Close to 50 South Carolina state employees also work at McEntire, some of whom also either active or retired members of the Air National Guard.

The "Swamp Foxes", as a result of the national recognition as one of the best air defense units in the US were chosen to fly the new high-performance jet fighter.

The 169th FIG was called into active service a second time in November 1961 as the construction of the infamous "Berlin Wall" pushed the world to the brink of war.

The South Carolina ANG was re-equipped with the F-102A Delta Dagger, which was being replaced in the active duty interceptor force by the F-106.

In the early 1980s, the South Carolina congressional delegation in Congress, led by Senators Strom Thurmond and Ernest Hollings, pressured the Department of Defense to upgrade Army and Air National Guard units with front line equipment to better supplement the Active Duty forces as part of the "Total Force" concept.

The quality of the pilots and ammunition/maintenance crews of the 157th TFS was demonstrated during Gunsmoke '89 held at Nellis AFB from 1–14 October.

In December 1990, during the buildup for war during Operation Desert Shield, the 157th was federalized for the third time and was deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia just a year and a half after taking first place at Gunsmoke '89.

The 157th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Provisional) flew a total of 1,729 combat sorties during Operation Desert Storm.

Early in the 1990s with the declared end of the Cold War and the continued decline in military budgets, the Air Force restructured to meet changes in strategic requirements, decreasing personnel, and a smaller infrastructure.

The 169th adopted the new USAF "Objective Organization" in early 1992, with the word "tactical" being eliminated from its designation and becoming the 169th Fighter Group.

In 1995, the 157th Fighter Squadron became the recipient of brand-new Block 52 F-16C/D Fighting Falcons coming straight from the Lockheed facility at Fort Worth, Texas.

The main mission profile of the squadron, therefore, changed to that of Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD).

The unprecedented deployment also allowed the 169th team to escort the last Army combat forces out of Iraq on the last day of OEF.

Starting in October 2010 the 157th FS began an Air Sovereignty Alert mission at nearby Shaw AFB.

On 6 May 2011, the squadron completely took over the role when a new alert facility was built at McEntire Joint National Guard base.

Although not confirmed it has been discussed that the 157th Fighter Squadron will likely be re-equipped with the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II early in its roll-out to active-duty USAF units as the South Carolina ANG has a history of receiving the newest equipment when it becomes available.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency