COLUMBUS, Ohio — The 179th Airlift Wing will conduct a historic redesignation ceremony to officially become the 179th Cyberspace Wing at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, at the Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard Base in Mansfield, Ohio.
The event will celebrate the 75-year aviation history of the wing while highlighting the importance of the new cyberspace mission for the nation, Air Force, state, and community. The ceremony will feature several speakers and include a traditional changing of the unit flag and guidon. The 179th was selected to become the Air National Guard’s first-ever cyberspace wing in August 2021.
“The transition of this wing from an airlift wing to a cyberspace wing is great news for the state of Ohio and a model for the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. “Ohio speaks with one voice in aerospace and defense matters, and we were successful in winning this new mission because it requires bipartisan support at the local, state, and national levels. The strategic realignment of the 179th Wing to a cyber mission will cement Mansfield’s critical cyber warfare role well into the future.”
There are nearly 90 flying units in the Air National Guard but there is only one cyber unit, making this unit more relevant for tomorrow’s fight than ever before. “This transition solidifies Mansfield’s place at the tip of the spear in cyber operations vital to our national security and defense,” said Brig. Gen. David B. Johnson, Ohio assistant adjutant general for Air.
The wing was originally organized in Mansfield in 1948 as the 164th Fighter Squadron and has predecessor units that can be traced back to World War II. Throughout its 75-year aviation history, the wing has flown more than nine different airframes, deployed in support of every major contingency operation, participated in multiple humanitarian airlift efforts, responded to countless natural disaster relief taskings, and answered the call when the COVID-19 pandemic struck Ohio in 2020.