926th Wing with 2 OGs activated at Nellis, Creech

by Tech. Sgt. Sanjay Allen
99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

12/10/2014 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev.  -- The 926th Group was redesignated as the 926th Wing during a ceremony Dec. 5at 9:26 a.m. in the 57th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Lightning Aircraft Maintenance Unit hangar, followed by the activation of the 926th Operations Group and later in the day, the 726th OG at Creech AFB, Nevada.

"The standup of the 926th Wing is really a celebration of what has been accomplished by those that have gone before us," said Col. Ross Anderson, 926th Wing commander. "It started out as a small cadre of individuals ... [and] has turned into a wing of over 1,300 members acknowledging the fact that we bring a very specific and skilled mission set to the organization.

Transitioning to a wing will ensure total force Airmen have the tools to strengthen America's warfighting capability.

"The citizen Airmen that we have in Reserve Command now have the proper oversight and leadership so that they can properly execute their mission," said Col. Dean Caldwell, 926th OG commander.

Consisting of 13 squadrons, the 926th WG includes more than 1,300 reservists integrated with active duty Air Force units at six geographically separated locations. This philosophy is known as Total Force Integration, or TFI.

"The 926th Wing at Nellis AFB is a Total Force Integration wing that's tied directly to Nellis Air Force Base and Creech Air Force Base missions, the warfare center here at Nellis and the [Air Combat Command] missions at Creech Air Force Base flying the remotely piloted aircraft," Anderson said.

The 926th WG, under 10th Air Force, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas, is an associate unit to the United States Air Force Warfare Center, 432nd WG and the 49th WG, at Holloman AFB . Through TFI, reservists are integrated into regular Air Force units, accomplishing the USAFWC, 432nd WG and 49th WG missions side-by-side active duty Air Force personnel on a daily basis.

"Our members are reservists working directly with and for the active duty, and our job here is to support, supplement [and] provide continuity to the combat missions, the testing and the training," said Anderson. "We're integrated thoroughly in the squadrons and the groups and all the training and testing and operational and combat missions."

Brig. Gen. Donald Lindberg, 10th Air Force vice commander, presided over the redesignation ceremony, and when he concluded his speech, the 926th Group guidon was cased and the new 926th Wing guidon was unfurled before a crowd of total force Airmen who trace their roots back to 1963 when the 926th Troop Carrier Group was established at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, Louisiana, where they flew the C-119 Flying Box Car.