Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a major command (

MAJCOM This is a list of major commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force. A major command is a significant Air Force organization subordinate to Headquarters, US Air Force. Major commands have a headquarters staff and subordinate organizations, ty ...

) of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

(USAF). AFMC was created on July 1, 1992, through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former

Air Force Systems Command The Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. It was established in April 1951, being split off from Air Materiel Command. The mission of AFSC was Research and Development for new weapons systems. Ove ...

(AFSC). AFMC is headquartered at

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene County, Ohio, Greene and Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patte ...

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. AFMC is one of nine Air Force

Major Command Major Command or Major Commands are large formations of the United States Armed Forces. Historically, a Major Command is the highest level of command. Within the United States Army, the acronym MACOM is used for Major Command. Within the United Stat ...

s and has a workforce of approximately 80,000 military and civilian personnel. It is the Air Force's largest command in terms of funding and second in terms of personnel. AFMC's operating budget represents 31 percent of the total Air Force budget and AFMC employs more than 40 percent of the Air Force's total civilian workforce. The command conducts research, development, testing and evaluation, and provides the acquisition and life cycle management services and logistics support. The command develops, acquires and sustains the air power needed to defend the United States and its interests. This is accomplished through research, development, testing, evaluation, acquisition, maintenance and program management of existing and future USAF weapon systems and their components.

History

The

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

procurement of military aircraft began when the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

's Aeronautical Division of the

Signal Corps (United States Army) ) , colors = Orange and white , colors_label = Corps colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = ...

, acquired several examples of the

Wright Military Flyer of 1909 The Wright Model A was an early aircraft produced by the Wright Brothers in the United States beginning in 1906. It was a development of their Flyer III airplane of 1905. The Wrights built about seven Model As in their bicycle shop during the ...

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

aircraft

Research and Development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...

(R&D) was merged with aircraft procurement twice in the 20th Century (e.g., 1944, 1992).

Air Materiel Command Air Materiel Command (AMC) was a United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In 1961, the command was redesignated the Air Force Logistics Command wi ...

was established on March 9, 1946, and in November 1946, AMC's History Office published ''Materiel Research and Development in the Army Air Arm, 1914-1945''. In 1947, AMC bases were transferred to the newly established

, with facilities such as the storage depot in

Maywood, California Maywood is a small Gateway city in Los Angeles County. At , Maywood is the third-smallest incorporated city in Los Angeles County. It is bordered by the cities of Bell on the south, Vernon on the north and west, Huntington Park on the southwes ...

, being renamed

Cheli Air Force Station Cheli Air Force Station, formerly located within Bell in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, was a United States Air Force installation and a Cold War Radar Bomb Scoring site of the Strategic Air Command, from 1947 to 1961. History It w ...

. On April 1, 1961, as part of the DoD reorganization under President John F. Kennedy and his Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara, the Air Force Logistics Command was established at

, replacing the Air Materiel Command and assuming the latter's supply and maintenance roles. The material procurement role was transferred. On the same date,

was also established at

Andrews Air Force Base Andrews Air Force Base (Andrews AFB, AAFB) is the airfield portion of Joint Base Andrews, which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force. In 2009, Andrews Air Force Base merged with Naval Air Facility Washington to form Joint B ...

, Maryland, assuming the R&D role of the former

Air Research and Development Command The Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. It was established in April 1951, being split off from Air Materiel Command. The mission of AFSC was Research and Development for new weapons systems. Ove ...

while also inheriting AMC's materiel procurement role.

Activation duties AFMC, 1992

Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) was activated on July 1, 1992, as part of a post-

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, USAF-wide reorganization that resulted in the merger of AFLC and AFSC into a single major command. After AFMC was established, the command's infrastructure saw significant reductions through

Base Realignment and Closure Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the end o ...

(BRAC) actions. This included the BRAC-directed closure/privatization of the

San Antonio Air Logistics Center The San Antonio Air Logistics Center is a former air depot of the United States Air Force located alongside Kelly Air Force Base.San Antonio Air Logistics Center Office of History, Kelly AFB, Texas. A Brief History of Kelly Air Force Base. San A ...

at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas and the closure of Kelly Air Force Base as an independent installation, with incorporation of its runways and remaining military flight line areas as the

Kelly Field Annex Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. ...

to adjacent

Lackland Air Force Base Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Bexar County, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and an enclave of the city of S ...

