An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | April 21, 2022

Iowa Air Guard refueling wing rotates to CENTCOM area

By Senior Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot, 185th Air Refueling Wing, Iowa Air National Guard

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Airmen from the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing departed this week for the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to provide air refueling support for the U.S. Air Force and partner nations.

About 100 Airmen are deploying as part of a scheduled Aerospace Expeditionary Force or “AEF” deployment.

The “Aviation Deployment Package” is departing just as another group of 185th ARW members has begun returning home following their “Reserve Component Period” deployments. The returning group of about 50 Airmen began to deploy individually to various locations in CENTCOM last fall.

The returning unit members were mainly from the 185th Support and Medical Groups. These unit members deployed for six months throughout CENTCOM to bases in Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The deployment tasking departing this week has units like the 185th providing aircrew and aircraft maintenance personnel and some of the unit’s KC-135 refueling aircraft. The group includes support personnel as part of the aviation deployment package.

The 185th ARW has been providing people and aircraft for operations in CENTCOM for more than a decade, aiding U.S. military operations in the region. According to the CENTCOM website, their area of responsibility covers a 21-nation area in Southwest Asia.

Although the deployment concept has fluctuated over time, these deployments have Active-Duty Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units regularly rotating through bases throughout CENTCOM. The arrangement has only a portion of the 185th tasked to avoid depleting the unit’s capabilities at home.

Air National Guard deployments like this week’s aviation deployment package have Iowa Guard members mobilizing directly from their home station. The deployments rely heavily on members of the 185th Logistics Readiness Squadron, ensuring unit members meet various deployment requirements, including last-minute COVID testing.

Earlier this week, the 185th Medical Group quickly ushered the deploying Airmen through rapid COVID testing — the last item on their to-do list before departing.

Before returning home, these Airmen will typically spend a few months in the deployed location providing air refueling support with their KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Air National Guard Technical Sgt. Devon Parr, a 185th Air Refueling Wing aerospace propulsion technician, demonstrates a forearm plank at the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City, Iowa, Jan. 11, 2024. Airmen must pass routine physical health assessments which include a core endurance component tested by one minute timed situp, two minute cross leg reverse crunch or timed forearm plank. (U.S. Air National Guard photo illustration by Senior Airman Tylon Chapman)
New Year Brings New Focus on Airmen Fitness
By Senior Airman Tylon Chapman and Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot, | Jan. 16, 2024
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – As the new year begins, post-holiday realities of too much eating and too little activity begin to set in. Many Americans choose this time of year to refocus their attention on physical fitness.Military...

Airman 1st Class Charlie Saulsbury, 185th Air Refueling Wing medical technician, is on the floor while fellow med techs, Staff Sgt. Skylar Casson, Airman 1st Class Colton Seidler and Master Sgt. Perla Solis, practice first aid techniques. The Airmen are training at the Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center in Savannah, Georgia.
Iowa Air Guard Clinicians Train Together in Georgia
By Senior Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot, | June 27, 2022
SAVANNAH, Ga. – Domestic events, worldwide deployments and debates over continuing resolutions have kept Iowa Air National Guard clinicians from training together for more than three years.Much to the relief of Chief Master...

Airmen from the Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing move a fuel system icing inhibitor cart in place to begin refueling a U.S. Air Force KC-135 on the flight line at the Glasgow Prestwick International Airport, Scotland, May 18, 2021. The portable fuel injection system is used to add deicing fuel additive during ground refueling. Air Guard Airmen and their refueling aircraft are in Scotland providing air refueling support as part of NATO exercise Formidable Shield.
Air National Guard units support Formidable Shield exercise
By Senior Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot, | May 20, 2021
PRESTWICK, Scotland – U.S. Air National Guard units from Iowa, Maine and Ohio are participating in the multinational missile defense exercise Formidable Shield 2021 in the United Kingdom this week. Formidable Shield is a...