Marine Aviation Training Support Group 23
A United States Marine Corps aviation training and administrative support command focused on aviation logistics education and accession support.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Marine Aviation Training Support Group 23, commonly abbreviated MATSG-23, is a United States Marine Corps aviation training and support command. Although its present-day role centers on aviation logistics education, administrative support, and the preparation of Marines for assignment to the Fleet Marine Force, its institutional lineage reaches back to Marine Aircraft Group 23, commissioned during the Second World War. The wartime group became closely associated with the Cactus Air Force during the Battle of Guadalcanal, where Marine, Navy, and Army aviation units operated together under Marine command arrangements in the South Pacific. Marine Aircraft Group 23 was established at Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Hawaii, on 1 March 1942 as part of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. Its squadrons formed the forward and rear echelons of the Marine aviation force sent to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in August 1942. The group initially included four Marine squadrons and was reinforced by Navy carrier squadrons and a United States Army Air Forces fighter squadron. This composite force provided air support to Marine and Army ground units during the Guadalcanal campaign. The group’s wartime operations were costly, but its participation became a significant part of the history of Marine aviation. After Guadalcanal, MAG-23 moved among major Marine aviation stations and Pacific bases. It served at Naval Air Station San Diego, Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, and Marine Corps Air Station Ewa before transferring to Midway Atoll in May 1944. The wartime group was decommissioned on 1 November 1945 after the conclusion of the conflict. The modern organization emerged in a different form. Marine Aviation and Training Support Group 23 was activated on 15 January 1982 to provide administrative and limited logistics support to Marines assigned to Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, in connection with F/A-18 maintenance, operations, and training. Its early work coincided with the transition of Marine fighter aviation to the F/A-18 Hornet. VMFA-314 became the first Marine squadron to arrive at Lemoore for the transition, while individual Marines increasingly received training for replacement assignments rather than entire operational units transitioning together. In May 2000, the Commandant of the Marine Corps directed the redesignation of Marine Aviation Training Support Groups. The use of numbers associated with previously decommissioned aviation groups preserved historical continuity while giving the modern training commands a stronger Marine Corps identity. In 2013, the Marine Corps reorganized its MATSG headquarters structure. MATSG-23 was directed to move from NAS Lemoore to NAS Pensacola, Florida, and to assume administrative support responsibilities connected with initial accession schools. Today, MATSG-23 functions as a training advocate for Marine Corps aviation logistics entry-level education. Its responsibilities include initial accession training, primary military occupational specialty instruction, Aircraft Maintenance Officer education, Aviation Ordnance Officer career progression schooling, and the Air Traffic Control Officer Course. The organization also provides administrative and logistical support to geographically separated units when directed by Training Command. Its headquarters supports aviation maintenance and training elements, including Aviation Maintenance Squadrons, Marine Aviation Training Support Squadron 1, a Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training detachment at Eglin Air Force Base, and a Marine detachment at Keesler Air Force Base. The command’s contribution is therefore institutional rather than commercial: it develops the personnel, skills, and support structures needed to sustain expeditionary Marine aviation and the Aviation Combat Element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force.
History
The lineage of MATSG-23 begins with Marine Aircraft Group 23, which was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, Hawaii, on 1 March 1942. Assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, MAG-23 became one of the early Marine aviation organizations committed to the South Pacific. During the Battle of Guadalcanal, the group’s squadrons formed the forward and rear elements of the aviation force operating from Henderson Field. The first units arrived on 20 August 1942, transported from the United States by the escort carrier USS Long Island, and additional squadrons joined approximately ten days later. At Guadalcanal, MAG-23 was not a self-contained Marine formation. Under the operational control of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, it worked with Navy carrier squadrons, a United States Army Air Forces fighter squadron, and other attached aviation elements. This composite force became associated with the Cactus Air Force and provided air support for Marine and Army forces during the campaign. Historical accounts credit the combined force with substantial aerial victories during the intense fighting, while the Marine group also suffered significant losses, including pilots killed in action and casualties from naval gunfire. The group’s role illustrated the improvised, joint character of early Allied air operations in the Pacific. Following Guadalcanal, MAG-23 was transferred to Naval Air Station San Diego on 18 November 1942 as part of Marine Air, West Coast. On 9 January 1943 it moved to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, where it remained until September. The group returned to MCAS Ewa on 19 September 1943 and served in the Hawaiian area until May 1944. On 8 May 1944 it transferred to Midway Atoll, remaining there until the end of the war. MAG-23 returned to the United States after the conflict and was decommissioned on 1 November 1945. The current organization was activated on 15 January 1982 as Marine Aviation and Training Support Group 23 at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. Its initial assignment was to provide