321st Air Expeditionary Wing The 321st Air Expeditionary Wing ( 321 AEW ) was a United States Air Force unit assigned United States Air Forces Central ( USAFCENT ) , the USAF component command of United States Central Command ( USCENTCOM ) . The unit was reestablished on 1 November 2008 and was a nexus of all Coalition Air Force Training Teams and the Iraqi Air Force . Overview . In 2001 , the wing was converted to provisional status and allocated to Air Combat Command . It was believed to be active between 2001 and 2004 , and deployed to Masirah Island Air Base , Oman . Its operational component was believed to be the 355th Air Expeditionary Group . However , the task of developing a comprehensive listing of AEW units present in Southwest Asia ( SWA ) and other combat areas is particularly difficult as the events of 11 September 2001 and the Global War on Terrorism has made such an effort significantly difficult . The USAF seeks to improve operations security ( OPSEC ) and be sensitive to host nation politics , ergo information regarding the locations and missions of many air expeditionary wings and groups in SWA has been made deliberately vague . What is know is that in its latest iteration , the 321st Air Expeditionary Wing trained , advised , and assisted the Iraqi Air Force to develop as a professional and credible regional airpower partner , with the foundational and enduring capabilities to maintain internal security and defend against external threats ; provide aerial port , airfield operations , base and medical support , and command and control in support of United States Forces - Iraq ( USF - I ) . On order , it transitioned designated missions , organizations and functions to other US Government agencies no later than 31 December 2011 . History . Bombardment Wing . On 15 December 1953 , the 321st Bombardment Wing ( Medium ) was activated at Pinecastle Air Force Base , Florida , absorbing the B - 47 Stratojet s and KC - 97 tankers of the discontinued 4240th Flying Training Wing in late May 1944 . Two weeks later , on 1 January 1954 , the wing was assigned to Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) as the B - 47 combat crew training mission was transferred to SAC . Colonel Michael N . W . McCoy was appointed commander of the 321st Bombardment Wing on 24 May 1954 . He previously commanded the 306th Bombardment Wing at MacDill AFB , Florida , and was considered the " dean " of Strategic Air Command ’ s B - 47 Stratojet operational wing commanders . Known squadrons of the 321st Bomb Wing were : In November 1957 , the 321st and Pinecastle AFB were host to the medium bombers participating in the annual Strategic Air Command Bombing Navigation and Reconnaissance Competition . During the competition , a B - 47 aircraft mishap north of downtown Orlando took the lives of Colonel McCoy , Group Captain John Woodroffe of the Royal Air Force , Lieutenant Colonel Charles Joyce and Major Vernon Stuff during preparations for the event . Despite this tragedy , the 321st Bomb Wing , under the direction of its new commander , Colonel Robert W . Strong , Jr . , won the top honors of the meet , including the coveted Fairchild and McCoy trophies , distinguishing the 321st as the top B - 47 Wing in SAC . On 7 May 1958 Pinecastle AFB was renamed McCoy Air Force Base in memory of the late Colonel Michael N . W . McCoy . Formal dedication ceremonies were held on 21 May 1958 in conjunction with a mammoth open house , during which an estimated 30 , 000 Central Floridians attended . In the summer of 1961 , a complete reorganization of McCoy AFB began as a program commenced to convert the base from B - 47 Stratojet operations to B - 52 " Stratofortress " heavy bombers . The 321st Bomb Wing began phasing out its operations in June 1961 and was inactivated in October 1961 . Its operations at McCoy AFB were temporarily assumed by the 4047th Strategic Wing until replaced by the 306th Bombardment Wing when the latter organization relocated from MacDill AFB , Florida in 1963 . Strategic Missile Wing . On 1 November 1963 , 321st Strategic Missile Wing was organized as the first Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) LGM - 30 Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile wing , at Grand Forks AFB , North Dakota . During 1965 , the wing ’ s three missile squadrons were activated and crew training and certification began at Vandenberg AFB , California . In August 1965 , the base received its first Minuteman II missile , shipped by train from Assembly Plant 77 at Hill AFB , Utah . During the following March , the base received the first Minuteman II to be