502d Air Base Wing The 502d Air Base Wing ( 502 ABW ) is a United States Air Force unit that provides installation support for Joint Base San Antonio . The 502d activated on 1 August 2009 . The wing ' s three Mission Support Groups perform the installation support mission at each major installation in the San Antonio area . The mission of the wing is to meet the needs of all three installations of JBSA , their missions and people and to optimize installation support while maximizing opportunities for greater joint military and community cooperation . This mission is carried out through the Mission Support Group located on each JBSA base . History . The 502d Air Base Wing traces it lineage back to 1947 . On 17 November 1947 , the Air Force organized and activated the 502d Air University Wing ( 502 AUW ) at Maxwell Field , in Montgomery , Alabama . The Air Force , which became a separate service on two months before , initiated a re - organization program that decentralized operations and provided for easier and quicker mobility of tactical units . As part of the re - organization , the Air Force inactivated the 42d Army Air Force Base Unit , and activated the 502 AUW in its place . Personnel and equipment from the 42d transferred to the 502 AUW . Under the command of Col . William E . Covington Jr . , the 502 AUW provided logistical support and base services for Air University and other base agencies on or near Maxwell Field and nearby Gunter Field . The 502 AUW performed the installation support mission for less than a year when the Air Force disestablished the wing on 27 July 1948 and established , organized , and activated the 3800th Air University Wing in its place on 28 July 1948 . The 3800th , under various designations , accomplished the installation support mission at Maxwell and Gunter for the next 44 years . In 1992 , then Air Force Chief of Staff , Gen . Merrill A . McPeak ordered a major re - organization of the Air Force . As part of the re - organization , General McPeak focused on the preservation of the lineage and heritage of the Air Force ’ s most prestigious units . The general also decided that all four - digit units should be redesignated as three - digit units . Because of this , Air Training Command ( ATC ) consolidated the history of the 502 AUW with the now designated 3800th Air Base Wing on 1 October 1992 . That same day , ATC redesignated the 3800th Air Base Wing as the 502d Air Base Wing ( 502 ABW ) . The 502 ABW continued to perform the installation support mission at Maxwell and Gunter until 1 October 1994 . That day , the 502 ABW inactivated once again and the 42d Air Base Wing took over installation support for Maxwell and Gunter . On 9 November 2005 , President George W . Bush endorsed the recommendations of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission ( BRAC ) , and signed them into law . One of the recommendations called for the implementation of joint basing . Joint basing involved a single entity that managed the support functions of two or more adjacent DoD installations . The commission felt that combined support functions eliminated duplicated efforts and created a single efficient organization . For San Antonio , the commission recommended joint basing for the three major installations around the city ; Fort Sam Houston , Lackland AFB , and Randolph AFB . The Air Force , as the lead service for Joint Base San Antonio ( JBSA ) , looked to one of the few wings with a history of accomplishing an installation support mission , the 502d Air Base Wing . On 1 August 2009 , the 502 ABW activated once again , this time to perform the joint base administration mission . Because of its central location in San Antonio and Bexar County , Texas , the Air Force activated the wing at Fort Sam Houston . This also marked the return of a major Air Force presence to Fort Sam Houston for the first time since 1917 . Unlike its prior activations , the 502 ABW did not replace a unit . The wing gradually built its staff over the next few months , while it coordinated with the support functions at Fort Sam Houston , Lackland AFB , and Randolph AFB , in anticipation of JBSA achieving Initial Operational Capability ( IOC ) . When IOC occurred , the 502 ABW assumed the installation support mission for the three installations . On 31 January 2010 , the 502 ABW took over responsibility as the host unit at Lackland and Randolph . On that day , the 12th Mission Support Group at Randolph inactivated and the 902d Mission Support Group activated in its place . Meanwhile , the 37th Mission Support Group at Lackland inactivated and the 802d Mission Support Group activated in its place . At Fort Sam Houston , the wing assumed IOC on 30 April 2010 when the 502d Mission Support Group ( 502 MSG ) activated . The 502 MSG also provided installation support for Camp Bullis in northwestern Bexar County . The three groups and their subordinate squadrons accomplished the various installation support missions for each JBSA installation . The US Army Garrison at Fort Sam Houston remained active alongside the 502 MSG until JBSA achieved Full Operational Capability ( FOC ) on 1 October 2010 . At FOC , the Garrison inactivated and the Army civilian employees transferred to the Air Force . The 502 ABW became the host unit for Fort Sam Houston , Lackland AFB , and Randolph AFB . While all three installations and Camp Bullis ( supported by Fort Sam Houston ) make up JBSA , none share a fence line , and each maintains its long and distinguished historical identity .