403d Wing

403d Wing
403d Wing C-130 Hercules over coastal Georgia
Active	1949-1953; 1953–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Airlift & Weather Reconnaissance
Part of	Air Force Reserve Command
Garrison/HQ	Keesler Air Force Base
Motto(s)	Spectate ad Caelum Latin Look to the Skies
Engagements	Korean War
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Frank L. Amodeo
Insignia
403d Wing emblem (approved 19 December 1995)
403d Troop Carrier Wing emblem (approved 9 January 1953)

The 403d Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 250 full-time air reserve technicians. It also controls an active duty associate airlift squadron consisting of active duty regular Air Force personnel integrated into the operations of its reserve airlift squadron.

The 403d Wing provides command and staff supervision to assigned squadrons and flights that support tactical airlift missions. These missions include airlift of personnel, equipment and supplies. Additionally, the wing is the only unit in the Department of Defense tasked to organize, equip, train and perform all hurricane weather reconnaissance in support of the Department of Commerce.

The 403d is gained upon mobilization by the Air Mobility Command and will execute missions in support of the theater commander, such as resupply, employment operations within the combat zone or forward area, and when required, aeromedical, refugee evacuation and augmentation of other airlift forces.

The wing was first activated at Portland Airport in June 1949 as the 403d Troop Carrier Wing, a Curtiss C-46 Commando unit when Continental Air Command reorganized its reserve units under the wing base organization system. At Portland, the wing trained under the supervision of the 2343d Air Force Reserve Flying Training Center. The wing was manned at 25% of normal strength but its 403d Troop Carrier Group was authorized four squadrons rather than the three of active duty units.