies and disasters , such as those caused by hurricanes , floods , fires , and earthquakes . With the consent of state governors or equivalents , members or units of the Air National Guard may be appointed , temporarily or indefinitely , to be federally recognized members of the armed forces , in the active or inactive service of the United States . If federally recognized , the member or unit becomes part of the Air National Guard of the United States , which is one of two reserve components of the United States Air Force , and part of the National Guard of the United States . Because both state Air National Guard and the Air National Guard of the United States relatively go hand - in - hand , they are both usually referred to as just Air National Guard . Air National Guard of the United States units or members may be called up for federal active duty in times of Congressionally sanctioned war or national emergency . The President may also call up members and units of the Air National Guard using a process called " federalization " , with the consent of state governors or equivalents , to repel invasion , suppress rebellion , or execute federal laws if the United States or any of its states or territories are invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation , or if there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the federal government , or if the president is unable to execute the laws of the United States with the regular armed forces . The United States Air National Guard has about 110 , 000 men and women in service . Like the Air Force Reserve Command ( AFRC ) , the ANG is often described as a " reserve " force of " part - time airmen , " although the demands of maintaining modern aircraft mean that many AFRC and ANG members work full - time , either as full - time Air Reserve Technicians ( ART ) or Active Guard and Reserve ( AGR ) personnel . Even traditional part - time air guardsmen , especially pilots , navigators / combat systems officers , air battle managers and enlisted aircrew , often serve 100 or more man - days annually . As such , the concept of Air National Guard service as representing only " one weekend a month and two weeks a year " is not necessarily valid . The Air National Guard ( ANG ) , in tandem with the U . S . Air Force ' s other reserve component , the strictly " federal " Air Force Reserve Command ( AFRC ) , comprise the " Air Reserve Component " of the U . S . Air Force under the " Total Force " construct . Many ANG pilots work for commercial airlines , but in the ANG they may train to fly any of the aircraft in the USAF inventory , with the current exception of the B - 1B Lancer and B - 52 Stratofortress bombers , E - 3 Sentry AWACS aircraft , KC - 10 Extender and the AC - 130 Gunship . The Georgia Air National Guard and the Kansas Air National Guard previously flew the B - 1B Lancer prior to converting to the E - 8 Joint STARS and KC - 135R Stratotanker , respectively . In addition , the 131st Fighter Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard recently transitioned from flying the F - 15C / D Eagle at St . Louis International Airport / Lambert Field Air National Guard Station to the B - 2 Spirit at Whiteman AFB as an " Associate " unit of the Regular Air Force ' s 509th Bomb Wing and was redesignated as the 131st Bomb Wing . In 2012 , General Norton A . Schwartz , the then - Chief of Staff of the Air Force , defended cutting nearly twice as many service members from the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve as from the active duty USAF , in order to maintain the service ' s surge and rotational capabilities in the active duty Regular Air Force . Chain of command . As state militia units , the units in the Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command . They are under the jurisdiction of the United States National Guard Bureau unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States . The Air National Guard Readiness Center , a field operating center of the United States Air Force at Joint Base Andrews , Maryland , performs operational and technical functions to ensure combat readiness of Air Force National Guard units and is a channel of communication between the Air Force and the National Guard Bureau regarding readiness and operations . Air National Guard units are trained and equipped by the United States Air Force . The state ANG units , depending on their mission , are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized . In addition , personnel and equipment are routinely federalized and deployed by the USAF as part of Air and Space Expeditionary Forces , and are currently engaged in combat operations under United States Air Forces Central ( USAFCENT ) as part of the Global War on Terrorism . Air National Guard personnel are expected to adhere to the same moral and physical standards as their " full - time " active duty and " part - time " Air Force Reserve federal counterparts . The same ranks and insignia of the Air Force are used by the Air National Guard , and Air National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards . The Air National Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in a service member ' s home state or equivalent . History . Origins . The Air National Guard was officially established in law as a separate reserve component on 18 September 1947 , however , National Guard aviation emerged before World War I with aviation units in Army National Guard organizations . In April 1908 , a group of enthusiasts organized an " aeronautical corps " at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City to learn ballooning . They were members of the 1st Company , Signal Corps , New York National Guard . Although they received instruction and assembled a balloon , it was not clear whether