The 17th Airlift Squadron was most recently one of four active duty Boeing C-17A Globemaster III units at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina.

Activated on 18 Jul 1954 with Douglas C-54 Skymasters at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina.

The 17th helped initiate a whole new concept in C-17 operations in that this was the first time that the airframe was employed like traditional intratheater airlift assets such as the C-12, C-20, C-21 or the C-130.

The ceremony marking the inactivation of the 17th Airlift Squadron was held on 25 June 2015 at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina.

[5] Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 April 1966 – 8 April 1969 World War II American Theater Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait Panama, 1989–1990 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency