The 142nd Wing is a unit of the Oregon Air National Guard, stationed at Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon. As a state militia unit, the 142nd Wing is not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. It is under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Air National Guard unless it is federalized by order of the President of the United States. If activated to federal service, the wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. The 123rd Fighter Squadron assigned to the wing's 142nd Operations Group, is a descendant organization of 123rd Observation Squadron, formed on 30 July 1940. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The 142nd Wing is also home to the 125th Special Tactics Squadron (STS), which conducts a wide array of special forces operations both domestically, and internationally. According to the 125th STS mission statement, the squadron is "poised for full spectrum rapid response to all crises and contingencies at home or abroad". Additionally, the 125th STS is one of only two Special Tactics Units in the Air National Guard. The inclusion of the 125th STS under the Wing led to the organization re-designating itself as the 142nd Wing in order to better articulate the varied capabilities of the organization. Overview The 142nd Wing participates around the globe supporting drug interdiction, United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) air defense, as well as contingency operations such as Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. The wing serves the nation, state, and community by providing mission-ready units, personnel, and equipment for: Air defense of the Pacific Northwest Domination of the air superiority arena Federal augmentation in support of national security objectives Response to state and local contingencies Domestic search and rescue operations Proactive involvement in activities that add value to the people and communities which it serves Today the fighting "Redhawks" continue service as a component of the total force flying the F-15C/D, providing air defense and air superiority capabilities. With more than 1,000 officers and Airman, the unit guards the Pacific Northwest skies from northern California to the Canada–US border, on 24-hour alert as part of the North American Air Defense (NORAD) system. Units To complete these missions, four groups are assigned to the 142nd Fighter Wing 142nd Operations Group -116th Air