460th Space Wing

460th Space Wing
Official emblem of the 460th Space Wing
Active	19 August 2004
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Space
Role	Early warning and space defense
Part of	Air Force Space Command
Garrison/HQ	Buckley AFB
Equipment	Ground radar and satellite telecom
Decorations	DUC PUC AFOUA w/ V Device File:GallantryCrossRibbon.jpg RVGC w/ Palm
Commanders
Current commander	Col. David W. Ziegler

The 460th Space Wingis located at Buckley Air Force Base, east of Aurora, Colorado.

Since the 460th was reactivated on 1 October, 2001, the wing has provided delivered global infrared surveillance to combatant commanders, provided worldwide missile warning and tracking for homeland defense purposes, provided expeditionary warrior Airmen

Organization

The 460th Space Wing is directed by Air Force Space Command. The wing is divided into three groups: the 460th Operations Group, the 460th Mission Support Group, and the 460th Medical Group.

The 460th Operations Group provides missile warning, missile defense, technical intelligence, satellite command and control, and robust aerospace communications. The Group operates the Defense Support Program satellites, providing continuous global surveillance, tracking, and targeting.

The 460th Mission Support Group provides trained personnel to support the Air Expeditionary Forces and Homeland Defense. Specific capabilities include force protection, human resources management, contracting, an logistics. Since the 460th is the host unit at Buckley AFB, the 460th MSG also maintains the base's infrastructure and environmental controls.<ref="factsheet"/>

The 460th Medical Group supports military readiness to the Air Expeditionary Forces and Homeland Defense missions by ensuring base personnel are medically qualified for deployments. The medical group also provides quick-response services to the Air Expeditionary Forces and the Deptartment Homeland Security, as well as more traditional health care services such as optometry, wellness services and dental care.

History

During World War II, the 460th was known as the 460th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and was assigned to the 55th Bombardment Wing of Fifteenth Air Force.

The 460th Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators with tails marked in yellow and black, affixed with a black square

The group trained for heavy bombardment operations overseas at bases in Alamogordo AAF in New Mexico from July 1 to August 31 1943, at Kearns AAB in Utah, and Chatham AAF in Georgia. The 460th moved to Spinazzola, Italy in February 1944, and the entered combat on 19 March.

The 460th earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for leading the 55th Bomb Wing through adverse weather and heavy enemy fire to attack an airfield and aircraft facilities in Zwolfaxing, Austria, on 26 Jul 1944. The group also flew some interdiction and support missions and supported the invasion of southern France in Aug 1944 by raiding submarine pens, marshalling yards and gun positions in the assault area. It struck bridges, viaducts, ammunition dumps, railroads and other targets to aid the advance of Allied forces in northern Italy.

The 460th bombed enemy marshalling yards, oil refineries and storage facilities, aircraft factories, industrial areas and other objectives in Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, Rumania, Yugoslavia and Greece.

The group flew its last World War II combat mission on 26 April 1945, then moved to Waller Field in Trinidad and finally Paramirim Field, Natal, Brazil in June 1945 to assist in moving redeployed personnel from Europe to the United States. The 460th Bombardment Group was deactivated on September 26, 1945.

Vietnam War

460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing Shield

The 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was reactivated at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam on 2 February 1966 to control and administer tactical reconnaissance resources in Southeast Asia. Assigned and attached tactical reconnaissance and tactical electronic warfare squadrons and squadron-sized detachments flew day and night visual, photographic, radar, thermographic, and electronic reconnaissance missions to meet the combat needs of the 2nd Air Division until April 1966 and for the 7th Air Force thereafter. It then divided reconnaissance in Southeast Asia with another wing in September 1966.

In October 1966, it assumed aircraft maintenance responsibility for all U.S. Air Force organizations using Tan Son Nhut AB. It continued its reconnaissance operations through August 1971 and was inactivated Aug. 31 that year.

The 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Group flew RF-4C Phantom IIs in 1990

1989 and 1990

The 460th was redesignated as the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Group on September 19, 1989 and was activated on October 1 1989. The 460th spent a year operating out RF-4s out of Taegu AB, South Korea in support of the Seventh Air Force.

2001 - 2004

Main article: Buckley Air Force Base

Buckley AFB was established as Buckley Field in 1942 by the Department of the Army to train armorers and bombardiers for B-24 Liberators and [[B-17 Flying Fortress]es. After World War II, the field briefly became an auxiliary field of Lowry AFB before being transferred to the Colorado Air National Guard in 1946. In 1947, the field fell under control of the Department of the Navy for twelve years before returning the base to the Colorado ANG. The Colorado ANG would operate fighters at the base for the next 60 years.

However, on October 1, 2000, the United States Air Force took control of the base was assigned the 821st Space Group to oversee it's operations. A year later, the 460th Air Base Wing was reactivated to assume full control of Buckley AFB in Aurora, Colorado. Under the 460th's command, the base underwent an extensive modernization program to improve the base's support facilities. The 460th oversaw construction of one of the largest base commissary and base exchange complexes in the Air Force, as well as a fitness center, dorms, and other housing areas for Buckley Airmen.

2004 - present

On Aug. 19, 2004, the wing was redesignated as the 460th Space Wing. The 460th SW, while retaining control of Buckley AFB, added a Space Mission to it's responsibilities. Today, the 460th (...)

Contact Information

460th Space Wing Public Affairs
510 S. Aspen St. (Stop 88)
Buckley AFB, CO 80011
Ph: 720-847-9431

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

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• 460th Space Wing Fact Sheet
• Buckley Air Force Base
• Colorado Air National Guard Buckley
• The 15th US Army Air Force in July 1944
• 460th Bomb Group "Black Panthers"

See Also

• Buckley AFB