186th Air Refueling Wing

186th Air Refueling Wing
186th Air Refueling Wing KC-135
Active	1962–present
Country	United States
Allegiance	Mississippi
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Wing
Role	Air Refueling
Size	About 1200
Part of	Mississippi Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Key Field Air National Guard Base, Meridian Regional Airport
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Billy Nabors
Insignia
186th Air Refueling Wing emblem
Tail Stripe	Blue, "Mississippi" in yellow letters

The 186th Air Refueling Wing is a unit of the Mississippi Air National Guard stationed at Meridian Regional Airport, Mississippi. The 153d Air Refueling Squadron, assigned to the Wing's 186th Operations Group, was established on 18 August 1939 as the 153d Observation Squadron, one of the 29 National Guard observation squadrons formed before World War II.

The group was first organized in October 1962 as the 186th Tactical Reconnaissance Group. It served in the reconnaissance role until 1992, when it received Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers and converted to an air refueling mission.

The 186th Air Refueling Wing provides worldwide air refueling support to combat commands of the United States Air Force, and to other United States military forces and the military forces of allied nations flying the KC-135 Stratotanker. With over 1,200 officers and airmen, the 186th is made up of mostly traditional guardsmen, but about one third of the members are full-time air technicians or active Guardsmen or reservists. The 186th also supports a Fairchild RC-26B Metroliner aircraft, modified to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission.

The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that the wing’s KC-135R aircraft be transferred to the 128th Air Refueling Wing, 134th Air Refueling Wing and the 101st Air Refueling Wing. Its fire fighter positions would move to the 172d Airlift Wing at Allen C. Thompson Field Air National Guard Base, but its expeditionary combat support would remain in place.