3rd Wing
 | |
|---|---|
 Two of the wing's F-22 Raptors over Alaska, 2007 | |
| Active | 18 August 1948 – present (76 years, 2 months) |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Composite Wing |
| Part of | Pacific Air Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska |
| Motto(s) | Non Solum Armis (Latin: "Not By Arms Alone") |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations |
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| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Kevin M. Jamieson[2] |
| Insignia | |
| 3rd Wing emblem (approved 22 December 1952)[1][note 1] |  |
The 3rd Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) Eleventh Air Force. It is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
The Wing is the largest and principal unit within 11th Air Force. A composite organization, it provides air supremacy, surveillance, worldwide airlift, and agile combat support forces to project power and reach. As the host unit at Elmendorf, the 3rd Wing also maintains the installation for force staging and throughput operations for worldwide U.S. DOD short-notice deployments, and provides medical care for all forces in Alaska.
The wing's 3rd Operations Group is a direct descendant of the 3rd Attack Group, one of the 15 original combat air groups formed by the Army before World War II. The Wing performed reconnaissance and interdiction combat missions from Iwakuni Air Base, Japan, at the beginning of the Korean War.
During the Vietnam War, the wing moved in November 1965 to Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam, a forward operating base, which frequently came under enemy mortar and rocket fire. Missions included close air support, counterinsurgency, forward air control, interdiction, and radar-controlled bombing. Supported numerous ground operations with strike missions against enemy fortifications, supply areas, lines of communication and personnel, in addition to suppressing fire in landing areas.
Today, the 3rd Wing trains and equips an Air Expeditionary Force lead wing composed of more than 6,000 Airmen and E-3G, C-17 and F-22A aircraft.
- ^ a b c Robertson, Patsy (8 February 2013). "3 Wing (PACAF)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "JBER Biographies". www.jber.jb.mil. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
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