57th Wing
Overview
The 57th Wing is a composite wing of the United States Air Force (USAF) stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. It is an integral part of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA), and is one of the most diverse wings in the Air Force, providing advanced, realistic, and multi-domain training focused on ensuring dominance through air, space, and cyberspace.
History
The 57th Wing was activated on November 15, 1948, at Castle Air Force Base, California. Its original mission was to provide strategic bombardment training with the B-29 Superfortress. In the early 1950s, the wing began training aircrews in the B-50 Superfortress, and later transitioned to the B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress.
Structure
The 57th Wing is composed of five groups, each with specific functions. These groups include the 57th Adversary Tactics Group, 57th Operations Group, 57th Maintenance Group, 57th Information Aggressor Group, and the 57th Medical Group.
57th Adversary Tactics Group
The 57th Adversary Tactics Group provides training for the USAF and allied air forces with adversary tactics analysis, threat replication, and training.
57th Operations Group
The 57th Operations Group is responsible for all flying operations under the 57th Wing. This includes the Weapons School, the Thunderbirds, and the operational testing and evaluation squadrons.
57th Maintenance Group
The 57th Maintenance Group provides maintenance support for all aircraft assigned to the 57th Wing, as well as transient, Red Flag, and Weapons School aircraft.
57th Information Aggressor Group
The 57th Information Aggressor Group provides adversary replication of cyber and information operations to train USAF, Joint, and Coalition personnel.
57th Medical Group
The 57th Medical Group provides comprehensive health care, dental, and environmental medicine services to support the 57th Wing, 99th Air Base Wing, and the Nellis community.
Missions
The 57th Wing's primary mission is to manage all flying operations at Nellis, including the Air Combat Command's (ACC) largest, most diverse flying wing. It also conducts advanced aircrew, space, cyber, and maintenance training through the U.S. Air Force Weapons School and Red Flag exercises.
Notable Achievements
The 57th Wing has been awarded numerous awards and decorations, including the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross.