381st Training Group
A former United States Air Force organization responsible for space, intercontinental ballistic missile, and missile-maintenance training.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 381st Training Group was a United States Air Force training organization based at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. It consolidated Air Force space and missile education under Air Education and Training Command, preparing personnel for intercontinental ballistic missile operations, missile maintenance, space-related duties, and associated technical specialties. The organization was the modern successor to a lineage that included the World War II 381st Bombardment Group and the Cold War 381st Strategic Missile Wing. It was inactivated on 31 May 2021 and its lineage was carried forward through the activation of Space Delta 1 in the United States Space Force on 23 August 2021. The immediate organizational predecessor of the training group emerged from the transfer of missile-training responsibilities to Air Education and Training Command in the early 1990s. The 381st Training Group was redesignated and reactivated in 1994 as space and missile training activities were consolidated at Vandenberg. Its remit included initial qualification training for intercontinental ballistic missile personnel, advanced instruction for missile and launch-system maintainers, training related to air-launched missiles and spacelift maintenance, joint space fundamentals, computer maintenance, faculty development, registrar services, facilities, and resource management. The group graduated more than 6,000 students through more than 100 courses during its existence. The group’s historical lineage reaches back to the 381st Bombardment Group, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress formation that served with the Eighth Air Force from RAF Ridgewell during the Second World War. The bomber group flew strategic missions against industrial, aircraft, transportation, naval, and other targets in occupied Europe and Germany, participated in the Allied campaigns supporting Normandy, the airborne assault in the Netherlands, the Battle of the Bulge, and the crossing of the Rhine, and received two Distinguished Unit Citations. It was inactivated after returning to the United States in August 1945 and briefly reactivated as a reserve organization in 1947. A second major predecessor was the 381st Strategic Missile Wing, activated at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, in 1962. The wing operated and maintained LGM-25C Titan II intercontinental ballistic missiles for Strategic Air Command. Its missile squadrons maintained alert forces at launch complexes around McConnell until the Titan II retirement program led to the wing’s inactivation in August 1986. The bomber-group and missile-wing lineages were consolidated in 1984. The training organization’s mission changed as responsibility for space training moved into the emerging Space Force structure. In 2020, the 533d Training Squadron transferred to the Space Force’s STAR Delta, reducing the group’s space-training role. The 381st Training Group was subsequently inactivated and redesignated as Space Delta 1, which became part of Space Training and Readiness Command and assumed a broader Space Force training mission. Accordingly, the 381st Training Group should be treated as a historical military organization rather than an active commercial brand or current operating unit.
History
The 381st Training Group’s lineage combined three distinct eras of United States military activity: Second World War heavy-bomber operations, Cold War strategic missile deterrence, and post-Cold War space and missile education. The earliest predecessor, the 381st Bombardment Group, was constituted in October 1942 and activated the following month. Equipped with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, it trained in the United States before moving to RAF Ridgewell in England in 1943 and joining the Eighth Air Force. The group conducted strategic bombing across occupied Europe and Germany, attacking aircraft plants, engine works, shipyards, oil facilities, ball-bearing works, rail and communications centers, airfields, and other military-industrial targets. It suffered especially heavy losses during the first Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission. The unit later supported the Normandy invasion, the advance around Saint-Lô, the airborne operation in the Netherlands, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Allied crossing of the Rhine. It received Distinguished Unit Citations for missions against Bremen shipyards and German aircraft factories. After its final combat mission in April 1945, it returned to the United States and was inactivated in August. A reserve incarnation was activated in 1947 but was not fully equipped or manned before being inactivated in 1949. The lineage was subsequently associated with the 381st Strategic Missile Wing, established at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. Organized in 1962, the wing operated LGM-25C Titan II intercontinental ballistic missiles for Strategic Air Command. Its two strategic missile squadrons maintained launch complexes and kept missiles on alert for more than two decades. The wing also became McConnell’s host organization in 1973. Its operational history included a 1978 oxidizer-leak accident at a launch complex that killed two Air Force personnel and a 1984 fire during Titan II deactivation. The wing was inactivated in August 1986 after the Titan II system was withdrawn from service. The bomber-group and missile-wing lineages were consolidated in 1984. The modern 381st Training Group was created during a 1990s reorganization of military education. Missile-training responsibility moved from Air Combat Command to Air Education and Training Command in 1993. In 1994, space-training responsibility also moved to Air Education and Training Command, and the space and missile missions were consolidated under the 381st Training Group at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Space-training squadrons moved from Colorado Springs to Vandenberg in 1996, completing the consolidation. The group provided initial qualification instruction for intercontinental ballistic missile forces, advanced training for ICBM and air-launched-missile maintenance, spacelift-maintenance education, joint space fundamentals, and computer-related instruction. Its support elements handled courseware, faculty training, student records, facilities, procurement, and resource management. The organization reported graduating more than 6,000 students through over 100 courses. The creation of the United States Space Force changed the group’s responsibilities. In 2020, the 533d Training Squadron transferred to a Space Force STAR Delta, leaving the group with a reduced space-training role. The 381st Training Group was inactivated on 31 May 2021. Its lineage was redesignated as Space Delta 1, activated on 23 August 2021 following the establishment of Space Training and Readiness Command. Space Delta 1 thus became the active successor responsible for Space Force training, while the 381st Training Group remains the historical designation for the Air Force organization that operated from 1994 to 2021.
