168th Air Refueling Wing The 168th Air Refueling Wing ( 168 ARW ) is a unit of the Alaska Air National Guard , stationed at Eielson Air Force Base , Fairbanks , Alaska . If activated to federal service , the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . Overview . The 168th ARW is the only Arctic region refueling unit in the United States and maintains a substantial number of personnel on active duty and civilian technician status in order to meet its daily operational requirements . The unit transfers more fuel than any other Air National Guard tanker wing , because nearly all receivers are active duty aircraft , many of which are on operational missions . The mission of the 168 ARW is to train and equip KC - 135R combat crews to provide air refueling in support of PACAF Operations Plans ( OPLANS ) and worldwide refueling taskings . It ' s peacetime mission provides air refueling training and exercise support for all 11th Air Force AWACS and fighter aircraft , as well as alert tankers and crews to support Alaska NORAD Region ( ANR ) plans and Joint Chiefs of Staff - directed refueling requirements . In 2000 , the wing became mobility - tasked , which has been a true opportunity for growth and learning . Besides its federally directed missions , as a unit of the Alaska National Guard , the 168 ARW is an asset of the Governor of Alaska and as such , the Governor can direct the unit to respond to emergencies declared or missions required within the State . The 168th ARW completed its R - model conversion in 1995 , and in 2000 they completed a major flight deck upgrade called " Pacer CRAG " – with the CRAG standing for Compass , Radar , and GPS ( Global Positioning System ) . The Wing ' s Primary Assigned Aircraft are eight KC - 135 R - models assigned to the 168th Air Refueling Squadron . The wing aircraft are identified with a blue tail stripe , and the name " Alaska " . Because of Alaska ' s strategic location with regard to national defense , the mission and importance of the 168 ARW and the Alaska Air National Guard should continue to increase in the coming years . The 168 ARW has a remarkably broad range of responsibilities . Units . The 168th Air Refueling Wing consists of the following units : Emblem . The upper right of the shield consists of a compass rose against a yellow background . The compass rose signifies the global nature of the Wing mission and is set at a 30 degree angle to the east representing the magnetic variation of Alaska where the Group was first formed . The yellow background represents the midnight sun at high latitude and the day aspect of the air refueling mission . The lower left of the shield depicts a red lightning bolt running from cloud to cloud against a blue background . The red lightning bolt signifies the projection of military power , the clouds are the medium in which it performs its mission , and the blue background the Arctic night and the night aspect of its mission . The red lightning bolt is also a prominent feature of the squadron patch from which the 168th Air Refueling Group / Wing evolved . Between the yellow and blue fields is a bar of ultramarine blue containing eight yellow stars . The ultramarine blue is Air Force blue representing the 168 ARW ' s role in the Total Force ; it is also the background color of the Alaska flag . The eight yellow stars are the stars of the big dipper also found on the Alaska flag . History . Established on 23 October 1990 when the Alaska ANG 168th Air Refueling Squadron was expanded to a group level . The 168th Air Refueling Squadron traces its lineage to the 437th Bombardment Squadron of the 319th Bombardment Group , originally activated at Barksdale Field , Louisiana , in June 1942 . From a modest beginning in 1986 , with just four KC - 135E aircraft transferred from the Arkansas Air National Guard at Little Rock AFB , the unit has blossomed into Wing status and all the accouterments of a full Air Refueling Wing . The first rendezvous and refueling of the squadron occurred just weeks after the arrival of the first aircraft . The pilot in command was Ltc . Tom Gresch , and the navigator conducting the rendezvous was Capt . Michael R . Stack , formerly of the 126th Air Refueling Wing in Chicago . The 168 ARW has command and control over thirteen subordinate assigned units whose missions include all aircraft maintenance for the PACAF - gained tankers , providing financial , transportation , contracting , and base supply resources , communications , data processing and visual information functions , organizational security , and disaster preparedness and air base operability . They also contain all personnel activities such as training , equal employment opportunity and recruiting , and limited diagnostic and therapeutic service in general medicine , flight medicine , bioenvironmental , environmental , and dental services .