MISSION:
The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing delivers airpower by executing the air and space tasking order as directed by Headquarters U.S. Air Forces Central Command, sustains regional presence, and partners with Qatar and mission partners for the future.
The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing is the largest expeditionary wing in the world. The thousands of Airmen in the Grand Slam Wing fly 18 percent of daily air tasking order sorties. The wing is also in the top three for aerial port movements and dispenses more fuel than the next top five U.S. Air Force bases combined. It also runs the largest U.S. Department of Defense Blood Transshipment Center in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and provides support for over 20 detachments, groups and headquarters.
379th Expeditionary Operations Group
The expeditionary operations group operates four major weapon systems and five mission sets, including aeromedical evacuation, within the Air, Space and Cyberspace domains, supporting all six U.S. Air Force distinctive capabilities missions to enable Global Vigilance, Global Reach and Global Power.
It is one of the largest expeditionary operations groups in the Air Force, combining all three total force components generating over 3,300 sorties and 14,000 hours per year in support of operations throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and in support of Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.
379th Expeditionary Maintenance Group
The expeditionary maintenance group is a true total force team comprised of Airmen and aircraft from more than 70 different active, guard, and reserve force providers supporting six different airframes. In addition to generating combat airpower, the group provides unique capabilities for the entire area of responsibility to include crash recovery, aircraft battle damage repair, on-site depot liaison engineers, and centralized repair facilities for avionics, precision measurement equipment, brakes, and wheel and tire assemblies.
379th Expeditionary Mission Support Group
The expeditionary mission support group provides combat support to U.S. and coalition forces supporting Operations Freedom’s Sentinel and Inherent Resolve, Combined Defense of the Arabian Gulf, and emerging U.S. Central Command operations. The group provides all essential base-operating support services to include contracting, security, civil engineering, personnel, communications, transportation, supply, and fuel. Of note, the group runs the largest fuel and lodging operation in the DOD, and the largest civil engineering squadron, food operations, communications network, K9 operation, and sensor field in U.S. Air Forces Central Command.
379th Expeditionary Medical Group
The expeditionary medical group is an Expeditionary Medical Support (EMEDS)+10 deployable medical capability operating an 11-bed hospital and a 21-bed En Route Patient Staging Facility providing care to U.S. and coalition partners. The group is a Role-2 surgical facility supporting installation and U.S. Central Command patients. It also supports CENTCOM missions with two forward-deployable rapid response Ground Surgical Teams. It is the Department of Defense's sole expeditionary blood transition shipment center, and is the sole certifying and assembly point for individual first aid kits for the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
BACKGROUND:
The 379 AEW draws its storied history and lineage back to the greatest sustained aviation campaign in history – the Eighth Air Force’s bombing offensive against Nazi Germany during World War II. While the current wing is a relatively new unit -- it was reactivated in April 2002 – it is a direct descendent of the 379th Bombardment Group (Heavy) established Oct. 28, 1942. The 379th was a unit equipped with the B-17 Flying Fortress, the instrument of making daylight precision bombing against our nation’s enemies a reality. Flying in massed formations to maximize both defensive firepower and bombing concentration, Eighth Air Force leaders developed a system to more easily identify the bombers as they assembled in their formations without the benefit of radio communications. Each of the three air division of the Eighth Air Force had a different shape painted on the wing and vertical stabilizers of each aircraft. Inside of this shape, a letter from the alphabet designated the bombardment group numbered based on when they first entered combat. As a result, aircraft of the 379th Bombardment Group carried the “Triangle K” insignia. The Group was assigned to the 1st Air Division represented by the triangle, and was the eleventh unit to enter combat indicated by the letter "K."
Among its many distinctions, the 379th Bombardment Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations as well as the unprecedented and unrepeated "Eighth Air Force Operational Grand Slam" distinction. This was an honor bestowed by the HQ, Eighth Air Force in April 1944 in recognition for the Group achieving the best bombing accuracy, greatest tonnage of bombs dropped on target, largest number of aircraft attacking, lowest losses, and lowest mission-abort rate. As the only unit ever so recognized, the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing remains as proud of its "Grand Slam" legacy today as it was when it won this distinction in aerial combat in the skies over Europe during World War II.
REFERENCES
379th Air Expeditionary Wing home page: www.379aew.afcent.af.mil
(Current as of 25 Aug 19)
379th AEW Public Affairs DSN: 318-455-4226