940th Air Refueling Wing [940th ARW]
The 940th Air Refueling Wing is based Beale AFB. Prior to relocating to Beale AFB in 1998, the unit was stationed at McClellan AFB, CA. Though, the 940th was only scheduled to stay at McCellan for 18 months, following the Base Realignment and Closure Commission's 1991 decision to close Mather Air Force Base, CA, the unit's previous home, the 940th remained at McClellan for a five-year layover.
The 940th ARW deployed in support of NATO Operation Allied Force. while most reserve units called to active duty were based in Budapest, Hungary, the 940th operated from a French Air Base near Istres, France.
The 940th ARW, deployed Turkey as part of Aerospace Expeditionary Force 8, a deployment wrapped up in July 2000. This was the first time the unit participated in an AEF deployment, although it has been to Incirlik before in support of Operation Northern Watch.
The mission of the 940th ARW is to provide aerial refueling and airlift capability worldwide to support national objectives.
In its 2005 BRAC Recommendaitons, DoD recommended to realign Beale Air Force Base, CA. The 940th Air Refueling Wing (AFR) at Beale would realign its KC-135R tanker aircraft while its expeditionary combat support (ECS) elements would remain in place. Beale's KC-135R aircraft would be distributed to the Air National Guard at Selfridge ANGB, MI (four aircraft) and 134th Air Refueling Wing (ANG), McGhee-Tyson Airport Air Guard Station, TN (four aircraft). Beale's more modern KC-135R aircraft would replace the older, higher maintenance KC-135E models at McGhee-Tyson and would help increase the new ANG tanker mission at Selfridge to an effective-size of 12 aircraft. The resulting KC-135R increase at Selfridge and McGhee-Tyson would increase the tanker force structure into squadron sizes that are more operationally effective.
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