Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, 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 ...

, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a meton ...

. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and it is the direct successor to Tactical Air Command. Air Combat Command is headquartered at Langley Air Force Base,

Joint Base Langley–Eustis Joint Base Langley–Eustis is a United States military facility located adjacent to Hampton and Newport News, Virginia. The base is an amalgamation of the United States Air Force's Langley Air Force Base and the United States Army's Fort Eus ...

, Virginia, United States. ACC directly operates 1,110 fighter, attack,

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

, combat search and rescue, airborne command and control and electronic aircraft along with command, control, computing, communications and intelligence (C4I) systems, Air Force ground forces, conducts global information operations, and controls Air Force Intelligence. Air Combat Command consists of approximately 74,240

active duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, the equivalent term is active service. India The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be o ...

Airmen and 10,610 Department of the Air Force Civilians. When mobilized, more than 49,000 additional Airmen of the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard, along with over 700 additional aircraft, are operationally-gained and assigned to ACC, bringing total aircraft to more than 1,800 and number of Airmen to 123,240.

Mission

Air Combat Command's mission is to provide air combat forces to the geographic

Unified Combatant Command A unified combatant command (CCMD), also referred to as a combatant command, is a joint military command of the United States Department of Defense that is composed of units from two or more service branches of the United States Armed Forces, an ...

s. ACC organizes, trains, equips, and maintains combat-ready units for rapid deployment abroad while also ensuring air defense of the United States is strong enough for both peacetime and wartime needs. ACC Numbered Air Forces serve as the air components for

United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...

United States Southern Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida in Greater Miami, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning, o ...

, and

United States Northern Command United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) is one of eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense. The command is tasked with providing military support for non-military authorities in the U.S., and protect ...

. ACC augments the forces of the

United States European Command The United States European Command (EUCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russi ...

United States Africa Command The United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM, U.S. AFRICOM, and AFRICOM), is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U ...

United States Pacific Command United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region. Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) since its inception in 1947, ...

, and

United States Strategic Command United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. Headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, USSTRATCOM is responsible for Strategic_nuclear_weapon, ...

History

Air Combat Command was created 1 June 1992 after the inactivation of the Tactical Air Command (TAC), Strategic Air Command (SAC) and

Military Airlift Command The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is an inactive United States Air Force major command (MAJCOM) that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Established on 1 January 1966, MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of th ...

(MAC). Upon activation, ACC assumed control of all former-TAC fighters, all

bombers A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an aircra ...

, reconnaissance platforms, battle management resources, and Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Furthermore, ACC had some

KC-135 The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpo ...

and

KC-10 The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is an American aerial refueling tanker aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). A military version of the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 was developed from the Advanced Tanker Cargo A ...

aerial refueling tankers and

C-130 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...

tactical airlift aircraft in its composite, reconnaissance, and other combat wings. In 1993, control of the ICBM force was transferred to the

Air Force Space Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

(AFSPC) until transferred again to Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) on 1 December 2009. Following the inactivation of SAC at

Offutt AFB Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Air ...

, Nebraska, a new unified command, the

, was activated at Offutt, created to manage the combined strategic nuclear forces belonging to both the U.S. Air Force and the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

. Historically, Combat Command was an earlier air unit designation. During 1941 and early 1942, the tactical air units of the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

, formerly known as the GHQ Air Force, formed the Air Force Combat Command. The AFCC was dissolved in the reorganization of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

, effective 9 March 1942, which created the

United States Army Air Forces 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 ...

as a major command of the Army, which functioned as a ''de facto'' independent service branch of the Armed Forces.

Mission Realignments

Combat search and rescue

Not long after activation, ACC underwent organizational and mission changes. The first such major change was the transfer of the combat search and rescue (CSAR) mission from Air Mobility Command to ACC. With the realigning of search and rescue units, ACC gained additional resources, as well as a new mission. The formal transfer took place on 1 February 1993, when the

Air Rescue Service The United States Air Force Combat Rescue School (for most of its existence, either Air Rescue Service or Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service), was an organization of the United States Air Force. The school was established in 1946 as ''Air ...

(ARS) was assigned to ACC. On 2 July of the same year, the ARS was disestablished and rescue units became fully integrated in the same manner as other ACC units reporting to numbered air forces. The USAF Combat Rescue School was subsequently assigned to the 57th Wing at

Nellis AFB Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloq.) is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in " Military Op ...

, Nevada.

Flight training

One of the most significant changes for Air Combat Command resulted from an overhaul of flying training responsibilities. Following its activation, ACC was responsible for aircraft-specific aircrew training, including initial weapon system and continuation training. On 1 July 1993, the 58th and 325th Fighter Wings—F-16 and F-15 training units transferred from ACC to

Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine List of major commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was establis ...

(AETC). Concurrently,

Luke AFB Luke Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States., effective 20 December 2007 It is located west of the central business district of Glendale, and west of Phoenix. Luke AFB is a major trainin ...

