354th Operations Group
The 354th Operations Group is the flying and combat-training component of the United States Air Force's 354th Fighter Wing at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 354th Operations Group is a United States Air Force operational organization assigned to the 354th Fighter Wing and Pacific Air Forces. Based at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, it provides the wing's flying capability, operational support, air-bridge support, and realistic combat-training functions. Its best-known mission is supporting RED FLAG-Alaska, a large, multi-service and multi-platform air-combat exercise conducted in the Pacific Alaska Range Complex. Exercises normally run for approximately ten days and may be held several times each year. Planners build scenarios around the different missions and capabilities of participating units, with the aim of providing demanding but balanced training rather than a simple competition between identical aircraft or formations. The group's present structure includes the 18th Fighter Squadron, operating Block 30 F-16C Fighting Falcons in an aggressor role; the 355th Fighter Squadron and 356th Fighter Squadron, operating F-35A Lightning II aircraft; the 354th Operations Support Squadron; and the 353d Combat Training Squadron. The 353d Combat Training Squadron coordinates and directs RED FLAG-Alaska and has historically been associated with management of the Pacific Alaska Range Complex, one of the world's largest air-training areas. The 354th Operations Group therefore combines operational flying with the planning, range, intelligence, maintenance, command-and-control, and support functions needed to conduct complex air exercises. The organization carries the lineage and honors of the World War II 354th Fighter Group. That predecessor was constituted in November 1942 and initially trained on Bell P-39 Airacobra aircraft. In late 1943 it transitioned to the North American P-51B Mustang and moved to England, where it developed a reputation for long-range fighter escort and air combat. It supported Eighth Air Force bomber operations, the Normandy campaign, the Allied advance across France and Germany, the airborne operation in the Netherlands, and the Battle of the Bulge. The group was credited with 701 enemy aircraft destroyed in aerial combat during World War II, according to United States Army Air Forces records, and received Distinguished Unit Citations for several periods of combat service. Colonel James H. Howard, a group commander, received the Medal of Honor for his actions while protecting bombers during a January 1944 mission. The historical organization was inactivated in 1946, briefly reactivated as the 354th Fighter-Day Group in 1956, and inactivated again in 1957. Its designation was later changed to 354th Tactical Fighter Group while inactive. The modern 354th Operations Group was activated on 20 August 1993 at Eielson as part of the reactivation of the 354th Fighter Wing, inheriting the earlier group's lineage. Its post-1993 mission initially included close air support, battlefield air interdiction, and anti-maritime operations. Over time, reorganizations changed its aircraft and subordinate units. The 355th Fighter Squadron was inactivated in 2007 under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process, while the 18th Fighter Squadron became the 18th Aggressor Squadron and adopted Block 30 F-16 aircraft. The 356th Fighter Squadron returned to the group in 2019 and operates the F-35A. The group remains an active Air Force unit rather than a commercial brand, and has no public equity listing or conventional consumer product portfolio.
History
The lineage of the 354th Operations Group begins with the 354th Fighter Group, constituted on 12 November 1942 and activated three days later. Its original fighter squadrons were the 353d, 355th, and 356th. The group first trained with Bell P-39 Airacobra fighters as part of the Western Air Defense Force. In November 1943 it moved to Portland Army Air Base, Oregon, where it received the new North American P-51B Mustang. The Mustang's range and high-altitude performance made it particularly valuable for escorting heavy bombers over occupied Europe. The group deployed to England in November 1943, first reaching RAF Greenham Common and then RAF Boxted in Essex. Although assigned to Ninth Air Force, it frequently operated under Eighth Fighter Command control and flew long-range escort missions for B-17 and B-24 bomber formations. Its operations helped demonstrate that the P-51 could escort bombers deep into Germany. The group also flew fighter sweeps, armed reconnaissance, dive-bombing, strafing, and close-support missions. Colonel James H. Howard received the Medal of Honor for continuing an aggressive defense of a bomber formation during a 11 January 1944 mission near Oschersleben, despite exhausting his ammunition and reaching a critical fuel state. In April 1944 the group moved to RAF Lashenden in Kent in preparation for operations from the European continent. After D-Day it escorted gliders, patrolled battle areas, and supported the Allied advance. An advance party moved to Criqueville, France, in June 1944, followed by the main body. From forward bases the group attacked transport networks, troop concentrations, rail installations, vehicles, barges, and other targets while continuing fighter sweeps and escort work. It participated in the airborne operation in the Netherlands, operations connected with the Siegfried Line, and the Battle of the Bulge. By the end of the war it was based at Herzogenaurach, Germany. United States Army Air Forces records credited it with 701 enemy aircraft destroyed in aerial combat, described as the highest total for a United States fighter group in the European Theater of Operations. It served with the occupation forces until returning to the United States and being inactivated on 31 March 1946. The lineage was revived on 19 November 1956, when the 354th Fighter-Day Group replaced the 342d Fighter-Day Group at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina. Its assigned fighter-day squadrons included the 352d, 353d, 355th, and 356th. This incarnation concentrated on fighter training and lasted less than a year. It was inactivated on 25 September 1957 during an Air Force reorganization that transferred its components directly to the wing. The designation was subsequently changed to 354th Tactical Fighter Group in 1985 while remaining inactive. The modern 354th Operations Group was redesignated on 1 August 1993 and activated on 20 August 1993 at Eielson Air Force Base as part of the reactivated 354th Fighter Wing. The Air Force assigned it the earlier fighter group's lineage, honors, and historical identity. Initially its flying mission included close air support, battlefield air interdiction, and anti-maritime operations. In 1994 the 353d Fighter Squadron became the 353d Combat Training Squadron, taking responsibility for coordinating PACAF's COPE THUNDER exercise and managing the Pacific Alaska Range Complex. COPE THUNDER was later renamed RED FLAG-Alaska, while the training squadron's core coordination role continued. The 353d was transferred to the 3d Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base in 2003, but the group's broader training lineage remains closely associated with RED FLAG-Alaska. Modern force-structure changes significantly altered the group's aircraft. Under the 2005 BRAC process, the 355th Fighter Squadron was inactivated on 24 August 2007 and its A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft were transferred to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. On the same date, the 18th Fighter Squadron became the 18th Aggressor Squadron, exchanged its newer Block 40 F-16s for Block 30 F-16C aircraft, and assumed an aggressor-training role connected with RED FLAG-Alaska. The 356th Fighter Squadron returned to the group in October 2019 and operates the F-35A Lightning II. The group currently combines fighter operations, aggressor training, exercise management, and operational support at Eielson.
