435th Air Ground Operations Wing


The 435th Air Ground Wing Operations is an active unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to Europe. It is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
The current commander is Colonel Leland K. Cowie II, who assumed command on 18 June 2025. His command chief is Command Chief Master Sergeant Jared S. Roman.
The 435th AGOW is the second USAF wing solely dedicated to supporting battlefield airmen. It consolidated the Tactical Air Control Party and battlefield weather specialties of the 4th Air Support Operations Group, the contingency communications support of the 436th Communications Operations Group, and the expeditionary support to assess, prepare, and operate airfields for air expeditionary forces of the 436th Contingency Response Group.

Mission

The 435 AGOW comprises of three groups. Each group supports a specific portion of the wing's multifaceted mission.
Unless otherwise indicated, units are based at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
4th Air Support Operations Group
435th Communications Operations Group
435th Contingency Response Group
  • 435th Construction and Training Squadron
  • 435th Contingency Response Squadron
  • 435th Contingency Response Support Squadron
  • 435th Security Forces Squadron

    History

Reserve operations

In June 1949, Continental Air Command, which had the responsibility to train reserve units, reorganized its reserve units under the wing base organization system. As part of this reorganization and unit reductions required by president Truman's reduced 1949 defense budget, the 435th Troop Carrier Wing was activated at Miami International Airport, and formed its cadre from the inactivating 49th Air Division and 100th Bombardment Group.The wing was manned at 25% of normal strength but was authorized four squadrons rather than the three of active duty units.

Korean War mobilization

At Miami, the wing trained with C-46s under the supervision of the active duty 2585th Air Force Reserve Training Center. The wing was ordered into active service in March 1951 as a result of the Korean War. Along with other reserve units called to active duty, it formed the Tactical Air Command's Eighteenth Air Force. The 435th's initial function was to train C-46 aircrews for service in Korea. The wing also trained with Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars. Although it remained at Miami, the wing deployed twice while on active duty: to Laurinburg-Maxton Airport, North Carolina from 21 July until 1 September 1951 and to Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire from 2 January to 3 March 1952. It was relieved from active duty and inactivated on 1 December 1952 and its mission, personnel and equipment were transferred to the regular 456th Troop Carrier Wing, which was activated the same day.

Troop carrier operations

was activated as a reserve unit the same day at the same station, but with the personnel and equipment of the inactive 482d Troop Carrier Wing. In the reserve, the 435th once again flew Curtiss Commandos under the supervision of the 2585th Center. In the summer of 1956, the wing participated in Operation Sixteen Ton during its two weeks of active duty training. Sixteen Ton was performed entirely by reserve troop carrier units and moved United States Coast Guard equipment from Floyd Bennett Naval Air Station to Isla Grande Airport in Puerto Rico and San Salvador in the Bahamas. After the success of this operation, the wing began to use inactive duty training periods for Operation Swift Lift, transporting high priority cargo for the Air Force; and Operation Ready Swap, transporting aircraft engines between Air Materiel Command's depots. In addition, for the first time as a reserve unit, its flying was performed in unit tactical aircraft, rather than in trainers.

Detached Squadron Concept

During the first half of 1955, the Air Force began detaching reserve squadrons to separate locations. The dispersal of separate squadrons to smaller population centres was intended to facilitate recruiting and manning. One of the first three squadrons to move as this policy was implemented was the 78th Troop Carrier Squadron, which was activated at Orlando Air Force Base in April 1955 after having been inactivated at Miami the previous year. In August 1956, the wing's 77th Troop Carrier Squadron left Miami for Pinellas County Airport, Florida. The squadron's stay in the Tampa Bay area was brief, however, for in November 1957 it moved again, this time to New Orleans Naval Air Station, Louisiana. Only the 76th Squadron remained with group headquarters in Miami. In 1957, the wing once again received C-119s.
In 1958, the 2585th Center was inactivated and some of its personnel were absorbed by the wing. In place of active duty support for reserve units, Continental Air Command adopted the Air Reserve Technician program, in which a cadre of the unit consisted of full-time personnel who were simultaneously civilian employees of the Air Force and also held military rank as members of the reserves.

