The 2005 Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC) recommendations adopted by Congress mandated that the Department of Defense designate Elmendorf Air Force Base and the adjacent U.S. Army Fort Richardson to combine installation management functions as Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER). The Department of Defense designated the Air Force as the lead agency for providing those installation management functions on JBER which prompted the establishment and activation of the 673d Air Base Wing (ABW) on 24 June 2010.
The numerical designation chosen for the 673d ABW came indirectly from the history of the 673d Air Base Group which served as the host unit Eareckson Air Force Station located on Shemya Island in the Aleutians from 15 July 1958 to 1 April 1995. The 673d Air Base Group had also been previously designated as the 5040th Air Base Squadron, 5073d Air Base Squadron, and 5073d Air Base Group. The 673d Air Base Group was first designated as such beginning on 27 January 1992.
The 673d ABW is composed of a command section, the 673d Comptroller Squadron, and four groups. The former 673d Air Base Group's lineage and honors continued on 24 June 2010 with its redesignation and reactivation as the 673d Mission Support Group. The 673d Mission Support Group joined the newly activated 673d Medical Group, 673d Civil Engineer Group, and 673d Logistics Readiness Group as the primary organizations responsible for providing installation management functions at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Together, with their assigned squadrons, the groups assist the wing with operation and maintenance of the joint base for air sovereignty, combat training, force staging, and throughput operations in support of worldwide contingencies.
The 673d ABW comprises over 5,000 joint military and civilian personnel, supporting America's Arctic Warriors and their families. The wing supports and enables three AF total-force wings, one Army brigade and 55 other tenant units, including United States Alaskan Command, Eleventh Air Force, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, and the 3rd Wing, as well as U.S. Army Alaska, the 2nd Brigade, 11th Airborne Division, and all of their subordinate units. Other tenant units include the U.S. Air Force Reserve's 477th Fighter Group, the Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Wing, the Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center, and the 373d Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group among many others. In addition, the wing provides medical care to over 35,000 joint service members, dependents, Veterans Administration patients and retirees throughout Alaska. The 673d ABW maintains $12.4B in infrastructure encompassing more than 79,000 acres, ensuring Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson remains America's premier strategic power projection platform.