505th Command and Control Wing History

The 505th Command and Control Wing started in the Army Air Corps just after World War II. At that time, the 505 CCW was known as the 505th Aircraft Control and Warning Group and was activated in 1947 with assignment to the Fourth Air Force and later the 25th Air Division (Defense). The 505 ACWG was based at McChord Air Force Base and Silver Lake in Everett, Wash. The 505 ACWG was inactivated in 1952.

The unit was resurrected under a new name for the Vietnam War in 1965 - the 505th Tactical Control Group. During this period, the 505 TCG belonged to the 2nd Air Division and then the Seventh Air Force; it was based at Tan Son Nhut Airfield, Vietnam.

In 1973, after the war, the 505 TCG was again inactivated. But during that time, the unit had earned 16 campaign streamers ranging from the Vietnam Defensive in 1965 to the Vietnam Ceasefire in 1973, including the Tet 69 Counteroffensive.

In 1980, the unit was again brought back to life under Tactical Air Warfare Center and was called the 4442nd Tactical Control Group. The unit was later consolidated in 1991 with the 505 TCG and given a new name, the 505th Air Control Group. The 505 ACG lasted until 1993 when it was redesignated as the 505th Command and Control Evaluation Group.

Since 1980, the organization has been located at Eglin Air Force Base Auxiliary Field Number 9, better known as Hurlburt Field, Fla.

While the unit has been in the same place, its mission has constantly evolved and the name has changed to match the mission. Over the years, units have been started, added, and assigned to different parent organizations.

Since 1991, the group has fallen under Tactical Air Command, which is now known as Air Combat Command, the U.S. Air Force Air Warfare Center (later the 53rd Wing) at Eglin, the Air Force Command and Control and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center, Langley AFB, Va., and currently the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, Nellis AFB, Nev.

In September 1998, the unit became the Air Force Command and Control Training and Innovation Center. Seven months later, the unit was organized into a group and was therefore renamed the Air Force Command and Control Training and Innovation Group. The AFC2TIG was an operations group that re-engineered command and control for our Expeditionary Air Force. It educated, trained, and revolutionized the Air Force's command and control people, processes and systems.

Most recently, in March 2004, the unit was redesignated the 505th Command and Control Wing. The wing is responsible for directing the U.S. Air Force's operational air and space command and control center of excellence, and building the predominant air and space command and control capability for the joint and coalition warfighter. The wing is made up of two groups, two squadrons, and numerous detachments at more than 14 geographic locations. 

The wing supported Air Force Space Command’s SPACE FLAG exercise program expanded operational and tactical focus from weapon system procedural currency to executing space operations in a contested, degraded, and operationally limited (CDO) environment. 

The wing supported Air Force Space Command’s SPACE FLAG exercise program expanded operational and tactical focus from weapon system procedural currency to executing space operations in a contested, degraded, and operationally limited (CDO) environment. 

The 505th Command and Control Wing’s mission has remained constant by providing initial and advanced academic training to the Command and Control  (C2) warfighter, providing realistic and relevant operational exercises for senior air component decision makers and their staffs, and providing operational test and evaluation of C2 and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems and subsystems prior to fielding.  The final wing mission includes providing expertise in the development and refinement of C2 and ISR tactics, techniques, and procedures.  The wing is responsible for planning and executing multiple major exercise programs including BLUE FLAG and VIRTUAL FLAG on behalf of the Commander, Air Combat Command.   The men and women of Detachment 1 provide the major U.S. Air Force elements to the U.S. Army’s WARFIGHTER exercise program.  Finally, the wing provides models and simulations, a professional control force, higher headquarters and Air Operations Center (AOC) replication cells, distributed mission operations, network support, and operational command training program/senior officer mentoring to numerous service, joint, and coalition exercises annually. 

The men and women of the 605th Test and Evaluation Squadron and its three detachments provide test and evaluation of C2 and ISR systems employed from the Joint Terminal Attack Controller to the Joint Forces Air Component Commander.  The 84th Radar Evaluation Squadron provides the Department of Defense’s ground-based radar evaluation, survey, and forensics capability.            

The original wing mission statement focused the wing’s efforts to “Build the predominant air and space C2 capability for joint and coalition warfighters through training, testing, distributed mission operations, and experimentation.”  Our current wing mission statement declares we will “shape the way joint and coalition warfighters execute command and control of multi-domain operations through experimentation, training, testing, exercises, evaluation, and tactics development.”  The wing has grown and evolved but the core mission and values of providing training and testing to the warfighter has remained steadfast.

Chronology:
1947-1952 505th Aircraft Control and Warning Group
1965-1973 505th Tactical Control Group
1980-1991 4442nd Tactical Control Group
1991-1993 505th Air Control Group
1993-1998 505th Command and Control Evaluation Group
1998-1999 Air Force Command and Control Training and Innovation Center
1999-2004 Air Force Command and Control Training and Innovation Group
2004-present 505th Command and Control Wing

Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards:
With Combat "V" Device: Sep 1, 1965 - May 25, 1967
With Combat "V" Device: May 26, 1967 - May 25, 1968
With Combat "V" Device: May 26, 1968 - May 25, 1970
With Combat "V" Device: May 26, 1970 - Aug 25, 1971
With Combat "V" Device: Aug 26, 1971 - Jan 28, 1973
Jul 1, 1984 - Jun 30, 1986
Jul 1, 1986 - Jun 30, 1988
Jan 1, 1990 - Dec 31, 1991
Jan 1, 1992 - Jun 30, 1993
Jul 1, 1993 - Jun 30, 1994
Jul 1, 1994 - Jun 30, 1995
Jun 1, 1996 - May 31, 1998
Jun 1, 2003 - May 31, 2005
Jun 1, 2004 - May 31, 2006
Jun 1, 2006 - May 31, 2007
Jun 1, 2008 - May 31, 2009
Jun 1, 2010 - May 31, 2012
Jun 1, 2012 - May 31, 2014
Jun 1, 2014 - May 31, 2015
Jun 1, 2015 - May 31, 2016
Jun 1, 2016 - May 31, 2017
Jun 1, 2017 - May 31, 2019
Jun 1, 2019 - May 31, 2020
Jun 1, 2020- May 31, 2021
Jun 1, 2021 - May 31, 2022


Air Force Organizational Excellence Award:
Jun 1, 2000 - Apr 29, 2002

Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm:
April 1, 1966 - Jan 28, 1973

Vietnam Campaign Streamers:
Vietnam Defensive 1965-1966
Vietnam Air 1966
Vietnam Air Offensive 1966--1967
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase II 1967--1968
Vietnam Air/Ground 1968
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase III 1968
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase IV 1968-1969
Tet 69/Counteroffensive 1969
Vietnam Summer/Fall 1969
Vietnam Winter/Spring 1969--1970
Sanctuary Counteroffensive 1970
Southwest Monsoon 1970
COMMANDO HUNT V 1970-1971
COMMANDO HUNT VI 1971
COMMANDO HUNT VII 1971-1972
Vietnam Ceasefire 1972-1973

Service Streamer:
Global War on Terrorism - Service Sep 11, 2001 - present


(current as of October 2023)