Florida Air National Guard | |
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![]() Emblem of the Florida Air National Guard | |
Active | 9 February 1947 - present |
Country | ![]() |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | state militia, military reserve force |
Role | "To meet state and federal mission responsibilities." |
Part of | Florida National Guard United States National Guard Bureau National Guard |
Garrison/HQ | Florida Air National Guard, St. Francis Barracks, 82 Marine Street Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32088 |
Motto(s) | "Guarding America, Defending Freedom" |
Commanders | |
Civilian leadership | President Joe Biden (Commander-in-Chief) Frank Kendall III (Secretary of the Air Force) Ron DeSantis (Governor of Florida) |
State military leadership | Brig Gen Michael A. Valle (Commander) Brig Gen James T. Demarest (Chief of Staff) CCM Tracey D. Canady (Command Chief) |
Aircraft flown | |
Fighter | F-15C/D Eagle, F-35A Lightning II |
Reconnaissance | RC-26B Metroliner |
Transport | CV-22B Osprey |
The Florida Air National Guard (FL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Florida. It is a reserve component of the United States Air Force and along with the Florida Army National Guard (FL ARNG), an element of the Florida National Guard. It is also an element of the Air National Guard (ANG) at the national level, falling in with the Army National Guard (ARNG) as part of the greater United States National Guard under the National Guard Bureau (NGB).
As a U.S. Air Force (USAF) organization, the Florida Air National Guard is also part of the USAF's Air Reserve Component (ARC), a position it shares with its "federal" ARC partner, the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC).
As state militia units, the units in the Florida Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. FL ANG units remain under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Florida through the office of the Florida Adjutant General, also known as the "TAG," unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. This jurisdictional model of answering to state, commonwealth or territorial governors applies to all Air National Guard units in all fifty states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with the sole exception being the District of Columbia Air National Guard, which is under the direct jurisdiction of the President of the United States through the office of the Commanding General, District of Columbia National Guard.
The Florida Air National Guard is headquartered at St. Francis Barracks (also known as the State Arsenal), in St. Augustine, and its commander is Brigadier General Michael A. Valle.[1]