Marine Wing Support Group 47
A former United States Marine Corps Reserve aviation combat service support group that supported the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Marine Wing Support Group 47, commonly abbreviated MWSG-47, was a United States Marine Corps Reserve aviation combat service support organization headquartered at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan. It was assigned to the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing and existed to provide centralized, deployable ground support for Marine aviation units. Rather than operating aircraft itself, the group supplied the infrastructure and specialist services required to establish, operate, protect, and sustain aviation facilities and deployed flying units. Its responsibilities covered nearly all major forms of aviation ground support except air-traffic control. These functions included airfield operations, engineering, transportation, medical support, food services, security, maintenance-related support, and other direct combat service support. Centralizing these capabilities allowed the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing to pool personnel and equipment, then organize them into deployable detachments or subordinate squadrons suited to a particular operation. The group was activated on 1 July 1962 at Naval Air Station Los Alamitos, California. Its initial purpose was to provide aviation ground support for fixed-wing and rotary-wing units of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. In 1965 it moved to Naval Air Station Twin Cities in Minnesota, where it operated with Wing Engineer Squadron 47 and Wing Transportation Squadron 47. These organizations included detachments distributed among several locations in the United States. MWSG-47 relocated to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in 1977. The command’s presence in the area had roots in Marine aviation activity at Selfridge and in the earlier Marine Air Reserve Training Detachment at Naval Air Station Grosse Ile. During this period, Headquarters and Ground Maintenance Squadron 47 became another important subordinate element. By the late 1970s, the group had approximately 1,105 Marines spread across five sites. A major aviation ground-support reorganization began in 1986. Marine Corps aviation support structures were consolidated and reorganized around Marine Wing Support Squadrons, which were designed to perform a broad set of airfield and aviation support tasks. By October 1988, MWSG-47 included Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron 47 and four Marine Wing Support Squadrons: MWSS-471, MWSS-472, MWSS-473, and MWSS-474. The organization had grown to more than 2,500 Marines distributed across 14 sites. The group supported both domestic readiness and overseas operations. Its reservists and subordinate units participated in mobilizations connected with Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990–1991, the 2003 Iraq invasion and subsequent Iraq operations, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Deployments and detachments also supported activity in Djibouti and numerous multinational or bilateral exercises in Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Africa, and Latin America. During the 1990s and 2000s, the Marine Corps adjusted the geographic relationships between aviation support squadrons and the Marine Aircraft Groups they served. A further reorganization in fiscal year 2002 deactivated MWSS-474 and changed the distribution of other detachments. In 2010, the Marine Corps Force Structure Review Group recommended deactivating Marine Wing Support Groups and assigning their subordinate squadrons directly to the Marine Aircraft Groups they supported. MWSS-471 and MWSS-473 transferred to MAG-41, while MWSS-472 transferred to MAG-49. After these transfers, MWSG-47 was deactivated in July 2012, ending approximately five decades of service.
History
MWSG-47 was activated on 1 July 1962 at Naval Air Station Los Alamitos, California, as a Marine Air Reserve organization supporting the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. Its core task was to provide aviation ground support for fixed-wing and rotary-wing units. The organization moved to Naval Air Station Twin Cities, Minnesota, on 1 October 1965. At that point, Wing Engineer Squadron 47 and Wing Transportation Squadron 47 formed its principal subordinate structure, with detachments spread across the country. The group relocated to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan on 1 October 1977. Marine aviation reserve activity had already been established at Selfridge after the movement of a Marine Air Reserve Training Detachment from Naval Air Station Grosse Ile. That detachment later evolved through the Marine Air Reserve Training Unit structure and was eventually redesignated Headquarters and Ground Maintenance Squadron 47. The group then covered several geographically dispersed locations and had roughly 1,105 Marines. Beginning in 1986, the Marine Corps reorganized aviation ground support. Support functions previously divided among Marine Air Base Squadrons, engineer units, transportation units, and headquarters or ground-maintenance organizations were consolidated in Marine Wing Support Squadrons. The reserve reorganization was completed by 1 October 1988. MWSG-47 then comprised H&HS-47, MWSS-471, MWSS-472, MWSS-473, and MWSS-474, with more than 2,500 Marines at 14 sites. The group’s structure continued to change in response to base realignment and operational requirements. In 1994, detachments associated with the Marine Wing Support Squadrons were moved toward the locations of the Marine Aircraft Groups they supported, improving command relationships. During fiscal year 2002, MWSS-474 was deactivated and other detachments were transferred or redesignated. The group was left with personnel at nine United States sites. MWSG-47’s operational history included Gulf War mobilizations beginning in December 1990, when detachments and headquarters personnel supported Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The group did not mobilize as a unit for the Vietnam War, although individual Marine reservists volunteered for service. In 2003, the group and its subordinate units were mobilized in support of the Iraq invasion and related aviation requirements. MWSS-471 supported contingency planning before shifting to a backfill mission at Marine Corps Air Station New River, while MWSS-473 supported Marine aviation installations in Arizona and California. Further deployments to Iraq involved MWSS-472 in 2005, MWSS-473 in 2007, and MWSS-472 again in 2009. Other deployments included a 2004 MWSS-471 detachment to Afghanistan and a 2008 MWSS-471 deployment to Djibouti in support of Combined Joint Task Force–Horn of Africa. Individual headquarters Marines also augmented active-duty units between 2003 and 2010. Training and security-cooperation activity took group personnel to locations including the Bahamas, Bahrain, Bermuda, Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Honduras, Norway, Peru, Romania, and Ukraine. Exercises named in the unit’s historical record include Battle Griffin, Beyond the Horizon, Black Sea Rotation Force, Bright Star, and New Horizons. In 2010, a Marine Corps Force Structure Review Group recommended eliminating Marine Wing Support Groups and assigning their subordinate squadrons directly to the Marine Aircraft Groups they supported. In 2012, MWSS-471 and MWSS-473 transferred to MAG-41, and MWSS-472 transferred to MAG-49. MWSG-47 was deactivated in July 2012, completing approximately 50 years of service. The group received unit recognition associated with Gulf War and Iraq-era mobilizations, including Meritorious Unit Commendation and National Defense Service recognition.
