506th Air Expeditionary Group

506th Air Expeditionary Group
506th Air Expeditionary Group
	Members of the group's explosive ordnance disposal team search an underground weapons cache
Active	1944–1945; 1952–1959; 1972–1973; 2003–c. 2011
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Part of	United States Central Command Air Forces
Engagements	World War II; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign (1944–1945) Global War on Terrorism; Iraq Campaign Liberation of Iraq: 19 March 2003 – 1 May 2003 Transition of Iraq: 2 May 2003 – 28 June 2004 Iraqi Governance: 29 June 2004 – 15 December 2005 National Resolution: 16 December 2005 – 9 January 2007 Iraqi Surge: 10 January 2007 – 31 December 2008 Iraqi Sovereignty: 1 January 2009 – 31 August 2010 New Dawn: 1 September 2010 – 31 December 2011
Insignia
506th Air Expeditionary Group emblem
506th Strategic Fighter Wing emblem

The 506th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit, assigned to Air Combat Command top activate or inactivate as needed. It was most recently stationed at Kirkuk Airport from 2003 until circa 2011. The group was assigned to the 332d Air Expeditionary Wing, stationed at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.

The 506th secured the base, conducted safe flight operations and fought in the Iraq War. As a provisional unit, the group may be activated or inactivated as needed.

The group began in 1944 as the 506th Fighter Group which flew P-51 Mustangs as part of Twentieth Air Force in the Western Pacific. During the Cold War, the unit was a Strategic Air Command fighter-escort unit and later active with Tactical Air Command and the Air Force Reserve as a tactical fighter unit.