75th Anniversary Celebration highlights legacy of air power

  • Published
  • By Col. Eden J. Murrie
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing commander
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  This year marks the 75th anniversary of the opening of RAF Mildenhall, originally designed as a bomber base for a new era of contemporary warfare prior to World War II. 

Its mission may have changed over the years, but its importance has not.

In October of 1934 King George V opened the base, and less than a year later it was the location of the first full-scale review of the Royal Air Force. The base served as a launching point during World War II, and from that time, it has undergone many changes including the arrival of the U.S. Air Force in 1950.

Since then, the base has - like it did for Royal Air Force aircrews during World War II - played a pivotal role in U.S. capabilities and operations. Our mission here is paramount to operations in today's world climate, and our solid relationship with not only the Royal Air Force, but the people in the local community, makes RAF Mildenhall a great place to live and work.

Looking back through the years, it's easy to see that the U.S. Air Force's ties to those original British aircrews has been, and continues to be, a source of great pride for us - especially as we carry out our mission of generating air refueling combat power and critical combat support today.

It's a mission we accomplish using only 15 tankers, but the scope of our mission is great. Our area of operations encompasses 91 nations and 20 million square miles - to put that in perspective, the entire area covered by the United States - including Alaska and Hawaii - is just 3.5 million square miles.

But the mission at RAF Mildenhall reaches far beyond the scope of the 100th Air Refueling Wing. RAF Mildenhall is also host to six partner units including the 3rd Air Force-UK, the 352nd Special Operations Group, 488th Intelligence Squadron, 727th Air Mobility Squadron, 95th Reconnaissance Squadron and Naval Air Facility Mildenhall.

Third Air Force-UK provides U.S. Air Forces in Europe and the U.S. European Command with planning, command and control, and execution of air operations capabilities for all of Europe and the majority of Africa. The 352nd SOG is the only U.S. Air Force-assigned special operations unit in Europe, covering the same area of operations as the 100th ARW.

The 95th RS operates and maintains the RC-135 aircraft and works in close coordination with the 488th IS which provides critical intelligence information to warfighters and decision makers for the U.S. and NATO allies.

The 727th Air Mobility Squadron supports strategic and commercial airlift in the theater. They also support tanker aircraft bound for Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as operating the Mildenhall Passenger Terminal.

Naval Air Facility Mildenhall is the longest continuously-serving unit here, and provides logistical support to the president, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and the Commander Naval activities UK.

Throughout the years, the U.S. Air Force has been able to make great strides here. But, we haven't done it alone. There are 449 British Ministry of Defence employees and 113 direct-hire British nationals who assist us in our efforts every single day. And we couldn't ask for better partners to help us with our endeavors.

It is truly an honor to be commanding the 100th Air Refueling Wing as the 75th anniversary of this base's initiation is upon us. There's a lot for all of us all to be proud of, and a lot to look forward to, as we celebrate this historic time.