administrative and limited logistics support to Marines permanently or temporarily assigned to the base in connection with F/A-18 maintenance, operations, and training. The command’s creation coincided with the introduction of the F/A-18 Hornet into Marine fighter aviation. VMFA-314 arrived at Lemoore on 2 July 1982 as the first Marine squadron to undertake the transition, and by June 1983 the first three Marine F/A-18 squadrons had completed transition training through the local training structure. Over time, the training model shifted from transitioning complete squadrons to preparing individual Marines who would replace personnel in Fleet Marine Force units. In May 2000, the Commandant of the Marine Corps ordered the redesignation of the Marine Aviation Training Support Groups. This policy linked modern training commands with the numbers and traditions of earlier Marine aviation groups, including the decommissioned MAG-23. A major organizational change followed in 2013. On 7 June, the Commandant approved a reorganization that reduced the number of MATSG headquarters from five to three. MATSG-23 was directed to relocate from NAS Lemoore to NAS Pensacola, Florida, and to take on administrative support for initial accession schools. Its structure came to include a headquarters element supporting three squadrons and two detachments: Aviation Maintenance Squadron 1, Aviation Maintenance Squadron 2, Marine Aviation Training Support Squadron 1, the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training detachment at Eglin Air Force Base, and the Marine detachment at Keesler Air Force Base. In its present role, MATSG-23 is a functional advocate for Marine Corps aviation logistics entry-level training. Its responsibilities encompass initial accession instruction, primary military occupational specialty training, Aircraft Maintenance Officer education, Aviation Ordnance Officer career progression schools, and the Air Traffic Control Officer Course. It also provides administrative and logistical assistance to regionally located units when tasked by Training Command. Rather than operating as a commercial brand or an operational aircraft group, MATSG-23 serves as a personnel-development and readiness organization. Its work supports the maintenance, ordnance, air traffic control, and other aviation-logistics capabilities required by the Marine Air-Ground Task Force’s Aviation Combat Element.
- 2013
Headquarters reorganization and relocation
[1]MATSG-23 is directed to move from NAS Lemoore to NAS Pensacola and assume support for initial accession schools.
- 2000
Training groups are redesignated
[1]The Marine Corps reuses historical group numbers to reinforce continuity between modern training commands and earlier aviation formations.
- 1982
Modern MATSG-23 is activated
[1]The modern command is activated at NAS Lemoore to support Marine aviation training, operations, and F/A-18 maintenance activities.
- 1945
Wartime MAG-23 is decommissioned
[1]After returning from the Pacific, Marine Aircraft Group 23 is decommissioned on 1 November.
- 1942
Marine Aircraft Group 23 is commissioned
[1]MAG-23 is established at MCAS Ewa, Hawaii, as part of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
- 1942
MAG-23 joins the Guadalcanal air campaign
[1]The group’s Marine squadrons arrive at Henderson Field and operate with Navy and Army aviation units in the Cactus Air Force.
Products and positioning
A specialized Marine Corps aviation training and support command preserving the lineage of a World War II aircraft group while preparing aviation logistics and support personnel for expeditionary service.
Military education and training
Marine Corps aviation logistics entry-level training
MATSG-23 serves as the functional training advocate for entry-level aviation logistics instruction. This role supports the preparation of Marines entering aviation maintenance, ordnance, and related support specialties needed to sustain Marine aircraft and expeditionary aviation units.
Officer training
Aircraft Maintenance Officer education
The command supports training for Marine officers responsible for aircraft maintenance organizations and the readiness of aviation maintenance personnel and equipment.
Officer career training
Aviation Ordnance Officer career progression schools
MATSG-23 advocates and supports career progression education for Aviation Ordnance Officers, whose responsibilities include the management and readiness of aviation weapons systems and ordnance functions.
Military officer training
Air Traffic Control Officer Course
The command’s mission includes support for the Air Traffic Control Officer Course, contributing to the development of officers who manage aviation control functions in Marine aviation environments.
Marketing campaigns
- 1942Battle of Guadalcanal
Solomon Islands · Pacific theater
The wartime predecessor MAG-23 provided Marine aviation squadrons to the Cactus Air Force at Henderson Field. Together with attached Navy and Army aviation units, it supported Allied ground operations and air defense during the Guadalcanal campaign.
Outcome. The group contributed to the Allied defense and eventual consolidation of Guadalcanal, although it suffered significant personnel losses.
Brand decisions
2013
Headquarters reorganization and relocation to NAS PensacolaStrategyBackground
The Marine Corps approved a broader reorganization that reduced the number of MATSG headquarters from five to three.
Action taken
MATSG-23 was ordered to relocate from NAS Lemoore, California, to NAS Pensacola, Florida, and to assume administrative support for initial accession schools.
Aftermath
The command became a broader aviation training and support organization with responsibility for geographically distributed squadrons and detachments.
2000
Redesignation to preserve Marine aviation lineageStrategyBackground
The Commandant of the Marine Corps sought to strengthen Marine identity and historical continuity among aviation training support organizations.
Action taken
Marine Aviation Training Support Groups were redesignated using numbers associated with previously decommissioned aviation groups, including the lineage represented by MAG-23.
Aftermath
The modern command retained the number 23 while continuing its training-support mission.
Sources1 sources
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