members of the unit had ever actually ascended in it . In 1910 the unit raised $ 500 to finance its first aircraft . During the Mexican Border Crisis of 1915 Captain Raynal Cawthorne Bolling organized and took command of a unit that became the 1st Aero Company , New York National Guard . It trained at Mineola Field , Mineola , Long Island . It is recognized as the ANG ' s oldest unit and its lineage is carried by the 102d Rescue Squadron , New York ANG . On 13 July 1916 , the 1st Aero Company mobilized during the border crisis with Mexico . the unit was called into federal service when the Mexican revolution spilled over the border into the United States . Bolling ' s unit was joined at Mineola by the 2nd Aero Company of Buffalo and 12 Guard officers from other states . Both air units remained at Mineola during the crisis . When the United States entered World War I in April 1917 , the War Department decided that it would not mobilize National Guard air units . Instead , individual Guard volunteers provided a major pool for the Army to draw aviators from . They were required to leave the Guard and enter the Signal Corps Reserve if they wished to fly in the war . About 100 National Guard pilots joined the newly formed United States Army Air Service . Guardsmen also played prominent roles in air operations in France . On 14 April 1918 , Tennessee Guardsman Reed Chambers flew with Eddie Rickenbacker and David Peterson of the 94th Pursuit Squadron from Villeneuve , France on the first combat mission ever ordered by an American commander of a U . S . squadron of American pilots . At least four Guardsmen — Chambers , Field Kindley ( Kansas ) , Reed Landis ( Illinois ) , and Martinus Stenseth ( Minnesota ) – became aces . 2d Lieutenant Erwin R . Bleckley of Kansas was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroism as an aerial observer . After the armistice and the return of the American Expeditionary Force in 1919 , the wartime squadrons were demobilized and inactivated . Interwar Period . After the war , National Guard aviation was placed on a permanent basis over the initial opposition of the Army ' s General Staff . In 1920 , the Militia Bureau and the Army Air Service agreed on a plan for re - organizing National Guard aviation units . On 17 January 1921 , the 109th Observation Squadron of the Minnesota National Guard ( 1921 – 1941 ) became the first post World War I air unit to receive federal recognition . During the interwar period , 29 observation squadrons were established . They were either integral elements of National Guard infantry divisions or assigned to Army corps aviation . An aviator in the 110th Observation Squadron of the Missouri National Guard ( 1923 – 1943 ) became the most famous Guard pilot during the interwar period : Captain Charles A . Lindbergh . His service illustrated the close ties between military and commercial aviation . Trained to fly by the Army , he joined the 110th Observation Squadron in November 1925 . The following year , he became chief pilot for an airmail venture started by fellow 110th pilots Major William Robertson and his brother Frank . After Lindbergh made his historic solo trans - Atlantic flight in May 1927 , he recalled his service in the Guard fondly . After the Fall of France , during 1940 – 1941 , approximately 4 , 800 experienced National Guard aviation personnel were mobilized from their observation squadrons . They provided a significant augmentation of the Army ' s rapidly expanding air arm during a critical period . Most Guard air units were stripped of many key personnel , and the units were federalized into the regular Army Air Corps and were re - equipped with more modem aircraft . Some of the early - deploying squadrons maintained a degree of unit integrity and cohesion . But , most lost their character and identity as Guard organizations during World War II . The units were transformed from observation organizations into reconnaissance , liaison , fighter , and bombardment squadrons . They served in every major combat theater during the war . The most significant wartime contribution of National Guard aviators was to train and lead the large numbers of volunteer airmen who had entered the AAF . That role was epitomized by Lt Col Addison E . Baker , a Guardsman from Akron , Ohio . On 1 August 1943 , Baker commanded the VIII Bomber Command ' s 93d Bombardment Group on a daring but ill - fated low - level attack against enemy oil refineries at Ploesti , Romania . Baker was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic leadership . Post World War II Air National Guard . The Air National Guard as we know it today , a separate reserve component of the United States Air Force in addition to the purely " federal " Air Force Reserve , was a product of the politics of postwar planning and inter - service rivalry during World War II . The Army Air Forces leaders who planned and maneuvered for an independent postwar Air Force during World War II had little confidence in the reserves of the U . S . Army , especially the state - dominated National Guard . On the contrary , those leaders expected to build the largest and most modern standing force possible . However , domestic politics and American history forced them to significantly alter their plans . Determined to include an Air Force National Guard in the postwar U . S . military establishment during World War II , the National Guard Association of the United States flexed its considerable political muscle . It compelled the U . S . Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) to plan for a significant Air Force National Guard once the overseas fighting ended . General George C . Marshall , Army Chief of Staff , also pressured the AAF to revise its ambitious plans for a large postwar active duty force . When president Harry S . Truman instituted dramatic postwar military budget cuts , he split defense dollars evenly among the Army , Navy , and Air Force . That move also required the Air Force to plan for a far smaller active duty service than it had envisaged . As a result , the Air Force needed both reserve components , the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve , to help fill the gap . As the wartime Army Air Forces demobilized in 1945 and 1946 , inactivated unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State Air National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re - establish them as Air National Guard units . Initially , the National Guard Bureau ( NGB ) developed a table of organization for the Air National Guard to include at least one unit allocation per state . In addition , the territories of Alaska , Hawaii and Puerto Rico were allocated one unit designation each . A table of organization was developed in which a series of twelve ANG Wings were allocated to provide command and control over separate regions of the United States ; each Wing controlled three or four Groups within the region , and the Groups controlled squadrons within the region , sometimes distributed over several states . On 21 August 1946 , inactivated USAAF group and squadron designations were transferred from the Department of the Army to the National Guard Bureau . The units were re - designated with unit designations within the 101 – 299 range and allotments were made to Adjutant General of the states and territories whose mission it was to organize the units being allocated and prepare them for federal recognition by the NGB . The combat element was organized into twelve wings which were then divided into 20 fighter groups totaling 62 squadrons , two light bombardment groups comprising four squadrons , and five composite groups with twelve fighter squadrons and six bombardment squadrons . Command and control organizations were : Individual state squadrons were assigned to either Groups or Wings , depending on circumstances , allocations , and gaining commands of the Army Air Forces . As individual units were organized , federally recognized , and activated , the Army Air Forces provided them airfields , equipment and surplus aircraft . Once formed , the units began began obtaining federal recognition , and the state Air National Guard units were established . Its primary units were 84 flying squadrons , mostly equipped with F - 51 Mustang and F - 47 Thunderbolt fighters with air defense of the continental United States as their main mission , its units under the jurisdiction of the USAAF Air Defense Command . Tactical Air Command also had several ANG units being assigned B - 26 Invader medium bombers . 18 September 1947 , however , is considered the 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 . The postwar Air National Guard force of the late 1940s included the 58 , 000 members . Between 1946 and 1949 , all of the initial allotment of units received federal recognition in the CONUS . The Hawaii Territory ANG received recognition and was activated on 4 November 1946 ; the Puerto Rico ANG on 23 November 1947 , and the Alaska Territory ANG on 15 September 1952 . At the end of October 1950 , the Air National Guard converted to the wing - base ( Hobson Plan ) organization . As a result , the former Army Air Force Wings which were allocated were inactivated by the National Guard Bureau returned to the control of the Department of the Air Force on 31 October 1950 . The personnel and equipment of the inactivated wings were transferred to new Air National Guard wings which were established , recognized and activated on 1 November 1950 . After World War II , the Air National Guard developed an unfortunate reputation as a glorified " flying club " for World War II combat veterans . Not only did the units and individuals lack specific wartime missions , their equipment , especially aircraft , was obsolete and their training was usually deplorable . Once mobilized , those Air Guardsmen proved to be almost totally unprepared for combat . Regardless of their previous training and equipment , Air Guard units were assigned almost at random to major air commands . It took months and months for ANG units to become combat ready ; some units never succeeded . Korean War . During the Korean War , some 45 , 000 Air Guardsmen , 80 percent of the force , were mobilized . That callup exposed the weaknesses of the United States military reserve programs , including the ANG . Sixty - six of the Air Guard ' s ninety - two flying squadrons , along with numerous support units , were mobilized . Once in federal service , they proved to be unprepared for combat . Many key Air Guardsmen were used as fillers elsewhere in the Air Force . It took three to six months for some ANG units to become combat ready . Some never did . Eventually , they made substantial contributions to the war effort and the Air Force ' s global buildup . In the Far East , the ANG ' s 136th and 116th Fighter - Bomber Wing s compiled excellent combat records flying F - 84 Thunderjet s . Air Guardsmen flew 39 , 530 combat sorties and destroyed 39 enemy aircraft . But , 101 of them were either killed or declared missing in action during the conflict . Four Air Guardsmen — Captains Robert Love ( California ) , Clifford Jolley ( Utah ) , and Robinson Risner ( Oklahoma ) , plus Major James Hagerstrom ( Texas ) – became aces , with some , such as Risner , later transferring to the Regular Air Force . Largely as a result of the Korean War experience , senior ANG and Air Force leaders became seriously committed to building the Air Guard as an effective reserve component . With the reinforcement of the Far East Air Forces ( FEAF ) , Air National Guard squadrons were deployed to