- 2012
Deactivation
[1]After subordinate squadrons transferred to MAG-41 and MAG-49, MWSG-47 was deactivated in July.
- 2010
Force-structure review recommends deactivation
[1]A Marine Corps review recommended replacing MWSGs with direct assignment of support squadrons to Marine Aircraft Groups.
- 2002
Fiscal-year reorganization
[1]MWSS-474 was deactivated and the distribution of several detachments was revised.
- 1990
First unit mobilizations
[1]Personnel mobilized for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, serving in domestic and overseas locations.
- 1988
Completion of aviation ground-support reorganization
[1]The group adopted a structure centered on headquarters and Marine Wing Support Squadrons and expanded to more than 2,500 Marines across 14 sites.
- 1977
Relocation to Selfridge
[1]MWSG-47 moved to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan, which became its long-term headquarters.
- 1965
Relocation to Naval Air Station Twin Cities
[1]The group moved to Minnesota and operated with engineer and transportation squadrons supported by dispersed detachments.
- 1962
Activation at Naval Air Station Los Alamitos
[1]MWSG-47 was activated on 1 July to provide aviation ground support for the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.
Products and positioning
A centralized, reserve-component aviation support organization providing scalable ground and combat service support to Marine aviation forces.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008Combined Joint Task Force–Horn of Africa
Djibouti · Horn of Africa
MWSS-471 deployed to Djibouti to provide aviation ground and combat service support for the multinational task force.
- 2004Operation Enduring Freedom
Afghanistan
A detachment from MWSS-471 deployed to Afghanistan in support of the broader Marine Corps reserve contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom.
- 2003Operation Iraqi Freedom
United States · Iraq
The group and subordinate squadrons mobilized to support Marine aviation operations during the Iraq invasion and its immediate aftermath.
Outcome. Mobilized reservists returned to their home training centers by November 2003, while later squadron deployments continued in Iraq.
- 1990Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm
United States · Middle East
MWSG-47 mobilized detachments and headquarters personnel to provide aviation and combat service support during the Gulf War buildup and combat period.
Outcome. Most mobilized reservists returned to inactive status by July 1991; the group received related unit recognition.
Brand decisions
2010
Marine Wing Support Group deactivation planStrategyBackground
The Marine Corps Force Structure Review Group assessed that aviation support could be aligned more directly with the Marine Aircraft Groups served by each squadron.
Action taken
The review recommended deactivating active and reserve MWSGs and transferring subordinate support squadrons to their supported Marine Aircraft Groups.
Aftermath
MWSG-47’s subordinate squadrons transferred in 2012, followed by the group’s deactivation in July of that year.
1986
Reorganization around Marine Wing Support SquadronsStrategyBackground
The Marine Corps sought to consolidate aviation ground-support functions that had been distributed among several types of units.
Action taken
MWSG-47 transitioned to a structure built around Marine Wing Support Squadrons supporting fixed-wing and rotary-wing aviation formations.
Aftermath
By October 1988, the reorganization was complete and the group had expanded coverage across 14 sites.
Recent events
- 2012
Marine Wing Support Group 47 deactivated[1]
Other
After its subordinate squadrons were reassigned to Marine Aircraft Groups, MWSG-47 was deactivated in July 2012.
- 2003
MWSG-47 subordinate units support Iraq and Afghanistan operations[1]
Other
The group and its subordinate squadrons mobilized for Iraq-related operations, while other detachments supported Afghanistan and later overseas missions.
- 1990
MWSG-47 supports Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm[1]
Other
The group experienced its first unit mobilizations during the Gulf War buildup and conflict, with personnel serving in both United States and overseas locations.
- 1988
MWSG-47 reorganizes under Marine Corps aviation support changes[1]
Other
Following the Marine Corps aviation ground-support restructuring, the group operated with headquarters and four Marine Wing Support Squadrons across multiple sites.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/marine-wing-support-group-47 · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled