64th Air Expeditionary Group
A provisional United States Air Force group that has conducted airlift, force-protection, expeditionary-support, training, and domestic emergency-response missions.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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History
The organization was constituted as the 64th Transport Group on 20 November 1940 and activated at Duncan Field, Texas, on 4 December. It trained with C-47 aircraft and performed domestic transport work before moving through a succession of California and Massachusetts bases. Redesignated the 64th Troop Carrier Group in July 1942, it transferred to England and then to the Mediterranean theater as part of the Twelfth Air Force. Its Second World War record included the delivery of paratroopers to Maison Blanche Airport, airborne operations in Tunisia, the Allied invasion of Sicily, the invasion of Italy, and the assault on southern France. The group also transported personnel and materiel to forward areas, evacuated wounded troops, and supported partisan forces in northern Italy with personnel, supplies, and propaganda leaflets. From April through June 1944, most of the organization served in the China-Burma-India Theater while a smaller element remained in Sicily. Its hazardous resupply and evacuation work in Burma earned a Distinguished Unit Citation. The group moved to Trinidad in June 1945 and was inactivated there on 31 July 1945. It returned to active status at Langley Field in May 1947 but was not fully manned during much of the following period and was inactivated in September 1948. The group was reactivated in July 1952 as the 64th Troop Carrier Group, Medium, at Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina. It conducted airlift and airdrop or airlanding training with C-82 and C-119 aircraft before being inactivated in July 1954. The lineage was revived in the modern training system in 1991. Redesignated the 64th Operations Group, it served as the flying arm of the 64th Flying Training Wing at Reese Air Force Base, Texas. Subordinate training units operated T-37, T-38, and T-1 aircraft. The group was inactivated in 1997 after the flying-training mission ended at Reese. In December 2001, the unit was redesignated the 64th Air Expeditionary Group and converted to provisional status under Air Combat Command. The expeditionary structure operated from Doha International Airport in Qatar during the late 1990s and into the early 2000s. In September 2005 it was activated at Eskan Village near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. The 64th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron and 64th Expeditionary Support Squadron provided security, force protection, emergency response, installation services, and combat support for the base and its tenants. This activation ended in May 2014. In April 2020 the group was activated again for domestic pandemic response. Its command element operated from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, with personnel forward at the Javits Convention Center in New York. The group deployed medical and support personnel in cooperation with FEMA and civilian hospital systems. Later, as hospital admissions and staffing requirements changed, the mission transitioned to Air Force-managed Community Vaccination Centers. The 64th Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron worked at Reliant Stadium in Houston, and four detachments supported sites at Ford Field, Theodore Roosevelt Park, the Minnesota State Fair grounds, and DeVos Place. The group operated under Air Forces Northern and United States Northern Command during this phase. The pandemic response ended in 2021, and the available lineage record describes subsequent inactivation; the precise current activation status is not established here.
- 2021
Community Vaccination Center operations
[1]Medical personnel and detachments supported vaccination sites in several U.S. states before the mission concluded.
- 2020
COVID-19 domestic-response activation
[1]The group was reactivated to support FEMA and civilian health systems during the pandemic.
- 2005
Eskan Village force-protection mission
[1]The group was activated in Saudi Arabia under the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing to provide security and installation support.
- 1997
Qatar expeditionary presence
[1]The expeditionary organization operated from Doha International Airport during a period spanning the late 1990s and early 2000s.
- 1991
Returned as the 64th Operations Group
[1]The lineage was used as the flying component of the 64th Flying Training Wing at Reese Air Force Base.
- 1952
Reactivated as a medium troop-carrier group
[1]The group returned to service for airlift and airborne training with C-82 and C-119 aircraft.
- 1945
Inactivated after World War II
[1]After moving to Trinidad and joining Air Transport Command, the group was inactivated on 31 July.
- 1944
China-Burma-India Theater service
[1]Most of the group supported Allied operations in Burma with resupply and casualty evacuation missions and received a Distinguished Unit Citation.
- 1943
Airborne operations in Sicily and Italy
[1]The group delivered paratroopers during Allied operations in Sicily and Italy and continued theater airlift work.
- 1942
Redesignated as the 64th Troop Carrier Group
[1]The group adopted a troop-carrier designation and moved to England before entering the Mediterranean theater.
Products and positioning
A flexible, provisional Air Force organization designed to assemble and manage specialized personnel for operational, expeditionary, training, force-protection, and emergency-response missions.
