Tuesday November 24, 2009
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Military in Idaho
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See also: Mountain Home Air Force Base, Mountain Home, Idaho
Mountain Home AFB is home to the 366th Fighter Wing, the “Gunfighters,” which reports to Air Combat Command. The base's primary mission is to provide combat airpower and combat support capabilities to respond to and sustain worldwide contingency operations.
The 366th Fighter Wing is comprised of four groups: the 366th Operations Group, 366th Maintenance Group, 366th Mission Support Group and 366th Medical Group. The wing is home to three fighter squadrons: the 389th Fighter Squadron, 390th Fighter Squadron and 391st Fighter Squadron. The wing includes both F-15C Eagles and F-15E Strike Eagles with a projected total of 70 aircraft assigned.
Additionally, the 388th Electronic Combat Squadron, located at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, is assigned to the 366th Operations Group. The squadron is responsible for suppression of enemy air defenses in support of expeditionary aircraft and ground troops by disrupting enemy electronic activity and obtaining tactical electronic intelligence.
Mountain Home AFB enjoys world-class training facilities in Southwest Idaho. Its remote training areas over the Owyhee Desert to the south, with bombing targets that include a simulated airfield and buildings, have been used by many U.S. Air Force units, as well as foreign air forces. With about 4,000 active-military personnel and approximately 880 civilian employees, the base is the largest employer in the area and one of the largest in the state. It contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy.
The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission chose Mountain Home to become a core F-15E installation because of its premier training range, which is suited for a multitude of air-to-ground, low-level and air-to-air flight training. The squadron’s last five F-16s left on March 29, 2007, as part of the Wing’s realignment from a multi-role fighter base to an all F-15E Strike Eagle installation by 2011.
In March 2007, Mountain Home AFB was recognized with the 2007 Commander-in-Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence. The Installation Excellence Award recognizes the outstanding and innovative efforts of the people operating and maintaining U.S. military installations around the world. Mountain Home was one of approximately 85 active-duty Air Force installations originally vying for this year's award. Excellent installations enable better mission performance and enhance the quality of life for military men and women and their families. Each winning installation succeeded in providing excellent working, housing and recreational conditions.
Naval Acoustic Detachment, Bayview, Idaho
The Naval Acoustic Laboratory, a unit of the U.S. Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command, is located on the southern end of Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho. The relatively deep (1150 ft) and pristine, quiet body of water provides a unique free-field ocean-like environment without the problems and costs of open ocean testing environments. Specialized experimental hardware and floating platforms are used to support a wide variety of research and development programs, ranging from the measurement of water flow on sonar domes to the calibrations of full-scale surface ship sonar transducers. The detachment supports experiments that have been extremely valuable to the U.S. Navy, especially in the area of submarine sonar dome development. The Large Scale Vehicle (LSV), a large-scale structural model of the SSN-21 Class submarine is being used extensively in this research work. (Information courtesy of Carderock Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center.)
Idaho Army National Guard
The Idaho Army National Guard is headquartered at Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho. Affiliated units are dispersed throughout the state in 27 communities.
The 116th Cavalry Brigade, one of only 15 Heavy Combat Brigades in the country, is the state’s largest unit. It consists of two armor battalions, a Combat Engineer Battalion, a Field Artillery Battalion, and a Support Battalion. In November 2004, the 116th Brigade Combat Team deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, returning in November 2005. The deployment was the largest mobilization of Idaho National Guard since WWII.
The 1st Battalion, 183rd Aviation serves as the air component of the Idaho Army National Guard, armed with AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, UH-60 Blackhawk utility aircraft, and C-12U aircraft for fixed-wing transport.
Idaho Air National Guard
Idaho Air National Guard is home to the 124th Wing, comprised of two flying wings, the 189th Airlift Squadron and the 190th Fighter Squadron, as well as six units throughout the State. Idaho’s Air Guard is headquartered at Gowen Field located at the Boise Air Terminal. The Idaho ANG is host unit and a reserve component for the U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command and Air Mobility Command. It is one of the few Air Guard units in the country with three separate federal missions.
The 124th Wing was formed from the 405th Fighter Bomber Squadron, which flew combat missions in Europe during World War II. The Wing maintains a number of squadrons: Aerial Port Flight; Air Support Operations; Maintenance Squadron; Civil Engineer Squadron; Communications Flight; Maintenance Operations Flight; Logistics Readiness; Medical; Services Flight; and Support Flight.
Joint Force Headquarters
Gowen Field is the only Joint Military Installation in Idaho and is the only National Guard facility in the region focused on providing Total Joint Force training.
The Gowen Field complex is adjacent to the Boise International Airport and is located on 576 acres. The stated mission of the Joint Force Headquarters is to command and control all National Guard units assigned to the state to provide trained, equipped and ready forces capable of mobilizing and deploying in support of their federal and state mission and, when required, conduct missions authorized by the National Command Authority and/or the Governor, as well as perform Ready Reaction Force training to respond to State and Federal emergencies.
Idaho Military Historical Museum
The Idaho Military History Museum was opened by the Idaho Military Historical Society on Labor Day in 1995, and is located next to Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho. It was established for the purpose of "preservation, display and interpretation of military history and artifacts that have a geographical tie to the history of the people and state of Idaho".
Idaho Law requires the Adjutant General to provide and maintain the Idaho Military Historical Museum for “Preservation of records, banners, and relics. – All military records, banners, and relics of the state, except when in lawful use, shall be preserved in the office of the adjutant generals as an enduring memorial of the patriotism and valor of the soldiers of Idaho…” – Idaho State Constitution.
The Idaho Military History Museum is located at:
4748 Lindbergh St., Bld 924
Boise, Idaho 83705
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