<p>Established as the 23rd Fighter Wing in August 1948 at Northwest Guam AFB, Guam with the F-47, the unit moved to Howard AFB, Canal Zone in mid-1949 for a brief period, followed by 13 months at Presque Isle AFB, ME before inactivating. The unit was redesignated 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing and reactivated at McConnell AFB in February 1964 with the F-105D, before moving to England AFB to replace the 4403rd TFW in July 1972 and converting to the A-7D. The A-10A began to replace the A-7 in 1980. Two squadrons from the 23rd TFW deployed to King Fahd, Damman, Saudi Arabia for Desert Storm. The wing had inactivated by mid-1992, but reformed at Pope AFB in June 1992 as a composite wing to support the Army's 82nd Airborne Division at nearby Fort Bragg. The majority of the wing's assets were deployed to the Middle East during October 1994 for Operation Vigilant Warrior, with the 75th Fighter Squadron being reassigned to Ahmed al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait as part of a general increase in the number of US aircraft stationed in the region.