Activation of groups under the wing

The 435th Troop Carrier Group was deactivated on 14 April 1959 when the 435th Wing adopted the Dual Deputy organization and the group's squadrons were assigned directly to the wing. In 1960, the wing left Miami International Airport and moved south to Homestead Air Force Base, Florida.
Although the dispersal of flying units under the Detached Squadron Concept was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it proved difficult. This weakness was demonstrated in the partial mobilization of reserve units during the Berlin Crisis of 1961. The 77th and 78th Troop Carrier Squadrons converted to the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II in 1961, and were ordered to active service for the crisis, although the 76th Troop Carrier Squadron, which continued to fly the C-119, remained in reserve status. After training to become combat ready, the mobilized wing participated in worldwide airlift and tactical exercises. The wing returned to reserve status in August 1962 and the 76th Squadron was once more assigned.
To resolve the mobilization problem, at the start of 1962 Continental Air Command determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishing groups with support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons. This reorganization would facilitate mobilization of elements of wings in various combinations when needed. However, as this plan was entering its implementation phase, another partial mobilization occurred for the Cuban Missile Crisis. The formation of troop carrier groups was delayed until January for wings that had not been mobilized. The 915th Troop Carrier Group at Homestead, the 916th Troop Carrier Group at Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina and the 917th Troop Carrier Group at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, were all assigned to the wing on 17 January. That spring, the Air Force closed Donaldson and the 916th Group moved to Carswell Air Force Base, Texas and was reassigned. It was replaced by the 908th Troop Carrier Group at Bates Field, Alabama. The wing's other Globemaster group, the 917th, was reassigned in July and the wing once again flew Flying Boxcars as its tactical aircraft.
The wing was deactivated in April 1965 and had its groups reassigned to other reserve wings.

European airlift

Reactivated first at RAF High Wycombe, England, 24 December 1968, then moved to Wiesbaden, West Germany on 1 July 1969, the 435th served as a support wing of Military Airlift Command, providing deployed airlift control elements and aircraft maintenance at aerial ports in portions of Europe, the Middle East, Southwest Asia, and Africa.
The re-designated 435th Tactical Airlift Wing had host responsibilities for Rhein-Main AB, beginning July 1975, which included operating the busiest U.S. air terminal in Europe and supporting CONUS-based strategic airlift transiting Rhein-Main. While continuing to function as a tactical and support wing, the 435th TAW gained the mission of aeromedical evacuation in Europe and the Middle East. Provided airlift support for United States European Command and Headquarters, United States Air Forces in Europe, from March 1977 until June 1978.
Provided airlift for the theater, first with rotational Lockheed C-130 Hercules forces until early 1978, and afterward with a permanently assigned C-130 airlift squadron. Participated in joint and combined paratroop training and exercises, as well all manner of theater humanitarian airlift, including relief for natural disasters, evacuation of civilians from hostile situations, and aeromedical evacuation from combat areas.
During Operation Desert Shield/Storm, the wing's 37th Tactical Airlift Squadron, plus additional wing personnel, deployed to Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, from mid-August 1990 to late March 1991 to provide theater airlift during the Persian Gulf War.
On 1 April 1992, the wing was again re-designated as the 435th Airlift Wing and implemented USAF's objective wing concept. With the inactivation of Military Airlift Command in 1992, the wing and Rhein-Main returned to USAFE control, while an Air Mobility Command airlift support group was activated to take over operation of the air terminal and support transiting air mobility aircraft.
From July 1992 through September 1994, the wing controlled the massive airlift effort to provide airland and airdrop humanitarian airlift to war-torn areas of the former Yugoslavia.
On 1 October 1993 the 55 AAS and 58 AS were inactivated as part of the general drawdown of USAF units and installations in Europe at the end of the Cold War. In February 1994, USAF began returning portions of Rhein-Main Air Base to German control and the wing's remaining airlift squadron was reassigned to the 86th Wing at Ramstein Air Base. The 86th Wing was redesignated the 86th Airlift Wing on 1 October 1994. The 435 AW was inactivated effective 1 April 1995 and its responsibilities at Rhein-Main turned over to the 469th Air Base Group under USAFE and the 626th Air Mobility Support Squadron under Air Mobility Command. The last commander of the 435th Airlift Wing was Col Donald A.Philpitt, USAF.

Expeditionary status

The 435 AW was converted to a provisional expeditionary wing, the 435th Air Expeditionary Wing, in February 2001, but was never activated as an expeditionary unit. It was returned to regular status in December 2003.

Activation at Ramstein

In January 2004, the wing was reactivated as the 435th Air Base Wing and assumed the overall host base support responsibilities at Ramstein Air Base, Germany as a non-flying unit.
In mid 2009, the 435th Air Base Wing was re-designated the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing, the second wing of its kind in the USAF. The 435th assumed mission areas previously performed by two 86th Airlift Wing units – the contingency response group and the air and space communications group – along with the 4th Air Support Operations Group at Heidelberg, Germany. The 431st Air Base Group was inactivated during an earlier ceremony. The remaining mission areas of the 435th were merged back into the 86th Airlift Wing.

Lineage

Groups
Squadrons