Marine Air Control Squadron 5

Squadron insignia for Marine Ground Control Intercept Squadron 5 (MGCIS-5)

Air Warning Squadron 16 was commissioned on June 1, 1944 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.[1] AWS-16 moved to Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Atlantic in July 1944 for additional training. It returned to MCAS Cherry Point in September 1944.[2] On August 1, 1946 the squadron was re-designated as Marine Ground Control Intercept Squadron 5 (MGCIS-5).[1]

Throughout the postwar period and the Korean War the squadron remained at MCAS Cherry Point, except for recurrent exercises along the east coast of the United States. The squadron would move from MCAS Cherry Point to Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Edenton, North Carolina on 16 September 1953. On 15 February 1954 the unit received its final designation as Marine Air Control Squadron 5 (MACS-5). Its mission was defined as follows: “To install, maintain, and operate ground facilities for the detection and interception of hostile aircraft and missiles and for the navigational direction of friendly aircraft in the accomplishment of support missions.” Just short of two years later the squadron would be deactivated on 31 January 1956.

MACS-5 would be reactivated on 1 October 1957 at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina. They had responsibility for controlling the more complex jet aircraft that were now being used in the post-Korean War era. In 1963, the squadron would deploy to Naval Air Station Atsugi, Japan for a year. While deployed they also supported exercises in Taiwan and South Korea. They returned to a different home station after the deployment, this time settling at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina. During this time the unit was using the AN/TPS-34 and AN/TPS-22 long range search radars in concert with the AN/UPS-1 short range search radar and the AN/TPS-37 height finder.

On June 21, 1971 MACS-5 was decommissioned at MCAS New River only to be reactivated on July 1, 1971 at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina. The squadron deployed to various nations in and around Europe and the Mediterranean Sea supporting numerous North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) exercises during the 1970s and 1980s.

On 11 June 1993, Marine Air Control Squadron 2 (MACS-2) was decommissioned at Marine Corps Base Hawaii and MACS-5 at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina was renamed MACS-2. This deactivation was due to a reduction in Marine air control squadrons from six active and two reserve squadrons to three active and one reserve squadron as part of the post-cold war drawdown of forces. The new MACS-2 maintained MACS-2’s lineage and honors and did not retain those of MACS-5.