. The

Sacramento Air Logistics Center Sacramento Air Logistics Center is a former United States Air Force unit based at McClellan Air Force Base from 1935 until its closure as part of the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. History Construction of the Pacific Air Depot began ...

McClellan Air Force Base McClellan Air Force Base (1935–2001) is a former United States Air Force base located in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, California. History For the vast majority of its operational lifetime, McClell ...

was also closed/privatized and McClellan Air Force Base totally closed. McClellan became a totally civilian airport with the exception of Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento and the

Air Force Recruiting Service Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training ...

's 364th Recruiting Squadron.

Reorganization

In 2012 there was a major reorganization (5 Center Construct) and several new centers were organized. Among them, the Air Force Sustainment Center at

Tinker Air Force Base Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City. The base, origina ...

now directs the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at

, the Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill Air Force Base, and the

Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex The Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex (WR-ALC), through about 7,000 employees at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, provides depot maintenance, engineering support and software development to major weapon systems -15, C-5, C-130, C-17 and Special ...

Robins Air Force Base Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force installation located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of the city of Warner Robins, south-southeast of Macon and approximately south-southeast o ...

. The center provides depot maintenance, supply chain management and installation support. In 2015, the command officially activated its sixth center, the

Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center (AFIMSC), headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (JBSA-Lackland), Texas, is one of six centers aligned under Air Force Materiel Command for the United States Air Force. AFIMSC serve ...

, which provides centralized management of installation and mission support. The center is located at

Joint Base San Antonio Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) is a United States military facility located in San Antonio, Texas, USA. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 502d Air Base Wing, Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The win ...

, Texas.

Mission

Air Force Materiel Command conducts research, development, test and evaluation, and provides acquisition management services and logistics support. AFMC headquarters is the major unit located at

. There are also nine additional AFMC host bases. In addition, the command operates associate units and tenant activities on several non-AFMC bases, including the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at

Kirtland Air Force Base Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator Col. Roy ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Component units

Headquarters

* Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command ( Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio)

Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center

The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center (AFIMSC) serves as the single intermediate-level headquarters responsible for providing installation and mission support capabilities. Its headquarters are located at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas and it has the following subordinate units. * Air Force Civil Engineer Center (Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas) *Air Force Financial Management Center of Expertise (

Buckley Space Force Base Buckley Space Force Base is a United States Space Force base in Aurora, Colorado named after United States Army Air Service First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley. The base is run by Space Base Delta 2, with major units including the U.S. Space Fo ...

, Colorado) *Air Force Financial Services Center (

Ellsworth AFB Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder, South Dakota, Box Elder. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assi ...

, South Dakota) * Air Force Installation Contracting Center (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Air Force Security Forces Center (Joint Base Antonio-Lackland, Texas) * Air Force Services Center (Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas)

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's (AFLCMC) mission is to deliver affordable and sustainable combat capabilities to US and international partners. It is the single center responsible for total life cycle management of all aircraft, engines, munitions, and electronic systems. Its headquarters are located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio and it has the following subordinate units. *

66th Air Base Group The 66th Air Base Group is a non-flying United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Materiel Command Electronic Systems Center. It is stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. The group is also the host unit at Hanscom Air ...

(

Hanscom AFB Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located predominantly within Bedford, Massachusetts, with portions extending into the adjoining towns of Lincoln, Concord and Lexington. The facility is adjacent to Hanscom Field ...

, Massachusetts) *

88th Air Base Wing The United States Air Force's 88th Air Base Wing is a base support unit located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The wing has been stationed at Wright-Patterson, known familiarly as 'Wright-Patt', since its activation in 1944 as the 40 ...

(Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Acquisition Excellence Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Agile Combat Support Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Air Force Security Assistance & Cooperation Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Armament Directorate (

Eglin AFB Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 9 ...

, Florida) * Bombers Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Business & Enterprise Systems Directorate (

Gunter Annex Gunter Annex is a United States Air Force installation located in the North-northeast suburbs of Montgomery, Alabama. The base is named after former Montgomery mayor William Adams Gunter. Until 1992 it was known as Gunter Air Force Base or Gu ...

Maxwell AFB Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...

