226th Combat Communications Group

The 226th Combat Communications Group is a headquarters organization of the United States Air National Guard based at Abston Air National Guard Station in Montgomery, Alabama. It commands and administers combat communications forces that can be mobilized to provide communications, engineering, installation, information systems, and related operational support for United States Air Force requirements. The group also supports state emergencies when directed by state authorities and the Alabama National Guard. The organization is one of two Air National Guard combat communications groups in the United States. Together, those groups represent more than 60 percent of the Air Force's tactical communications capability, according to the group's reference description. Its role is therefore not that of a commercial brand or a conventional corporation, but of a military command unit whose identity is associated with expeditionary communications readiness and command of geographically distributed subordinate squadrons. The group's lineage reaches back to the 225th Radio Relay Squadron, organized in March 1953 in Greenville, Mississippi, as a Mississippi Air National Guard unit. The organization was formally established on 18 June 1954 and was later transferred to the Alabama Air National Guard and moved to Gadsden, Alabama. On 22 February 1971, an element of the 225th was reorganized as Headquarters, 226th Mobile Communications Group and allotted to the National Guard Bureau. Federal recognition followed in September 1971. The group subsequently underwent several designation changes, becoming the 226th Combat Communications Group in 1976, the 226th Combat Information Systems Group in 1985, and again the 226th Combat Communications Group in 1986. The headquarters relocated from Martin Air National Guard Station in Gadsden to Abston Air National Guard Station in Montgomery in February 1996. Its higher-level affiliations have changed as the Air Force reorganized its communications and space organizations. The group served under the Air Force Communications Service and later the Air Force Communications Command from 1971 through 1992, Air Combat Command from 1992 to 2008, Air Force Space Command from 2008 to 2018, and Air Combat Command from 2018 onward. A major organizational expansion occurred on 1 October 2013, when the 281st Combat Communications Group was inactivated and seven additional squadrons were added to the 226th's assigned or aligned structure. The group currently coordinates a network of combat communications, joint communications support, and special operations communications units located across the continental United States and Puerto Rico. These units provide a distributed force capable of establishing and sustaining communications in austere, deployed, or emergency environments. The available reference material does not identify a commercial website, financial activity, named executives, or consumer products for the organization.

The 226th Combat Communications Group traces its institutional history to the 225th Radio Relay Squadron, which was organized in March 1953 in Greenville, Mississippi, as part of the Mississippi Air National Guard. The organization was formally established on 18 June 1954. It was later transferred to the Alabama Air National Guard and relocated to Gadsden, Alabama, where its communications mission continued under the National Guard structure. On 22 February 1971, an element of the 225th was reorganized as Headquarters, 226th Mobile Communications Group and allotted to the National Guard Bureau. The unit received federal recognition in September 1971. Its lineage reflects the changing terminology and technical organization of Air Force communications. It was redesignated the 226th Combat Communications Group in 1976, became the 226th Combat Information Systems Group in 1985, and returned to the 226th Combat Communications Group designation in 1986. From its establishment as a group, the organization served under the Air Force Communications Service and, after that command was renamed, the Air Force Communications Command. In 1992 it moved under Air Combat Command. It transferred to Air Force Space Command in 2008 and returned to Air Combat Command in 2018. These changes reflected broader Air Force adjustments in the ownership and management of communications, information systems, and space-related capabilities. The headquarters moved from Martin Air National Guard Station in Gadsden to Abston Air National Guard Station in Montgomery in February 1996. Montgomery remains the group's headquarters location. The group is one of the three major organizations identified with the Alabama Air National Guard and is one of two Air National Guard combat communications groups nationwide. The group expanded substantially on 1 October 2013, when the 281st Combat Communications Group was inactivated. Seven squadrons were added to the 226th's structure at that time, increasing the geographic breadth and force-management responsibilities of the headquarters. Its current or aligned components include combat communications squadrons in Alabama, Georgia, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and other locations, as well as joint communications support and special operations communications units. The organization has also previously been associated with units in Florida, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other locations. The group's mission is to command, organize, equip, train, and administer assigned and attached forces so they remain ready for emergency United States Air Force requirements. It provides communications engineering and installation capabilities and can support state emergencies. In operational terms, its value lies in making communications available in circumstances where fixed infrastructure may be unavailable, damaged, insufficient, or unsuitable for a deployed force. The supplied reference material does not provide a detailed account of individual deployments, commanders, awards, campaigns, or named operations.

• 2013

  Expanded after inactivation of the 281st Combat Communications Group

  [1]226th Combat Communications Groupen.wikipedia.org

  On 1 October, seven additional squadrons were added to the 226th's assigned or aligned structure after the 281st Combat Communications Group was inactivated.

• 1996

  Headquarters moved to Montgomery

  [1]226th Combat Communications Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group headquarters relocated from Martin Air National Guard Station in Gadsden to Abston Air National Guard Station in Montgomery in February.

• 1986

  Returned to combat communications designation

  [1]226th Combat Communications Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The unit was redesignated the 226th Combat Communications Group on 1 October 1986.

• 1985

  Redesignated Combat Information Systems Group

  [1]226th Combat Communications Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The organization became the 226th Combat Information Systems Group on 1 July 1985.

• 1976

  Redesignated 226th Combat Communications Group

  [1]226th Combat Communications Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group adopted the 226th Combat Communications Group designation on 1 April 1976.

• 1971

  226th Mobile Communications Group established

  [1]226th Combat Communications Groupen.wikipedia.org

  An element of the 225th was reorganized as Headquarters, 226th Mobile Communications Group and allotted to the National Guard Bureau on 22 February. Federal recognition followed in September.

• 1954

  Predecessor formally organized

  [1]226th Combat Communications Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The predecessor unit was formally organized on 18 June 1954 and later transferred to the Alabama Air National Guard.

• 1953

  225th Radio Relay Squadron organized

  [1]226th Combat Communications Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The predecessor organization was organized in Greenville, Mississippi, as part of the Mississippi Air National Guard.

A military readiness and command organization focused on reliable, rapidly deployable communications and engineering support rather than a consumer or commercial offering.

1. 1226th Combat Communications Groupen.wikipedia.org