The Complete History of the
Air Ground Operations School.
(The information taken from Air Force document found at, www.nellis.af.mil/agos/, which is no longer active.)
Early in the Korean War, our forces found that many of the lessons learned during air ground operations in World War II had not been passed on and that a need existed for immediate training of personnel in the concepts and procedures of air ground operations
15 September 1950
Headquarters Tactical Air Command published the order directing Ninth Air Force to establish a "school of air ground operations." Ten days later, the first class of 15 Air Force officers began the course of instruction at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina.
As the school expanded to accommodate increased numbers of both Army and Air Force personnel, the Highland Inn at Southern Pines, North Carolina, was leased from its civilian own-ers and relocation was ac-complished. The School continued in operation at Southern Pines until January
1957.
January 20, 1957, Fire destroys the old Highland Inn in less than three hours. Fortunately preparations were already underway to move the school to Keesler Air Force Base in Missisippi. School records, however, had to be painstakingly restored.
February 1957 The US Air Force Air
Ground Operations School reopens at its
new location, Keesler Air Force Base
Mississippi.
1961 AGOS graduates 30,000th stu-dents.
July 14, 1961 AGOS celebrates 10 years of training
October 1961 Training at Keesler temporarily suspended. Members of the AGOS tour 16 military installations (18 Tactical Fighter Squadrons and 4 Tactical Reconnaisance Squad-rons) in a five week period teaching Joint Combat Air Ground Operations. Covering more than 20,000 miles and involving approximately 100 hours of flying across the country. These newly trained units were part of the units called to active duty 1 October as part of the Department of Defense Program to beef up Tactical Air Power.
9 March 1962 USAF AGOS opens new course: Combat Operations. This course is especially patterned and tailored by the AGOS faculty members at the request of TAC and CONARC officials who believed the establishment of a one week course would enable more senior and general rank officers to attend.
December 1962 To accommodate the need for addition field training by TacUcal Air Control Party (TACP) personnel, the USAF AGOS was moved to Hurlburt Field, Florida where it was assigned to the 505th Command and Control Evaluation Group, a subordinate unit of the 53d Wing. During this time, the 53d Wing (Eglin and Hurlburt) and the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base Nevada, had both "test~ and 'training" functions. Further complicating matters,
responsibility for Close Air Support (CAS) training and education was shared among three separate commands-the Joint Firepower Control Course, under the 53d Wing, and the two premier CAS training exercises, Air Warrior I and Air Warrior II, under the 57th Wing and 8th Air Force, respectively.
1996 The Air Warfare Center Commander initiated a process to streamline testing and training functions by consolidating all testing functions under the 53d Wing and all training functions under the 57th Wing. The proposal consolidated all CAS training and education under a single USAF AGOS Group, assigned to the 57th Wing at Nellis AFB.
November 1997 The USAF AGOS stands up at Nellis Air Force Base Nevada. JFCC course being taught at both Hurlburt and Nellis on alternating months
October 1998 Formal handoff of course to JFCC course mangers at Nell is AFB. JFCC course discontinuted at Huriburt. Course expanded to graduate 10 classes of 100 person-nel per class.
The US Air Force Air Ground Operations School remains the only US service school devoted to instruction in coordinated joint air ground operations. Army faculty members are provided on a permanent basis by the US Army Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In addition, US Marine and a US Navy officers are permanently attached. Graduating students take with them a unique background and experience for enhancing professional knowledge and furthering continued interservice cooperation among their contemporaries.