Europe in late 1950 , being assigned to newly constructed bases in France as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE ) . These deployments helped reinforce the NATO commitment of the United States in case the combat in Korea became part of a wider conflict with the Soviet Union . Beginning in February 1951 , mobilized units were assigned to Air Defense Command ( ADC ) , Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) and Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) , replacing or augmenting active duty units . Air Guardsmen assigned to ADC also were assigned to various aircraft control and warning as well as radar calibration units . Their organizations either strengthened American air defenses or were converted to tactical air control units that directed Air Force fighter aircraft in the continental United States , Alaska , Newfoundland , Europe , and French Morocco . As a result of the federalization of the Air National Guard , ADC , SAC and TAC established additional wings for command and control of the federalized units . These were as follows : Air Guardsmen began to be demobilized in July 1952 , with their units being inactivated by the active duty air force . Subsequently , the individual state Air National Guard bureaus reactivated and reformed the units beginning in January 1953 . The USAF - established wings were also allocated to their states . Runway alert program . Although Korean War hostilities ended in July 1953 , the Cold War with the Soviet Union persisted . The initial mobilization fiasco forced the Air Force to achieve an accommodation with the Air Guard and to thoroughly revamp its entire reserve system . Because of the problems associated with the Korean War mobilizations , the Air Force and its reserve components pioneered new approaches like the runway alert program to reserve training and management . The Air Division chief at the National Guard Bureau wanted to find an innovative way to provide additional training for fighter pilots after their units were demobilized . At the same time , Air Defense Command could not call upon sufficient active duty Air Force units to defend the continental United States against the Soviet air threat . It was proposed to employ ANG pilots full - time from " strategically placed " Air Guard units to perform " air intercept missions " against unidentified aircraft entering United States air space . In addition they would " provide simulated fighter attacks against the Strategic Air Command ’ s nuclear - capable bombers . " Using Air Guardsmen from the 138th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , Syracuse , New York , and the 194th Fighter - Bomber Squadron , Hayward , California , the experiment began on 1 March 1953 . It proved a great success and in August eight squadrons began " standing alert " using volunteer aircrews on a rotating basis for 14 hours a day . In October nine more squadrons joined the program . The ANG runway alert program required some planes and pilots to be available around - the - clock to become airborne within minutes of being notified to scramble . At its peak , in the mid - 1950s , all 70 Air Guard fighter squadrons participated in that program , although that number was reduced to 25 by 1961 due to budget constraints . Most of the runway alert exercises involved interceptions of SAC bombers ; although a few actual scrambles turned out to be interceptions of late or off - course commercial airliners . The runway alert experiment in 1953 marked the beginning of the Air Guard ’ s modern homeland defense role . Moreover , it was the first broad effort to integrate reserve units into a major Air Force combat mission in peacetime on a continuing basis using volunteers . Aircraft modernization . Originally the Air National Guard was designed as a combat reserve force . After World War II , its flying units consisted of 72 fighter and 12 light bomber squadrons equipped with obsolescent World War II propeller - driven aircraft while the Air Force transitioned to jet fighters . Although it had no airlift or tanker units , the Air National Guard ’ s flying units were equipped with a small number of liaison , trainer , and transport planes , and the Air Guard actively sought out new missions and aircraft . With the end of World War II , the Air Force dropped " Air Commando " or special operations units from its rolls . They were revived for the Korean War . After that conflict , in April 1955 , the Air Guard acquired its first special operations unit when the 129th Air Resupply Squadron was federally recognized and two C - 46 Commando s were delivered to it at Hayward , California . It was allocated to the Air Resupply And Communications Service ( ARCS ) , a predecessor organization of today ' s Air Force Special Operations Command As its F - 51 Mustang and F - 47 Thunderbolt s became more and more obsolescent in the jet age of the 1950s , the force structure gradually changed to include a significant number of airlift , tanker , and specialized combat - support units . As the Air National Guard expanded , additional squadrons , including airlift units as well as Air Resupply and Communications units , were established . Additional command and control groups and wings were also established by the National Guard Bureau and allocated to the states . The ANG however , unlike the active duty USAF , did not inactivate its combat groups during the 1950s as part of the tri - deputate organization . Many of the combat groups remained assigned to the wings from which they were derived . It wasn ' t until 1974 that the ANG fully adapted the USAF tri - deputate organization and inactivated its combat groups , assigning its operational squadrons directly to the wings . The Air Guard aggressively worked to preserve its existing