West Virginia Air National Guard

West Virginia Air National Guard
167th Airlift Squadron C-5A Galaxy at Martinsburg AGB. The 167th is the oldest unit in the West Virginia Air National Guard, having over 60 years of service to the state and nation
Active	7 March 1947 - present
Country	United States
Allegiance	West Virginia
Branch	Air National Guard
Role	"To meet state and federal mission responsibilities."
Part of	West Virginia National Guard
Garrison/HQ	West Virginia Air National Guard, 1703 Coonskin Drive, Charleston, West Virginia, 25311
Commanders
Civilian leadership	President Donald Trump (Commander-in-Chief) Governor Earl Ray Tomblin (Governor of the State of West Virginia)
State military leadership	Major General Hoyer
Insignia
Emblem of the West Virginia Air National Guard
Aircraft flown
Transport	C-130H Hercules  C-5 Galaxy

The West Virginia Air National Guard (WV ANG) is the air force militia of the State of West Virginia, United States of America. It is, along with the West Virginia Army National Guard, an element of the West Virginia National Guard.

As state militia units, the units in the West Virginia Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of West Virginia though the office of the West Virginia Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The West Virginia Air National Guard is headquartered Charleston, and its commander is Major General Hoyer.

Under the "Total Force" concept, West Virginia Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components (ARC) of the United States Air Force (USAF). West Virginia ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. In addition, the West Virginia Air National Guard forces are assigned to Air Expeditionary Forces and are subject to deployment tasking orders along with their active duty and Air Force Reserve counterparts in their assigned cycle deployment window.

Along with their federal reserve obligations, as state militia units the elements of the West Virginia ANG are subject to being activated by order of the Governor to provide protection of life and property, and preserve peace, order and public safety. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of vital public services, and support to civil defense.

The West Virginia Air National Guard consists of the following major unit:

On 24 May 1946, the United States Army Air Forces, in response to dramatic postwar military budget cuts imposed by President Harry S. Truman, allocated inactive unit designations to the National Guard Bureau for the formation of an Air Force National Guard. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units.