- 2019
356th Fighter Squadron returns
[1]The 356th Fighter Squadron was reassigned to the group and operates F-35A Lightning II aircraft.
- 2007
Aggressor and A-10 force changes
[1]The 355th Fighter Squadron was inactivated, while the 18th became an aggressor squadron operating Block 30 F-16 aircraft.
- 1994
Training coordination mission established
[1]The 353d was redesignated as a combat training squadron and assigned responsibility for PACAF's principal air-combat exercise, later known as RED FLAG-Alaska.
- 1993
Modern operations group activated
[1]The 354th Operations Group was activated at Eielson Air Force Base as part of the 354th Fighter Wing's reactivation and received the earlier group's lineage and honors.
- 1957
Second inactivation
[1]The Fighter-Day Group was inactivated during the Air Force's dual-deputy reorganization.
- 1956
Fighter-Day Group reactivated
[1]The 354th Fighter-Day Group was activated at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base as a replacement for the 342d Fighter-Day Group.
- 1946
World War II group inactivated
[1]The 354th Fighter Group was inactivated on 31 March after occupation service in Europe.
- 1944
Combat escort and Medal of Honor action
[1]The group conducted long-range bomber escort and fighter operations over Europe; Colonel James H. Howard received the Medal of Honor for a January mission defending bombers.
- 1944
Move to the European continent
[1]The group moved from England to Criqueville, France, and supported the Allied advance through close support, reconnaissance, bombing, and fighter-sweep missions.
- 1943
Transition to the P-51 Mustang
[1]The group moved to Portland Army Air Base and began receiving North American P-51B Mustang fighters for long-range escort operations.
Products and positioning
A United States Air Force operational and combat-training organization focused on realistic, multi-service air warfare training and flying support in Alaska and the Pacific region.
Combat training exercise
RED FLAG-Alaska
A recurring, approximately ten-day air-combat training exercise conducted at and around Eielson Air Force Base. It integrates aircraft and units from different services and mission types in realistic simulated combat scenarios. The 354th Operations Group supports the exercise through planning, flying operations, aggressor activity, range coordination, and operational support.
Military aviation capability · 2007
F-16C Fighting Falcon aggressor operations
The 18th Aggressor Squadron operates Block 30 F-16C aircraft in training roles designed to replicate adversary tactics and provide realistic air-combat instruction for participating units.
Military aviation capability
F-35A Lightning II operations
The 355th and 356th Fighter Squadrons provide F-35A fighter operations within the group's current force structure, supporting the wing's operational and training objectives from Eielson Air Force Base.
Marketing campaigns
- 1994COPE THUNDER / RED FLAG-Alaska
Alaska · Pacific region · United States Air Force and partner services
The 353d Combat Training Squadron assumed coordination and direction of PACAF's major air-combat training exercise. The exercise was later renamed RED FLAG-Alaska and expanded its identity while retaining the purpose of preparing units for complex combat operations.
Outcome. The exercise became the group's most visible continuing mission and a major venue for realistic multi-platform training.
- 1944European Theater fighter operations
United Kingdom · France · Germany · European Theater of Operations
The World War II predecessor conducted bomber escort, fighter sweeps, armed reconnaissance, dive-bombing, strafing, and close-support missions during the Normandy campaign and the Allied advance across Western Europe.
Outcome. The group received Distinguished Unit Citations and was credited with 701 enemy aircraft destroyed in aerial combat.
Brand decisions
2007
Force-structure change under BRACOtherBackground
The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process required changes to Air Force basing and aircraft assignments.
Action taken
The 355th Fighter Squadron was inactivated and its A-10 aircraft transferred to Moody Air Force Base; the 18th Fighter Squadron became an aggressor unit and shifted to Block 30 F-16 aircraft.
Aftermath
The group's emphasis moved further toward aggressor training and exercise support at Eielson.
1993
Reactivation as an operations groupStrategyBackground
The Air Force reorganized the 354th Fighter Wing at Eielson Air Force Base and sought to preserve the lineage and honors of the historically significant 354th Fighter Group.
Action taken
It activated the 354th Operations Group and assigned the earlier group's lineage, honors, and subordinate flying functions to the new organization.
Aftermath
The group became the operational flying component of the 354th Fighter Wing and developed a major combat-training role.
Sources1 sources
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