flying units by obtaining the most modern aircraft available . Some existing Air National Guard fighter units equipped with piston - driven fighters , however , could not convert to jets because the runways at the local airports where they were based were too short . In addition , some local leaders simply did not want jet fighters operating in their communities . The Guard considered replacing the fighter squadrons in these instances with transport aircraft a viable option for overcoming runway issues or community objections and also was a way to keep experienced senior aviators in the cockpit . During the late 1950s , the Air Force allowed several Air National Guard units to trade in their aging piston - driven fighters for second - line transports . New Jersey ’ s newly organized 150th Air Transport Squadron ( Light ) became the first pure airlift unit in the Air Guard on 1 February 1956 . It received Curtiss C - 46D Commando s . Two other aeromedical transport squadrons followed that year , primarily because of the impracticality of converting their locations to modern jet fighter operations . In 1959 , the Air Force , in order to save operating funds , planned to phase out 48 C - 97 Stratofreighter s before their replacements were available to the active force . The Air National Guard requested these aircraft be sent to guard units , and in January 1960 , units in California , Minnesota , New Hampshire , New York , and Oklahoma began trading in their fighters for C - 97s . Additionally , the Air Guard also took on an air refueling mission . The Air Guard received its first KC - 97 Stratotanker aerial tankers in July and August 1961 . During that period , the 108th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , Illinois ; 126th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , Wisconsin ; and 145th Air Transport Squadron , Ohio , converted to KC - 97Fs and were redesignated air refueling squadrons . Cold War . World War II had left the city of Berlin 100 miles deep within East German territory , controlled by the Soviet Union , and divided into Soviet , British , French , and United States zones of occupation , administered under local agreements which did not guarantee Western access to the city . Responding to a series of Soviet actions in 1948 , the three western allies consolidated their zones and formed the city of West Berlin . For fifteen years the western powers maintained a tenacious hold on West Berlin under periodic harassment of the Soviets . On 13 August 1961 , Berliners woke up to find they lived in a divided city . A wall now separated East Berlin from West Berlin . With that provocative act , the Soviet Union ratcheted up the Cold War . President John F . Kennedy mobilized a limited number of Reserve and Guard units , dispatching 11 ANG fighter squadrons to Europe . All the Guard units were in place within a month of their respective mobilization days , although they required additional training , equipment , and personnel after being called up . In all , some 21 , 000 Air Guardsmen were mobilized during the 1961 Berlin Crisis . ’ s 159th Fighter Wing . Soon more aircraft arrived , delivering troops and supplies for New Orleans ; offloaded pallets were stacked 10 deep on the aircraft parking ramp . Instead of heading into the flooded city , the 136th team remained at Belle Chasse and , within 36 hours of arriving , it established a fully functioning Air Terminal Operations Center and was keeping pace with the demanding mission schedule . That Aerial Port team , augmented by U . S . Navy cargo handlers and members of the 133d Aerial Port Squadron , 133d Airlift Wing , Minnesota , handled over 124 missions with 1 . 5 million pounds of cargo and 974 passengers in one day . As one of its most crucial tasks , the Texas squadron downloaded the German pump system used to drain the city of New Orleans because its own pumps were inundated . It also uploaded two KC - 135s with 140 kennels filled with rescued dogs bound for adoption in Arizona . Operation Deep Freeze . The Air National Guard also participates in noncombat support missions that sometimes take it beyond the U . S . boundaries . For example , in Operation Winter Freeze , from November 2004 through January 2005 , nearly 250 Army and Air Guardsmen provided assistance to U . S . Customs and Border Patrol ( CBP ) along 295 miles of the United States - Canadian border . That operation included military personnel from U . S . Northern Command ’ s Joint Task Force North who helped the Border Patrol to “ keep potential terrorists out of the country and to break up smuggling rings that try to get them in . ” In order “ to detect , deter , and monitor suspicious actions … Air Guard crews flew twin - engine , C - 26 airplanes out of Syracuse , N . Y . ” New York ’ s 109th Airlift Wing LC - 130 Hercules transports fly into arctic regions . In 2006 , 2 LC - 130s closed the 2006 Operation Deep Freeze located at McMurdo Station near the South Pole . The mission ended because the temperature dropped to almost minus in three days . Since 1988 the squadron had provided the air supply bridge for these airplanes with wheels landed on an ice runway near the station . However , as it got colder , the ski - equipped LC - 130s landed on a snow - covered skiway on the Ross Ice Shelf a few miles from the station . In the spring and summer , the 109th headed toward the North Pole where it supported the National Science Foundation and several other nations in Greenland and above the Arctic Circle . List of Air National Guard Leaders . This is a list of the senior leaders or Generals of the Air National Guard . The title has changed over time : The Assistant Chief , National Guard Bureau for Air , ; Chief , Air Force Division , National Guard Bureau ; Director Air National Guard .