shipped via aircraft , an Air Force first . On 25 April 1966 , the 447th Strategic Missile Squadron and its 50 Minuteman II missiles were declared operational . Additional flights came on line throughout 1966 . On 7 December 1966 , the wing , with its component 446th , 447th , and 448th Strategic Missile Squadrons , became fully operational with a complement of 150 Minuteman missiles . As the first base to deploy Minuteman II missiles , Grand Forks AFB hosted “ Project Long Life II , ” a unique reliability test in which modified Minuteman missiles were fueled to travel a few hundred yards . The first launch from a Grand Forks silo occurred on 19 October 1966 and was declared unsuccessful . Nine days later , a second attempt also failed . A third attempt under “ Project Giant Boost ” occurred in August 1968 and again proved unsuccessful . Crews from the 321 SMW competed in SAC ’ s first Missile Combat Competition held at Vandenberg AFB from 2 through 7 April 1967 . Later that month , members from the wing launched its first Minuteman II from Vandenberg . Despite the wing ’ s relative youth , it quickly established a reputation for excellence by winning numerous honors during its first few years . For example , in 1969 , the unit received numerous significant honors , including the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award , and SAC Outstanding Missile Wing Award . Throughout the next two decades , the unit would score additional triumphs at Olympic Arena missile competitions and receive numerous “ best ” accolades . From December 1971 to March 1973 , the wing converted to Minuteman III missiles . These missiles represented a significant technological advancement , having multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles ( MIRVs ) . Coordinating the missile changeover required complex planning and execution . In 1972 alone , 250 separate nuclear weapon convoys motored over the roads of North Dakota . Modifications continued that enhanced readiness and improved survivability . For instance , about mid - August 1975 , “ Wing Six Integrated Program ” ( WSIP ) was implemented . WSIP included a silo upgrade that improved the missile suspension system to withstand greater blast - shock and provided the 321st with a remote targeting capability . The wing underwent continual readiness inspections and participated in numerous training exercises on base and at Vandenberg . Training improved with the expansion of on - base simulator facilities . For example , in 1970 , wing crews conducted tests using “ Modified Operational Missiles ” which enabled them to exercise all aspects of a missile launch except igniting the engine . Mother Nature often threatened wing readiness . The organizational history referred to “ the Great Blizzard of ‘ 66 , ” “ the storm of ‘ 75 that caused $ 10 , 000 in damages , ” and “ one of the harshest winters 119771 which ‘ hampered maintenance efforts ’ and had ‘ ice storms snapping power lines ’ . ” When the heavy snows melted , floods occasionally resulted . A quick thaw in April 1979 created one of the most devastating floods within the Red River valley basin during this century . In addition to protecting the silos from flood waters , wing personnel volunteered to join the mostly successful 2 - week struggle to keep Grand Forks and East Grand Forks dry . This effort was repeated in April 1989 . With the restructuring of the Air Force and the disestablishment of Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) in the early 1990s the wing first came under Air Combat Command ( ACC ) in 1992 and then under Air Force Space Command ( AFSPC ) in 1993 . In March 1995 , the Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) Commission selected the 321st Strategic Missile Wing for inactivation . The wing was downgraded to group status , and the 321st Missile Group was given a dual mission : To operate , maintain and secure combat - ready ICBM forces for the National Command Authority and to safely and securely transfer its alert responsibilities to the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base , Montana . When the decision was made to reduce the ICBM force , all of Grand Forks AFB was placed on the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) list . While the base and its aerial refueling wing under the newly established Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) survived , the missile field and 321st did not . The 321st Missile Group inactivated on 30 September 1998 . 