The 43d Air Mobility Operations Group at Pope Army Airfield, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is a unique stand-alone group responsible for rapid strategic deployment of forces assigned to Joint Special Operations Command, and the U.S. Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps and 82nd Airborne Division. The group provides combatant commanders with Airborne Joint Forcible Entry, combat airlift, aeromedical evacuation, aerial port, command and control, and other enabling capabilities.
Comprised of over 900 Airmen and civilians, the Group includes six squadrons, and supports more 2,600 Airmen assigned to Fort Bragg. The group’s squadrons include:
• 43d Air Base Squadron: Pope Field’s most diverse unit; a dynamic combination of force support, communications and logistics.
• 43d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron: One of two active-duty aeromedical evacuation squadrons in the U.S.; rapid patient movement and communication forces.
• 43d Air Mobility Squadron: Steadfast enroute maintenance of C-5, C-17 and C-130 aircraft; tactical air terminal facility, cargo handling, joint inspection and passenger / fleet services.
• 43d Comptroller Squadron: Budget analysis, planning, programming and execution. Finance customer service for all Air Force personnel at Pope Field.
• 43d Medical Squadron: Medical, mental health, optometry and dental health services for all Air Force personnel; ensures accessible health care for Airmen and their families.
• 43d Operations Support Squadron: Enroute / range scheduling, airspace management, combat weapons and tactics, joint airdrop inspections and SERE.
The 43d AMOG has a long and distinguished history. Beginning as a heavy bombardment group flying B-17s in 1941, the unit distinguished itself during World War II in the Pacific, as one of the most innovative, aggressive and effective flying units. The unit went through a number of transitions following WWII, continuing through the Vietnam War and into the 1990s.
Between 1992 and 1994 the 43d performed air refueling missions out of Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. It was activated as the 43d Airlift Wing at Pope Air Force Base in 1997, then redesignated as the 43d Airlift Group in 2011, following the most recent Base Realignment and Closure round, which began in 2005. The unit was redesignated as the 43d Air Mobility Operations Group on June 14, 2016.