The 164 Airlift Wing mission includes carrying fully equipped combat-ready military units to any point in the world on short notice and to provide field support required to sustain the fighting force.

The origins of the 164th Airlift Wing can be traced to December 1942, when the Army Air Forces activated the 359th Fighter Squadron.

Peak operations with the C-97 occurred in May 1966, when the unit flew 1702 hours and made ten round trips to Southeast Asia.

The Globemaster brought with it the capability to airdrop personnel and equipment, which the C-97 lacked, and the group assumed a secondary mission of tactical airlift.

[2] However, its association with TAC was short-lived (although "Tactical" remained in its name), for in early 1975 all United States Air Force C-130 airlift aircraft were transferred to MAC, which again became the group's command upon mobilization.

The new base was designed to provide adequate facilities to support the size and mission of the C-5A, including 3 maintenance hangars large enough to fully enclose a C-5.

The old Air National Guard facility and property was purchased by FedEx to utilize for its operations at Memphis International Airport.

[3] In February 2013, the 164th Airlift Wing began to convert from the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy to the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III,[7] a conversion completed December 2015.