AFRC and ANG Wings form new partnership

Col. James McCormack, 137th Airlift Wing commander, and Col. Jeffery R. Glass, 507th Air Refueling Wing commander, prepare for takeoff during their first duo commander mission. Colonel McCormack's Air National Guard wing is slated to stand up as a KC-135R associate wing affiliated with Colonel Glass's Air Force Reserve Command wing in late 2007. The merger is the first time an Air National Guard wing has associated to an Air Force Reserve wing.

AFRC and ANG wing form new partnership

Col. Jeffery R. Glass, 507th Air Refueling Wing commander, and Col. James McCormack, 137th Airlift Wing commander, pause a moment on the flight line prior to their first duo commander mission. Colonel McCormack's Air National Guard wing is slated to stand up as a KC-135R associate wing affiliated with Colonel Glass's Air Force Reserve Command wing in late 2007. The merger is the first time an Air National Guard wing has associated to an Air Force Reserve wing.

AFRC and ANG wing form new partnership

Col. Jeffery R. Glass, 507th Air Refueling Wing commander, and Col. James McCormack, 137th Airlift Wing commander, engage in preflight mission planning prior to their first duo commander mission. Colonel McCormack's Air National Guard wing is slated to stand up as an KC-135R associate wing affiliated with Colonel Glass's Air Force Reserve Command wing in late 2007.

Reserve wing will be first to host Guard associate

Published July 27, 2007
By Lt. Col. Rich Curry
507th Air Refueling Wing

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The Air Force Reserve Command's 507th Air Refueling Wing begins a new partnership in August when members of the Oklahoma Air National Guard team up for the drill weekend. With this action, the 507th ARW will become the first AFRC wing to have an ANG wing associated with it.

Approximately eight Oklahoma Air National Guard aircrew members are part of an initial cadre working side-by-side with their Air Force Reserve hosts to stand up associate operations.

As a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process, the 137th Airlift Wing at Will Rogers World airport was identified to lose their C-130 aircraft and convert to a KC-135 associate unit with the 507th ARW.

Under this associate organization, the 507th Air Refueling Wing is the host wing with all 12 aircraft owned by AFRC. The Oklahoma ANG will maintain separate control, but be associated with the 507th ARW to fly and maintain all aircraft. For deployable tasking, both the 507th ARW and 137th AW will function with 6 primary aircraft assigned.

"When you think about it, starting this associate relationship is pretty exciting. We're part of a DoD-wide Total Force Initiative reorganization. We're going to show that our air reserve component mix will be just as viable and beneficial to national defense," said Col. Jeffery R. Glass, 507th ARW commander.

According to an April 2007 Site Activation Task Force report, the main body of aircrew and maintenance personnel should begin arriving before the end of the year. (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)