57th Wing earns eleventh Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Published Dec. 2, 2013 By Dan Wheaton 57th Wing historian NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- For the eleventh time in its history and for the fifth consecutive 2-year period, Air Force officials validated the 57th Wing as among the very best as it earned the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the period June 1, 2012 to May 31, 2013. Members of the 57th Wing provide advanced air and space training to the Air Force, Joint, and Coalition warfighters while managing the fast-paced and demanding flying operations at Nellis Air Force Base. Specifically, wing responsibilities include advanced aircrew training, tactics development and publication, logistics, command and control training, and intelligence dissemination for U.S. and allied combat air forces the world over. Units of the wing include the United States Air Force Weapons School, the 57th Adversary Tactics Group, the 57th Operations Group, the 57th Maintenance Group, the United States Air Force Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Operations School, the United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron-Thunderbirds, and the 561st Joint Tactics Squadron. The Air Force established the wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska in March 1948 to provide air defense of Alaska, flying F-51, F-80, C-47, C-54, and C-82 aircraft. The unit re-designated as the 57th Fighter-Interceptor Wing on Jan. 20 1950, before its inactivation on Jan. 1, 1951. The service re-designated the unit as the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing on Aug 22, 1969, activating it at Nellis AFB to replace the 4525th Fighter Weapons Wing on Oct. 15, 1969. Initially at Nellis, the wing flew the A-7, F-4, F-100, F-105, F-111, and T-39 aircraft. Other re-designations included the 57th Tactical Training Wing on April 1, 1977, the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing on Mar. 1, 1980, the 57th Fighter Wing on Oct. 1, 1991 and the 57th Wing on June 15, 1993. Brig Gen Charles Moore, 57th Wing commander, believes the accomplishment to be a significant achievement in Air Combat Command, and thanks the hard work of Airmen in the wing's success. "I could not be prouder of the members of the 57 Wing," Moore said. "Being one of only two wings in all of ACC to receive this honor truly indicates that others understand and recognize the importance of our mission, and just as importantly, the extremely hard work that is required by our Airmen to ensure it is successfully accomplished." The mission statement of the 57th Wing is to "Provide advanced, realistic, and relevant training focused on ensuring dominance in Air, Space, and Cyberspace." The unit strives to continue to perform a dynamic role in ensuring the success of U.S. Air Force objectives.