321st Air Expeditionary Wing . The Air Force activated the 321st in August 2002 as the 321st Air Expeditionary Wing , assigned to AFCENT . The wing inactivated in 2004 , but was activated again in 2008 to assume the mission of Iraq Training and Advisory Mission ( ITAM ) - Air Force . On the evening of 31 August 2010 , a C - 130 crew completed the last mission of a U . S . aircraft in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) as they departed from Ali Al Salem Air Base , Kuwait , for Sather Air Base , Baghdad International Airport , Iraq . That same aircrew flew back to Kuwait , refueled , and then returned to Sather AB on 1 September to complete the first sortie of an American aircraft in support of Operation New Dawn ( OND ) . With the dawn of a new day and a new operation , the relationship between the U . S . and Iraq reached a new level . Under Operation New Dawn , American combat forces redeployed from the country , and the focus for the remaining U . S . Forces - Iraq ( ISF - I ) shifted to train , mentor , advise and assist the armed forces of Iraq in preparation for the anticipated exodus of U . S . military forces from Iraq by December 2011 . While Operation New Dawn brought a shift in mission for many of the remaining forces in Iraq , the 321st AEW and ITAM - Air Force were poised to continue their mission to train , mentor , advise and assist the Iraqi air force ( IqAF ) to develop into a professional and credible regional airpower partner . When the Iraqi Ministry of Defense ( IqMOD ) made the decision to split fixed - wing and rotary - wing operations in late 2010 , the Iraqi Army Aviation Command ( IqAAC ) was created . Because U . S . Airmen continued to advise for both IqAF and IqAAC , the name was changed from ITAM - Air Force to ITAM - Air and addressed the fully comprehensive scope of training . The wing and ITAM - Air encouraged the development of Iraqi airpower with the foundational and enduring capabilities to maintain internal security and defend against external threats . At the same time , the 321st AEW provided aerial port , airfield operations , base and medical support , in addition to command and control capabilities to support USF - I . The wing and ITAM - Air also prepared to transition designated missions and functions to other U . S . government agencies and the IqAF no later than December 2011 . The 321st AEW consists of four groups , geographically separated from wing headquarters ; the 321st Air Expeditionary Advisory Group ( 321 AEAG ) headquartered at Kirkuk AB , the 321st Expeditionary Mission Support Advisory Group ( 321 EMSAG ) with headquarters at Tikrit , the 407th Air Expeditionary Group ( 407 AEG ) at Ali Base and the 447th Air Expeditionary Group ( 447 AEG ) at Sather AB . At the beginning of October 2010 , the commanding general of USF - I issued his operational guidance for the entire command following the completion under the first month of Operation New Dawn . The general stressed that “ we will demonstrate our commitment through a continued partnership with the Iraqis . We will help the Iraqis develop their capability to provide for their own national defense . " In April 2010 , the 407th AEG at Ali Air Base and the 447th AEG at Sather Air Base realigned for drawdown operations leading up to Operation New Dawn . On 6 January 2011 , General Anthony Rock , who most recently served as Air Command and Staff College commandant and Spaatz Center for Officer Education vice commander , assumed command of the 321 AEW and ITAM - Air . The general urged those under his command to finish strong as the 31 December 2011 , deadline established under the 2008 U . S . - Iraq Status of Forces Agreement quickly approaches . The IqAAC held a ribbon cutting ceremony in Taji 17 January to formally begin operations in their newest maintenance facility . The massive aircraft hangar is a $ 9 . 8 million project that began in 2009 . The collaboration between the IqAAC and the United States provided a maintenance hangar large enough for current and growing future aviation mission requirements . At more than 240 feet long and 50 feet tall , the hangar is the largest maintenance hangar in Iraq and the largest clear - span building in the entire Middle East . The hangar bay is large enough to support multiple airframes and activities that have a logical work flow relationship simultaneously . It is also part of a larger complex that includes numerous offices and maintenance shops . The wing was inactivated on 22 December 2011 following the withdraw of US forces from Iraq and the cessation of . Components . Groups Squadrons Aircraft and missiles . LGM - 30 Minuteman III Missile Alert Facilities ( MAF ) ( each controlling 10 missiles ) are located as follows :