Military airlift · 1940
Airlift and troop-carrier operations
The group's principal historic capability was the movement of troops, cargo, airborne forces, and casualties. During World War II it used Douglas C-47 aircraft for routine transport, parachute delivery, glider support, resupply, and medical evacuation. Its later troop-carrier formations performed airland and airdrop missions during training and exercises.
Expeditionary operations · 2005
Expeditionary force protection and installation support
At Eskan Village in Saudi Arabia, the group organized security forces and support personnel to protect people and facilities, provide emergency response, maintain integrated defense, and deliver installation and combat support services for military and host-nation tenants.
Pilot training · 1991
Military flight training
As the 64th Operations Group, the organization served as the flying component of the 64th Flying Training Wing. Its associated training fleet included the T-37 Tweet, T-38 Talon, and T-1 Jayhawk, supporting undergraduate and advanced flight-training activities.
Emergency response · 2020
COVID-19 medical and vaccination support
During its 2020–2021 domestic activation, the group supplied medical and support personnel to hospitals and later operated or supported Community Vaccination Centers. Its medical squadron and detachments worked at large public venues in Texas, Michigan, Indiana, and Minnesota.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Community Vaccination Centers
Texas · Michigan · Indiana · Minnesota
The medical operations squadron and four detachments supported large-scale vaccination sites at Reliant Stadium, Ford Field, Theodore Roosevelt Park, the Minnesota State Fair, and DeVos Place.
Outcome. The vaccination mission ended as the group's pandemic-response activation concluded.
- 2020COVID-19 hospital support
United States
The group deployed medical and support personnel to assist FEMA and civilian hospital systems during the first phase of the COVID-19 response.
Outcome. As hospital staffing requirements declined, the mission transitioned toward mass vaccination operations.
- 2005Eskan Village security and support mission
Saudi Arabia · Southwest Asia
The group replaced the 320th Air Expeditionary Group at Eskan Village and provided force protection, security, emergency response, and installation support.
Outcome. The assignment continued until the group's inactivation in May 2014.
- 1944China-Burma-India resupply operations
India · Burma
Detached elements flew difficult resupply and evacuation missions in support of Allied forces in Burma, carrying food, clothing, medical supplies, weapons, ammunition, and mules.
Outcome. The group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its sustained service over rugged enemy-held territory.
- 1942North Africa and Mediterranean airborne campaign
North Africa · Mediterranean
The group transported and dropped airborne forces during the North African and Mediterranean campaigns, beginning with a mission to Maison Blanche Airport and continuing through Tunisia and Sicily.
Outcome. The unit became an established Twelfth Air Force troop-carrier formation supporting Allied advances.
Brand decisions
2020
Reactivation for pandemic responseStrategyBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic created a need for military medical and logistical assistance to civilian authorities and hospitals.
Action taken
The Air Force reactivated the group under Air Forces Northern to coordinate personnel and support for FEMA-linked operations.
Aftermath
The mission expanded from hospital augmentation into community vaccination-center support across multiple states.
2001
Conversion to provisional expeditionary statusStrategyBackground
The Air Force needed a flexible organizational structure that could be activated for changing overseas missions.
Action taken
The lineage was redesignated the 64th Air Expeditionary Group and assigned to Air Combat Command for activation or inactivation as required.
Aftermath
The group subsequently supported expeditionary operations in Qatar and Saudi Arabia and later domestic emergency response.
1942
Shift to troop-carrier operationsStrategyBackground
The expanding Second World War required the group to support airborne forces and theater logistics rather than remain focused only on domestic transport training.
Action taken
The organization was redesignated the 64th Troop Carrier Group and moved to England and the Mediterranean theater.
Aftermath
It participated in major Allied airborne and resupply operations across several theaters.
Recent events
- 2021
Air Force vaccination-center mission expands across multiple states[1]
Other
After hospital-support requirements declined, the group shifted toward operating or supporting federally backed Community Vaccination Centers in Texas, Michigan, Indiana, and Minnesota.
- 2021
64th Air Expeditionary Group inactivated after pandemic response[1]
Other
The group's COVID-19 response period concluded, following operations by its medical squadron and detachments at several major public venues.
- 2020
64th Air Expeditionary Group supports COVID-19 medical operations[1]
Other
The group was reactivated to provide medical and support personnel for pandemic-response operations, including assistance to health systems in New York.
Sources2 sources
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