Hawai‘i Air National Guard

Hawaii Air National Guard History

State militias established as early as 1636, later became the National Guard of the United States, making it the oldest component of the U.S. military. The Militia Act of 1903 created the modern National Guard and affirmed it as the nation’s primary organized combat reserve force. The National Defense Act of 1947 established the Air National Guard as a separate reserve component at the same time it established the U.S. Air Force.

The Hawaii Air National Guard was formed on November 4th, 1946, one year before the founding of the U.S. Air Force. The original four units, the 199th Fighter Squadron, the 199th Utility Flight, the 199th Weather Station, and Detachment C, 199th Air Service Group, operated out of Bellows Field flying the P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft with state militia volunteers. National Guard aviators have played significant roles in all of America’s wars and most of its major contingencies since the First World War. From those humble beginnings, the Hawaii Air National Guard has become the most diverse in the Air National Guard.

Hawaii Air National Guard F-102 pilots flew bomber escort missions during the Vietnam War. In fact, the Palace Alert program, rotating Air National Guard pilots to Southeast Asia, was proposed by the Hawaii Air National Guard. The Royal Guard, an honor guard with a mandate to preserve historical ties made up of Airmen with Hawaiian ancestry was founded in November 1963. 1972 the first female officer and enlisted personnel join as members of the 154th Fighter Group. In April of 1973 Hawaii Air National Guard Aviation reorganized into two separate flying units and one aircraft maintenance company.

The Hawaii Air National Guard diligently planned and executed the final steps for the F-15A Eagle aircraft to replace the F-4C Phantom jet fighters in 1986. By 1993, the Hawaii Air National Guard stood up the 203rd Air Refueling Squadron and began flying KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. The following year the 204th Airlift Squadron was formed, flying C-130 transports. Hawaii became the first state to deploy Air National Guard F-15 fighter aircraft to patrol the northern no-fly zone of Iraq imposed by the United Nations at the end of the Gulf War. Airmen from the Hawaii National Guard sprang into action playing a
vital role in protecting our homeland after September 11 th and for the next two decades continued to support the global war on terrorism.

Today the Hawaii Air National Guard is comprised of Headquarters, the 154th Wing, the 201st Air Operations Group, and the 298th Air Defense Group. The Hawaii Air National Guard has a two-fold mission, which is performing during a state mission by providing organized, trained units to protect Hawaii’s citizens and property, preserve peace, and ensure public safety in response to natural or human-caused disasters. While the federal mission is to provide operationally ready combat units, combat support units, and qualified personnel for active duty in the U.S. Air Force in time of war, national
emergency, or operational contingency.

Hawaii National Guard History