{"id":4653,"date":"2024-09-04T14:10:04","date_gmt":"2024-09-05T00:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/?page_id=4653"},"modified":"2026-07-20T09:33:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T19:33:29","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/about\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawai\u02bbi Air National Guard History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-nk-awb nk-awb\"><div class=\"nk-awb-wrap\" data-awb-type=\"image\" data-awb-parallax=\"scroll\" data-awb-parallax-speed=\"0.5\" data-awb-parallax-mobile=\"false\" data-awb-image-background-size=\"cover\" data-awb-image-background-position=\"49% 57%\"><div class=\"nk-awb-inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/files\/2026\/07\/9617699-scaled.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-6037 jarallax-img\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/files\/2026\/07\/9617699-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/files\/2026\/07\/9617699-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/files\/2026\/07\/9617699-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/files\/2026\/07\/9617699-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/files\/2026\/07\/9617699-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/files\/2026\/07\/9617699-2048x1364.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/files\/2026\/07\/9617699-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/files\/2026\/07\/9617699-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/files\/2026\/07\/9617699-1280x853.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/files\/2026\/07\/9617699-1920x1279.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"nk-awb-wrap-content is-layout-constrained wp-block-nk-awb-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-nk-awb nk-awb\"><div class=\"nk-awb-wrap\" data-awb-type=\"color\"><div class=\"nk-awb-overlay\" style=\"background: #ffc400;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"nk-awb-wrap-content is-layout-constrained wp-block-nk-awb-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">HIANG<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\">Hawai\u02bbi Air National Guard<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Hawai\u02bbi Air National Guard was formed on November 4<sup>th<\/sup>, 1946, one year before the founding of the U.S. Air Force. The original four units, the 199<sup>th<\/sup> Fighter Squadron, the 199<sup>th<\/sup> Utility Flight, the 199<sup>th<\/sup> Weather Station, and Detachment C, 199<sup>th<\/sup> Air Service Group, operated out of Bellows Field flying the P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft with state militia volunteers.&nbsp;National Guard aviators have played significant roles in all of America&#8217;s wars and most of its major contingencies since the First World War. From those humble beginnings, the Hawai\u02bbi Air National Guard has become the most diverse in the Air National Guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hawai\u02bbi 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 Hawai\u02bbi 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 154<sup>th <\/sup>Fighter Group. In April of 1973 Hawai\u02bbi Air National Guard Aviation reorganized into two separate flying units and one aircraft maintenance company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Hawai\u02bbi 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 Hawai\u02bbi Air National Guard stood up the 203<sup>rd<\/sup> Air Refueling Squadron and began flying KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. The following year the 204<sup>th<\/sup> Airlift Squadron was formed, flying C-130 transports. Hawai\u02bbi 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 Hawai\u02bbi National Guard sprang into action playing a vital role in protecting our homeland after September 11<sup>th<\/sup> and for the next two decades continued to support the global war on terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today the Hawai\u02bbi Air National Guard is comprised of Headquarters, the 154<sup>th<\/sup> Wing, the 201<sup>st <\/sup>Air Operations Group, and the 298<sup>th <\/sup>Air Defense Group. The Hawai\u02bbi Air National Guard has a two-fold mission, which is performing during a state mission by providing organized, trained units to protect Hawai\u02bbi&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-63375db1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100 is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hawaii-national-guard-history\/\">Read the Full History of the Hawai\u02bbi National Guard<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-63375db1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100 is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/blog\/commanders-of-the-hawaii-air-national-guard\/\">View the Commanders of the Hawai\u02bbi Air National Guard<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-63375db1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100 is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/blog\/command-chief-of-the-hawai\u02bbi-air-national\/\">View the Command Chiefs of the Hawai\u02bbi Air National<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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&#8217;s primary organized combat reserve force. The National Defense Act of 1947 established the Air [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":189,"featured_media":0,"parent":4655,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"3180,1439,2912,4476,1382,1508","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-4653","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/189"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4653"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6038,"href":"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4653\/revisions\/6038"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dod.hawaii.gov\/hiang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}