, Arizona, and

Tyndall AFB Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing (325 ...

, Florida, for which those respective wings were the host units, also moved from ACC to AETC ownership. However, on 1 October 2012, both Tyndall AFB and the 325th Fighter Wing returned to the control of ACC.

Tanker and airlift

The next major organizational change resulted from a fine-tuning of aerial refueling and airlift resources. From its activation, Air Combat Command had assumed ownership of some C-130 Hercules theater airlift assets and

KC-10 Extender The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is an American aerial refueling tanker aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). A military version of the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 was developed from the Advanced Tanker Cargo A ...

and

KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of trans ...

s. Just as ownership of overseas C-130 resources had already been transferred to USAFE and

PACAF Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (f ...

commanders, it was decided that all C-130s based in the CONUS would be under the control of ACC, while at the same time, almost all KC-135 tankers would be assigned to Air Mobility Command. There was historical precedent for the reassignment of C-130s to Air Combat Command. During the earliest days of Tactical Air Command (TAC), the command had carried out the "tactical" or combat airborne aspect of airlift operations, leaving the "strategic" or logistical mission to Military Air Transport Service, later redesignated

(the precursor of today's Air Mobility Command) in 1966. The tactical airlift mission included logistical airlift, airborne operations, aeromedical evacuation, and air support for special operations. This division of the airlift mission continued until 1 December 1974, when TAC transferred its CONUS-based tactical airlift units, including Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard tactical airlift units, to

(MAC). MAC gained the overseas units from theater commands on 31 March 1975. On 1 October 1993, all Air Mobility Command C-130s with the exception of those permanently under

United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

(USAFE) and

Pacific Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (f ...

(PACAF) regions were transferred to ACC, while USAFE and PACAF assumed control of the C-130 permanently based in their respective geographic regions. Concurrently, all KC-10 tankers and all KC-135 tankers except those at

Mountain Home AFB Mountain Home Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation in the western United States. Located in southwestern Idaho in Elmore County, the base is southwest of Mountain Home, which is southeast of Boise via Interstate ...

, Idaho, which supported the fighter and bomber aircraft of the composite wing stationed there, transferred to AMC. ACC also retained two KC-135s at

Nebraska and

Grand Forks AFB Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado and west of Grand Forks. The host unit is the 319th Reconnaissance Wing (319 RW) assigned to the Air Combat Co ...

, North Dakota under ACC control until transferring them to AMC on 1 October 1993.

McConnell AFB McConnell Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located four miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district of Wichita, a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States., effective 2007-12-20 The airbase was named in ...

, Kansas;

Fairchild AFB Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base, located in the northwest United States in eastern Washington, approximately southwest of Spokane. The host unit at Fairchild is the 92nd Air Refueling Wing (92 ARW) assigned t ...

, Washington; and their respective air refueling wings were also transferred to AMC in January 1994 and July 1994, respectively. In 1997, a subsequent USAF reorganization of ACC and AMC resulted in all CONUS-based C-130 theater airlift aircraft being reassigned from ACC back to AMC. This change also shifted operational claimancy for all "slick" theater airlift mission C-130s in the Air Force Reserve and CONUS-based Air National Guard. USAFE and

C-130 assets remained in those respective MAJCOMs to include PACAF's operational claimancy for Alaska Air National Guard C-130 and HC-130 assets.

Operational deployments

In Southwest Asia, Air Combat Command provided active duty and reserve component forces for the follow-on to Operation Desert Storm and the establishment of Operation Southern Watch to deter Iraqi aggression. In October 1994, ACC also demonstrated its ability to react quickly to the buildup of Iraqi troops near the border of Kuwait. In addition, ACC, from its inception, has provided indispensable support to counter-drug operations, including

Airborne Warning and Control System Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...

(AWACS),

and fighter aircraft, as well as

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

and connectivity assets. Participation in humanitarian operations has also been a recurring theme. Air Combat Command supported the humanitarian efforts of the

(USAFE), deploying active duty and air reserve component forces to Provide Promise and Deny Flight in Eastern Europe and Operation Provide Comfort out of

Incirlik AB Incirlik Air Base ( tr, İncirlik Hava Üssü) is a Turkish air base of slightly more than 3320 ac (1335 ha), located in the İncirlik quarter of the city of Adana, Turkey. The base is within an urban area of 1.7 million people, east of t ...

, Turkey. Provide Promise offered humanitarian relief airlift support to the city of

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

, while Deny Flight enforced the "no-fly" zone against Serb air attacks on Bosnian civilians. Operation Provide Comfort, another humanitarian operation, also provided relief to Kurdish inhabitants of northern Iraq who had undergone fierce repression by the Iraqi government. In addition, ACC supported United States Atlantic Command's humanitarian relief to Haitian refugees associated with Operation GTMO at

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Guantanamo Bay Naval Base ( es, Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by members of the U.S. military) is a United States military bas ...

