142nd Wing | |
---|---|
Active | 1943–1945; 1946–present |
Country | United States |
Branch | Air National Guard |
Type | Wing |
Role | Fighter/Air Defense/Special Tactics |
Part of | Oregon Air National Guard |
Garrison/HQ | Portland Air National Guard Base, Portland, Oregon |
Nickname(s) | Redhawks |
Motto(s) | Semper Vigilans (Latin: "Always ready") |
Website | www |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Colonel Todd A. Hofford[1] |
Insignia | |
142nd Wing emblem | |
142nd Fighter Wing emblem | |
142nd Fighter Wing emblem |
The 142nd Wing is a unit of the Oregon Air National Guard and the United States Air Force, stationed at Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon.
As a state militia unit, the 142nd Wing is under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Air National Guard unless it is federalized by order of the President of the United States. If activated for federal service, the wing would fall under control of Air Combat Command.
The 123rd Fighter Squadron assigned to the wing's 142nd Operations Group, descends from the 123rd Observation Squadron, formed on 30 July 1940. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The 123rd FS acts as a part of First Air Force and the Western Air Defense Sector, providing air sovereignty and homeland defense of the Western United States for NORAD on a 24/7 basis.[2]
The 125th Special Tactics Squadron (STS), which conducts a wide array of special forces operations both domestically, and internationally, is also part of the wing. According to the 125th STS mission statement, the squadron is "poised for full spectrum rapid response to all crises and contingencies at home or abroad".[3] The 125th STS is one of only two Special Tactics Units in the Air National Guard.[3] The inclusion of the 125th STS under the Wing led to the organization re-designating itself as the 142nd Wing in order to better articulate the varied capabilities of the organization.[4]
redesignation
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).