- 2021
Redesignated as Space Delta 1
[1]The 381st Training Group was inactivated on 31 May and its lineage was used for Space Delta 1, activated on 23 August.
- 2020
533d Training Squadron transferred
[1]The squadron became part of the Space Force’s STAR Delta, reducing the group’s space-training mission.
- 1996
Space-training consolidation completed
[1]Space-training squadrons moved from Colorado Springs to Vandenberg.
- 1994
381st Training Group activated
[1]Air Education and Training Command consolidated space and missile training at Vandenberg under the group.
- 1986
Strategic Missile Wing inactivated
[1]The wing ended its Titan II mission on 8 August during the system’s retirement.
- 1978
Titan II launch-complex accident
[1]An oxidizer leak at launch complex 533-7 killed two Air Force personnel and led to a temporary evacuation.
- 1962
381st Strategic Missile Wing organized
[1]The wing began operating Titan II intercontinental ballistic missiles from McConnell Air Force Base.
- 1945
World War II bomber group inactivated
[1]After returning to the United States, the group was inactivated on 28 August.
- 1943
B-17 operations began from England
[1]The group moved to RAF Ridgewell and joined the Eighth Air Force strategic bombing campaign.
- 1942
381st Bombardment Group constituted
[1]The heavy-bomber predecessor was constituted on 28 October and activated on 3 November to prepare for overseas operations.
Products and positioning
A specialized United States Air Force training organization focused on developing operational and maintenance expertise for strategic missiles, space systems, and related technical missions.
Military education · 1994
ICBM Initial Qualification Training
Instruction preparing personnel for initial qualification in intercontinental ballistic missile operations. The program formed part of the group’s core Air Force mission at Vandenberg and supported the development of operational knowledge for strategic missile forces.
Technical military training · 1994
Missile and spacelift maintenance training
Initial and advanced maintenance education covered ICBM systems, air-launched missiles, and spacelift-related equipment. The training supported technicians responsible for sustaining complex missile and launch systems.
Space education · 1994
Joint space fundamentals
A foundational course area introducing personnel to space operations and related concepts across military organizations. It was part of the group’s broader space-training portfolio before portions of the mission moved into the Space Force.
Brand decisions
2021
Inactivation and successor activationStrategyBackground
The Space Force established Space Training and Readiness Command and reorganized space-training responsibilities.
Action taken
The 381st Training Group was inactivated on 31 May and its lineage was redesignated as Space Delta 1, activated on 23 August.
Aftermath
The historical Air Force group ceased to exist as an active unit, while Space Delta 1 assumed the successor training role.
2020
Transfer of the 533d Training SquadronStrategyBackground
The establishment of the Space Force led to changes in the ownership and organization of space-training functions.
Action taken
The 533d Training Squadron was transferred to the Space Force’s STAR Delta.
Aftermath
The 381st Training Group lost part of its space-training mission before its 2021 inactivation and redesignation.
1994
Consolidation of Air Force space and missile trainingStrategyBackground
Air Education and Training Command received missile-training responsibility in 1993 and space-training responsibility in 1994.
Action taken
The Air Force consolidated the missions at Vandenberg under the 381st Training Group.
Aftermath
The group became the principal Air Force organization for the combined space and missile training portfolio and later graduated thousands of students.
Recent events
- 2021
381st Training Group inactivated and lineage transferred to Space Delta 1[1]
Leadership change · Other
The Air Force training group was inactivated on 31 May 2021 and redesignated as Space Delta 1, which was activated in the Space Force on 23 August 2021.
- 2020
533d Training Squadron moved into Space Force structure[1]
Other
The 533d Training Squadron became part of the Space Force’s STAR Delta, reducing the 381st Training Group’s space-training responsibilities.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/381st-training-group · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled