FIFTY YEARS ON NATO’S SOUTHERN FLANK A HISTORY OF SIXTEENTH AIR FORCE 1954 – 2004 By WILLIAM M. BUTLER Sixteenth Air Force Historian Office of History Headquarters, Sixteenth Air Force United States Air Forces in Europe Aviano Air Base, Italy 1 May 2004 ii FOREWORD The past fifty years have seen tremendous changes in the world and in our Air Force. Since its inception as the Joint U.S Military Group, Air Administration (Spain) responsible for the establishment of a forward presence for strategic and tactical forces, Sixteenth Air Force has stood guard on the southern flank of our NATO partners ensuring final success in the Cold War and fostering the ability to deploy expeditionary forces to crises around our theater. This history then is dedicated to all of the men and women who met the challenges of the past 50 years and continue to meet each new challenge with energy, courage, and devoted service to the nation. GLEN W. MOORHEAD III Lieutenant General, USAF Commander iii PREFACE A similar commemorative history of Sixteenth Air Force was last published in 1989 with the title On NATO’s Southern Flank by previous Sixteenth Air Force Historian, Dr. Robert L. Swetzer. This 50th Anniversary edition contains much of the same structure of the earlier history, but the narrative has been edited, revised, and expanded to encompass events from the end of the Cold War to the emergence of today’s Global War on Terrorism. However, certain sections in the earlier edition dealing with each of the countries in the theater and minor bases have been omitted. In place of those, I have provided updated narratives to some of our major operating bases and units, as well as emblems and photographs that were not included in the 1989 edition. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Ms. Tammy Skipper, an Aviano volunteer, who was responsible for bringing the history into the electronic age and who provided much needed assistance in gathering materials to update the history. In addition, Senior Airman Tony Constantine of the 31st Civil Engineer Squadron spent a month of reserve duty digitizing most of the images found within. Without the assistance of those two individuals, this history would not have been possible. I also wish to thank my wife Jennifer Bommelje-Butler, Mrs. Pat Parrish, a United States Air Forces in Europe staff historian, and TSgt Nik Waller, the 31st Fighter Wing historian, for their helpful suggestions and kind editorial assistance. Finally, the many years of diligent work by all previous Sixteenth Air Force and subordinate unit historians must be acknowledged as the foundation for this 50th Anniversary edition. WILLIAM M. BUTLER Historian Office of History iv CONTENTS FOREWORD .....................................................................................................................iii PREFACE.......................................................................................................................... iv CONTENTS........................................................................................................................v HISTORY OF SIXTEENTH AIR FORCE ........................................................................ 1 Standup and Strategic Air Command Mission................................................................ 1 Assignment to USAFE for Tactical Missions................................................................. 3 Dual-hatting and Period of Trial..................................................................................... 5 A Warfighting Mission ................................................................................................... 6 New Home and New Focus ............................................................................................ 8 Expeditionary Era ......................................................................................................... 10 AIRSOUTH HISTORY.................................................................................................... 12 BRIEF HISTORIES OF MAJOR BASES AND UNITS ................................................. 14 Torrejon Base History................................................................................................... 14 401st Tactical Fighter Wing...................................................................................... 16 Zaragoza Base History.................................................................................................. 18 406th Tactical Fighter Training Wing ...................................................................... 20 Morón Base History...................................................................................................... 21 Aviano Base History..................................................................................................... 23 40th Tactical Group and 40th Tactical Support Wing.............................................. 25 31st Fighter Wing ..................................................................................................... 27 Comiso Base History .................................................................................................... 28 487th Tactical Missile Wing..................................................................................... 29 Decimomannu Base History ......................................................................................... 30 San Vito dei Normanni Air Station History.................................................................. 30 Hellenikon Base History............................................................................................... 32 Iraklion Air Station History .......................................................................................... 33 Ankara Air Station History ........................................................................................... 34 Headquarters The United States Logistics Group (HQ TUSLOG) .......................... 35 Incirlik Base History..................................................................................................... 36 39th Tactical Group and 39th Wing.......................................................................... 38 Izmir Installations and Cigli Base History.................................................................... 39 Nouasseur Base History................................................................................................ 40 Wheelus Base History................................................................................................... 42 SIXTEENTH AIR FORCE LINEAGE & HONORS....................................................... 43 SIXTEENTH AIR FORCE COMMANDERS ................................................................. 45 NATO SOUTHERN REGION AIR COMMANDERS (COMAIRSOUTH) .................. 46 v vi HISTORY OF SIXTEENTH AIR FORCE Standup and Strategic Air Command Mission The organization known as Sixteenth Air Force came into existence on 16 July 1956. Even though the headquarters and command had no previous peacetime or wartime record, its lineal predecessor was the Joint United Sates Military Group (JUSMG), Air Administration (Spain), established in Madrid on 20 May 1954 by the direction of Headquarters, United States Air Force (USAF). JUSMG, Air Administration (Spain), had as its mission directive “to administer Air Force personnel on duty with Joint United States Military Group, Spain, and to provide area administrative jurisdiction over U.S. Air Force personnel in Spain.” The new headquarters was directly subordinate to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CSAF) and had the procedural functions and responsibilities of a major air command. Its raison d’etre was to implement the U.S.– Spanish Defense Agreement of 26 September 1953, which authorized the U.S. to construct and operate air bases in Spain. The key Air Force representative in Spain during this period was Major General August W. Kissner, who The 1953 U.S. Negotiation Team arrives negotiated the original agreement and was the first Chief, in Spain with Major General Kissner Joint United States Military Group, Spain. He also assumed second from the right command of JUSMG, Air Administration (Spain) and was Sixteenth Air Force’s first commander. Headquarters USAF first planned to move the 5th Air Division from French Morocco to Spain in order to operate the Strategic Air Command (SAC) bases to be created there, but later decided on a numbered air force (NAF) as the appropriate organizational level. The first choice, Sixth Air Force, was not available since it had been redesignated as Caribbean Air Command in 1946. Consequently, the Air Staff selected Sixteenth Air Force. Accordingly, on 16 July 1956, USAF redesignated Headquarters JUSMG, Air Administration (Spain), as Headquarters Sixteenth Air Force. The organization was assigned directly to the CSAF as a Special Operating Agency (SOA), and retained the same basic mission as its predecessor. General Kissner, who also continued to serve as Chief, JUSMG, Spain, began preparing for the SAC mission in Spain. Sixteenth Air Force assumed command responsibility for each base as it neared completion. The first to activate was Zaragoza Air Base (AB), on 14 February 1956, with the 7603d Air Base Squadron (ABS) as the host unit. Both Morón and Torrejon ABs were activated on 1 June 1957 with their initial host units being the 7202d and 7600th Air Base Groups (AGB), respectively. Upon completion of base construction in Spain, Headquarters USAF reassigned Sixteenth Air