506th Air Expeditionary Group

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506th Air Expeditionary Group
Emblem of the 506th Air Expeditionary Group
Active	1944–1945; 1952–1959; 1972–1973; 2003–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Garrison/HQ	United States Central Command Air Forces
Engagements	World War II Asiatic-Pacific Campaign (1944–1945) Global War on Terrorism Iraq Campaign (since 2003) Liberation of Iraq: 19 March 2003 – 1 May 2003 Transition of Iraq: 2 May 2003 – 28 June 2004 Iraqi Governance: 29 June 2004 – 15 December 2005 National Resolution: 16 December 2005 – 9 January 2007 Iraqi Surge: 10 January 2007 – 31 December 2008 Iraqi Sovereignty: 1 January 2009 – 31 August 2010 New Dawn: 1 September 2010 – 31 December 2011

The 506th Air Expeditionary Group (506 AEG) is a provisional United States Air Force unit. The group is assigned to the United States Air Forces Central 332d Air Expeditionary Wing, stationed at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.

The 506 AEG secures the base, conducts safe flight operations and supports the nation builders in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and other US Air Forces Central and US Central Command contingency plans. As a provisional unit, the 506 AEG may be activated or inactivated at any time.

The group's lineage begins in 1944 as the 301st Fighter Group which flew P-51 Mustangs as part of Twentieth Air Force in the Western Pacific. During the Cold War, the unit was a Strategic Air Command fighter-escort unit and later active with Tactical Air Command and the Air Force Reserve as a tactical fighter unit.