Moody Air Force Base is home to the 23d Wing and the 93d Air Ground Operations Wing.
23D WING
The 23d Wing's mission is to organize train and equip Flying Tigers to rapidly deploy and execute the Global Precision Attack (GPA), Personnel Recovery (PR), and Agile Combat Support (ACS) service core functions to meet worldwide Combatant Commander requirements. The 23d Wing organizes, trains and employs combat-ready A-10C, HC-130P, HH-60G, Guardian Angel Weapons System and personnel consisting of approximately 6,000 military and civilian personnel including geographically separated units in Nevada, Florida, and Arizona. The wing executes worldwide close air support, force protection, and personnel recovery operations in support of humanitarian interests, United States national security and overseas contingency operations.
The 23d Wing is comprised of six groups; five located at Moody AFB, Georgia, and one at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.
UNITS
The 23d Mission Support Group, based at Moody AFB, trains, equips and deploys personnel support forces to build, protect and sustain air bases worldwide for combat air operations. There are six squadrons aligned under the 23 MSG to include a security forces squadron, a civilian engineering squadron, a contracting squadron, a logistical support squadron, a force support squadron, and a communications squadron.
The 23rd Medical Group, based at Moody AFB, provides outpatient medical, dental, occupational, environmental and preventive healthcare services in support of two combat ready wings. The group's 280 staff members serve more than 19,000 beneficiaries with an $10.8 million annual operation budget.
The 23d Maintenance Group consists of seven maintenance squadrons located at three geographic locations. The 23d Maintenance Group is responsible for the operation and quality of organization and intermediate-level maintenance and repair supporting combat-ready HC-130s, HH-60Gs and A-10Cs. The group oversees the 23d Wing's maintenance training program and ensures the work force qualification and capability for worldwide development of personnel and cargo. The maintenance group also supports the 93d Air Ground Operations Wing.
The 23d Fighter Group directs the flying operations for the USAF's largest A-10C fighter group, consisting of two combat-ready A-10C squadrons and an operations support squadron. The 23d Fighter Group became part of the 23d Wing at Moody AFB on August 18, 2006. The group ensures overall combat training and readiness for over 90 pilots and 180 support personnel.
The 347th Rescue Group is based at Moody AFB and consists of one HH-60G rescue squadron, one HC-130P rescue squadron, one Guardian Angel squadron and one operational support squadron. The 347th Rescue Group directs flying of the oldest U.S. Air Force active duty operations group dedicated to personnel recovery. .
The wing has operational control over the 563d Rescue Group, a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, as well as, the 563d Rescue Group, Operating Location-Alpha, a GSU at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The group consists of one HC-130P squadron, two HH-60G squadrons, two Guardian Angel squadrons and one operational support squadron.
Detachment 1, 23d Wing Avon Park Air Force Range (APAFR) is Air Combat Command's largest air to ground/ground to ground training facility east of the Mississippi river and is located in southern Florida. Activities include managing special use airspace and scheduling range assets, coordinating access, and providing facilities both at Mac Dill AFB and APAFR. The Deployed Unit Complex, located at Mac Dill AFB, provides operations and maintenance facilities, aircraft parking ramp, aerospace ground equipment, vehicle support and munitions storage for deployed flying units. APAFR facilities include, but are not limited to: airfield, control tower, numerous structures, 106,000 acres of training area, 5,800 nautical miles of special use airspace, and two impact areas. Range users include, but are not limited to: ACC air-ground units, the Navy's Atlantic Fleet, AFSOC, AFCENT, SOCOM, JSOC, FLANG (tenant), Air National Guard, State Department, coalition forces, and various other local and state government agencies.
93D AIR GROUND OPERATIONS WING
The 93d Air Ground Operations Wing activated in 2008 and became the first wing to provide highly-trained ground combat forces capable of integrating air and space power into the ground scheme of fire and maneuver. The wing members conduct offensive and defensive ground combat operations worldwide to protect expeditionary aerospace forces with an airborne capability. At a moment's notice, they provide worldwide deployable, "first-in," fully integrated, multi-disciplined capabilities and provide the joint force commander airborne, air-mobile, air-land, and over-land insertion capability, and remain the joint expert on integration of air power and combat weather support to ground forces. They Provide Joint Force Commanders with expertise on the integration of air power and extend the Theater Air Control System for the Joint Forces Air Component Commander. Also providing highly trained forces capable of employing air power activities in close coordination with land operations, including combat weather support to land forces. All to rapidly deploy and conduct offensive and defensive ground combat operations worldwide to protect expeditionary forces anywhere, anytime
The 93d AGOW is comprised of three operational groups, 17 squadrons, 10 detachments, 12 Operating locations at 20 locations with 18 host Air Force Base's owned by 7 MAJCOMs.
UNITS
The 820th Base Defense Group, based at Moody AFB, provides planning, training, equipping and preparation of the three security forces squadrons. They maintain a high operational tempo to support cyclic rotations of deployment, on-call, and reconstitution/training status. The squadron provides the 820 BDG the administrative structure and oversight necessary to meet continuing responsibilities of overseas contingency operations and ongoing high operations tempo at home station and overseas. They provide reachback for deployed warfighters and supports the reconstitution of redeploying squadrons. All personnel are ready to deploy at all times and maintain combat and specialty training standards.
The 3d Air Support Operations Group (ASOG) is headquartered at Ft Hood, Texas, and the 18 ASOG is out of Pope Field, North Carolina. Together, they provide more than 1,500 air liaison officers, joint tactical air controllers, tactical air-control party members and Battlefield Weather Airmen to the Army. The 93d supports Army units at 20 GSU with 2,800 authorized airmen.
OTHER TENANT UNITS
The 336th Recruiting Squadron directs and operates the recruiting activities of eight enlisted accession flights, one line officer accession flight and three headquarters flights with approximately 95 active-duty and 10 civilian personnel. The 336 RCS is a tenant unit on Moody Air Force Base and covers 75,489 square miles including areas in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Alabama. Its mission is to inspire, engage and recruit the brightest, most competitive and diverse men and women for service in America's Air Force.
The 476th Fighter Group is assigned to the 442d Fighter Wing, Whiteman AFB, Missouri. The 476th Fighter Group is an Air Force Reserve associate unit linked to the 23d Fighter Group at Moody. The 442 FW oversees the 476 FG's administrative and mission-support needs not provided by Moody's host, active-duty wing.
The group works under its own command structure but integrates its operations with the 23d Wing's 74th and 75th Fighter Squadrons and 23d Maintenance Group. The 76th Fighter Squadron is an Air Force Reserve unit assigned to the 476th Fighter Group and stationed at Moody Air Force Base. During World War II, the 76th Fighter Squadron was one of the three original Flying Tiger squadrons of the 23d Fighter Group.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
In FY 10, MoodyAFB generated a $447.6 million dollar payroll for the local economy. Construction, services and commodities contracts totaled almost $86.4 million. Other expenditures such as pay from the 1,872 secondary jobs created totaled $60.7 million. TOTAL Economic Impact - $447,695 million.
HISTORY
The base was named in memory of Maj. George Putnam Moody, an early Air Force pioneer killed in May 1941 while serving with the Beech Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas. At the time of his death, the major was working on the inspection board for AT-10 transitional trainers which were later sent to Moody.
The base had its beginning in 1940 when a group of concerned Valdosta and Lowndes County citizens began searching for a way to assist the expanding defense program. The citizens rallied interest in the War Department for a 9,300 acre tract known as the Lakeland Flatwoods Project, northeast of Valdosta. On May 14, 1941, the War Department was granted exclusive use of the land by the Agriculture Department.
On February 19, 1942, the Moody Field Advanced Pilot Training School began training 50 Army Air Corps cadets in the Beech AT-10. Following World War II, Moody was placed on inactive status in November 1947, but was reactivated in May 1951 when the Korean conflict created a need for more Air Force pilots.
The base's primary mission in its early years was to meet the requirements of the Air Force Pilot Instrument School and Instrument Flying School.
In September 1975, the 347th Tactical Fighter Wing, belonging to Tactical Air Command, relocated from Thailand to Moody.
In December 1975, the 347th TFW formally replaced the 38th Flying Training Wing, flying the F-4E Phantom II.
Moody won the Commander-in-Chief's Installation Excellence Award for 1991 and the 1994 Verne Orr Award, which is presented by the Air Force Association to the unit that most effectively uses human resources to accomplish its mission. In June 1997, the wing was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the eighth time in its illustrious history.
On July 1, 1994, the Air Force converted the 347th Fighter Wing to the 347th Wing, a force projection, airland composite wing.
On May 8, 2001, the 347th Wing converted again to the 347th Rescue Wing, becoming the Air Force's only active-duty combat search and rescue wing.
On October 1, 2003, the 347 RQW was realigned from ACC to AFSOC in an effort to bring all CSAR assets under the same command.
On April 3, 2006, the 347th RQW was realigned from AFSOC to ACC to ensure CSAR assets are directly linked to the combat air forces and the personnel they support.
On October. 1, 2006, the Air Force redesignated the 347th RQW as the 347th Rescue Group and assigned it to the 23d Wing, which officially became the host unit at Moody on the same day. Along with the 23d Wing designation, the base accepted the responsibility of carrying on the historic Flying Tiger's heritage.