HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFPN) -- The Air Force activated its newest wing during a ceremony here March 12.

The former Air Force Command and Control Training and Innovation Group is now officially the 505th Command and Control Wing.

Gen. Hal M. Hornburg, Air Combat Command commander, presided over the ceremony.

"This is a good deal," said General Hornburg. "The Air Force has needed this for a long time and now is the right time to do this. The 505th Command and Control Wing will help us to elevate our game and will take us to the next level (in command and control).

The wing's mission is to direct the Air Force's operational air and space command and control center of excellence, and to build the air and space command and control capabilities for U.S. and coalition warfighters.

"We realize that if we can't command and control air power, our operations are destined to fail,” said General Hornburg. "It's control that enables us to put pieces and places together at a time of our choosing to achieve the desired effects."

Three groups make up the 505th CCW: the 505th Training Group with its headquarters here; the 505th Operations Group at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; and the 505th Distributed Warfare Group at Kirtland AFB, N.M.

"The designation of the 505th as a wing shows the importance the Air Force places upon the operational level of warfare," said Maj. Gen. Stephen Wood, Air Warfare Center commander. "This includes the training of command and control warriors, as well as simulation and modeling for the Air Force, our sister services, and our coalition partners.

"Now we have a single wing that will ensure the future of the air operations center as a weapons system," General Wood said. "This includes the training of personnel, the standardization of tactics and procedures, and the operational testing of equipment. Training, tactics development, and operational testing are the missions of the AWFC."

During the ceremony, Col. Charles McGuirk took command of the Air Force's newest wing. Before assuming command of the 505th CCW, Colonel McGuirk served as the vice commander of the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La.

The wing will remain an Air Warfare Center unit. The Air Warfare Center’s headquarters is at Nellis AFB. (Courtesy of ACC News Service)