Little - Keep Trees

Shortly thereafter, the 4442d Combat Crew Training
Wing inactivated, and the 314th absorbed its training
role. The next major change occurred on Jan. 31, 1972,
when the base welcomed the 834th Air Division. The
additional layer of command soon proved superfluous
and the division was inactivated on Dec. 31, 1974,
though not before it and the 314th transferred from TAC
to Military Airlift Command.
The regular Little Rock AFB units enjoyed relative
stability for the next 13 years; the 314th Tactical Airlift
Wing flew and trained C-130 air and maintenance
crews and the 308th Strategic Missile Wing stood alert
with Titan II ICBMs. However, major changes in the
Arkansas Air National Guard continued to bring alterations
to the base.
In 1976, the 189th Air Guardsmen transitioned to a
refueling mission and began an around-the-clock alpha
alert for SAC, providing refueling assets to a wide variety
of tanker task forces. In 1986, the unit finally
assumed its current mission: tactical airlift training in
the C-130. The change was a true implementation of
the Total Force concept, as the base’s Air Force and Air
National Guard wings began working together on a
common mission: the training and employment of the
world’s best C-130 combat airlifters.
On Aug., 18, 1987, after 23 years of aroundthe-clock
duty, the 308th Strategic Missile Wing quietly
Little Rock Air Force Base C-130 Hercules aircraft
taxi to the parking ramp at Nellis Air Force Base,
Nev., after completing airdrop missions for a mobility
exercise over the Keno range in Nevada.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Scottie McCord)
14 Little Rock Air Force Base History
inactivated, going into history as the last unit to perform
operational duty with Titan II missiles. The crews had
spent more than 14 million man-hours on watch underground,
with countless millions more invested by support
crews above ground, to maintain the United
States’ strategic deterrence.
On June 1, 1992, the base and 314th Airlift Wing
were assigned to the new Air Mobility Command, the
successor to MAC. Only 16 months later, the wing was
again reassigned to Air Combat Command, a new
command created to combine functions from SAC and
TAC. On April 1, 1997, the base’s commands were
again shaken up as the 314th was reassigned to Air
Education and Training Command. At the same time,
the 463rd Airlift Group was activated at the base as a
tenant under AMC. The purpose of these changes was
to move the C-130 schoolhouse under AETC while
retaining AMC’s operational control over C-130 airlift.
Operationally, the base remained a hive of activity
throughout the 1990s. Little Rock provided assets to
operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and operations
Northern Watch and Southern Watch, which
enforced the subsequent no-fly zones over Iraq. Other
humanitarian and peacekeeping missions included
Provide Comfort in Iraq, Provide Relief and Restore
Hope in Somalia, Uphold Democracy in Haiti, and
Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
LITTLE ROCK 2013 AFB GUIDE