, Alabama) * Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I) and Networks Directorate * Digital Directorate (Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts) * Fighters & Advanced Aircraft Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) *

Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance ISTAR stands for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employing its sensors and managing t ...

(ISR) and

Special Operations Force Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

(SOF) Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Mobility & Training Aircraft Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Program Execution Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Propulsion Directorate ( Tinker AFB, Oklahoma) * Rapid Sustainment Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio)

Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) is the Air Force's nuclear-focused center, synchronizing all aspects of nuclear materiel management in support of Air Force Global Strike Command. Its headquarters are located at

Kirtland AFB Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator Col. Ro ...

, New Mexico and it has the following subordinate units. * Air-Delivered Capabilities Directorate (Kirtland AFB) * Ground Based Strategic Deterrent Systems Directorate (

Hill AFB Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent t ...

, Utah) * Minuteman III Systems Directorate (Hill AFB, Utah) * Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) Integration Directorate (Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts) * Nuclear Technology and Integration Directorate (Kirtland AFB)

Air Force Research Laboratory

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is the Air Force's only organization dedicated to leading the discovery, development and integration of technologies in air, space and cyber for the US Air and Space Forces. Its headquarters are located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio and it has the following subordinate units. * 711th Human Performance Wing (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Aerospace Systems Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Air Force Office of Scientific Research ( Arlington, Virginia) *Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation Office (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) *Directed Energy Directorate (Kirtland AFB, New Mexico) * Information Directorate ( Rome Research Site, New York) * Materials and Manufacturing Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Munitions Directorate (Eglin AFB, Florida) * Sensors Directorate (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) * Space Vehicles (Kirtland AFB, New Mexico)

Air Force Sustainment Center

The mission of the Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC) is to provide sustainment and logistics readiness. The center provides integrated logistics and sustainment to the Air Force through depot maintenance,

supply chain management In commerce, supply chain management (SCM) is the management of the flow of goods and services including all processes that transform raw materials into final products between businesses and locations. This can include the movement and stor ...

and installation support. Its headquarters are located at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma and it has the following subordinate units. *

72nd Air Base Wing The 72nd Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It has been the host unit at Tinker since activating there on 1 October 1994. The first predecessor of th ...

(Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma) *

75th Air Base Wing The 75th Air Base Wing (75 ABW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Hill Air Force Base, Ogden Utah. It provides base operating support for the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, the 388th, 419th Fighter Wing, 84th Combat Sustainm ...

(Hill Air Force Base, Utah) *

78th Air Base Wing The 78th Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The 78th acts as the host unit at Robins. The wing was first activated as the 78th Fighter Wing in September 1948 as part of the wing ...

(

, Georgia) * 448th Supply Chain Management Wing (Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma) * 635th Supply Chain Operations Wing (Scott AFB, Illinois) * Ogden Air Logistics Complex (Hill Air Force Base, Utah) * Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex (Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma) *

(Robins Air Force Base, Georgia)

Air Force Test Center

The Air Force Test Center (AFTC) conducts developmental and follow-on testing and evaluation of manned and unmanned aircraft and related avionics, flight-control, munitions, and weapon systems. Its headquarters are located at Edwards AFB, California and it has the following subordinate units. *

96th Test Wing The 96th Test Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Test Center of Air Force Materiel Command at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing was activated at Eglin in 1994 as the 96th Air Base Wing, the headquarters for ...

(Eglin AFB, Florida) * 412th Test Wing (Edwards AFB, California) *

Arnold Engineering Development Complex The Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), Arnold Engineering Development Center before July 2012, is an Air Force Materiel Command facility under the control of the Air Force Test Center (AFTC). Headquartered at Arnold Air Force Base ...

(

Arnold AFB Arnold Air Force Base (Arnold AFB) is a United States Air Force base located in Coffee and Franklin counties, Tennessee, adjacent to the city of Tullahoma. It is named for General Henry "Hap" Arnold, the father of the U.S. Air Force. Ther ...

, Tennessee)

Other units

* National Museum of the US Air Force (Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio)

Commanders

2022 Air Force Materiel Command Change of Command 220613-F-JW079-1074

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1992 establishments in Ohio Materiel Command Materiel Command Military units and formations in Ohio Logistics units and formations of the United States Air Force