, Cuba. Similarly, the command supported Operation Safe Haven and the processing of Cuban refugees during the latter part of the summer of 1994. Across the Atlantic, Air Combat Command units participated in Operation Restore Hope, largely an Air Mobility Command humanitarian operation intended to provide food for Somalia. Also, ACC regular and ACC-gained Air National Guard C-130 units deployed to Uganda and Kenya to participate in Operation Support Hope. This operation, conducted by the

, comprised part of the United Nations effort to provide humanitarian relief to victims of the civil war in Rwanda. In keeping with its global responsibilities, ACC initiated a series of "Global Power" missions in 1993. ACC's bomber wings are required to perform out-of-CONUS training flights to demonstrate the capability to perform their "quick reaction" worldwide mission. On one of the global power missions, two

B-1 Lancer The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It is commonly called the "Bone" (from "B-One"). It is one of three strategic bombers serving in the U.S. Air Force fleet along with ...

aircraft of the 28th Bomb Wing,

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. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Global Stri ...

, South Dakota, set a B-1 flying time record on the first leg of their round-the-world flight, 11–13 August 1993. The following year, two

B-52 The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

s from the 2d Bomb Wing,

Barksdale AFB Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in northwest Louisiana, United States, in Bossier Parish. It is contiguous to Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale AFB ...

, Louisiana, circumnavigated the globe in 47.2 hours, the longest jet aircraft flight in history.

Global war on terrorism

Air Combat Command units flew operational missions during the 2002 Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan (OEF-A) and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Operation Iraqi Freedom. The task of developing a comprehensive listing of ACC units present in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat areas is particularly difficult as the events of 11 September 2001 and the

Global War on Terrorism The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...

has made such an effort significantly difficult. The USAF seeks to improve operational security (OPSEC) and to deceive potential enemies as to the extent of American operations, therefore a listing of which units deploying where and when is unavailable. However, it is certain that ACC units are actively flying combat missions in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.

Predecessor units merged into Air Combat Command 1992

; Strategic Air Command :

2d Bomb Wing The 2nd Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command and the Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The wing is also the host unit at Barksdale. The wing wa ...

:: Barksdale AFB, LA : 5th Bomb Wing :: Minot AFB, ND :

7th Bomb Wing The 7th Bomb Wing (7 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Global Strike Command Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, where it is also the host unit. The 7 BW is one of only two B-1B Lancer strate ...

:: Carswell AFB, TX (Xfer to Dyess AFB, TX on 1 October 1993) :

9th Reconnaissance Wing The 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command and Sixteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The wing is also the host unit at Beale. Its mission is to ...

:: Beale AFB, CA : 28th Bomb Wing :: Ellsworth AFB, SD : 42d Bomb Wing :: Loring AFB, ME (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 30 September 1994) : 44th Missile Wing :: Ellsworth AFB, SD (Xfer to Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993) : 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing :: Offut AFB NE :

90th Missile Wing The 90th Missile Wing is a component of Twentieth Air Force, stationed at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base and equipped with LGM-30G Minuteman III Missiles. It has served at Warren as a component of Strategic Air Command, Air Combat Command, A ...

:: F E Warren AFB, WY (Xfer to Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993) : 91st Missile Wing :: Minot AFB, ND (Xfer to Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993 : 92d Bomb Wing :: Fairchild AFB WA (Xfer to Air Mobility Command, 1 July 1994) : 93d Wing :: Castle AFB, CA (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 30 September 1995) : 96th Wing :: Dyess AFB, TX (Wing only BRAC Inactivated, 1 October 1993) : 319th Bombardment Wing :: Grand Forks AFB, ND (Xfer to Air Mobility Command as 319 ARW, 1 October 1993) : 321st Missile Wing :: Grand Forks AFB, ND (Xfer to Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993) : 341st Missile Wing :: Malmstrom AFB, MT (Xfer to Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993) : 351st Missile Wing :: Whiteman AFB, MO (Xfer to Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993) : 379th Wing :: Wurtsmith AFB, MI (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 15 June 1993) :

384th Bomb Wing The 384th Air Expeditionary Wing is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with the United States Central Command Air Forces, being stationed at Shaikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain. It was inactivated in 2004. The wing ...

:: McConnell AFB, KS (Wing only BRAC Inactivated; xfer to 384th Bomb Group, 1 October 1994) : 410th Wing :: K. I. Sawyer AFB, MI (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 30 September 1995) : 416th Wing :: Griffiss AFB, NY (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 30 September 1995) : 509th Bombardment Wing :: Whiteman AFB, MO ;

314th Airlift Wing The 314th Airlift Wing (314 AW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Little Rock Air Force Base in Little Rock, Arkansas. Its mission is to carry out Lockheed C-130 Hercules combat airlift training. The wing was activated in Novem ...

:: Little Rock AFB, AR ; Tactical Air Command : 1st Fighter Wing :: Langley AFB, VA : 4th Fighter Wing :: Seymour Johnson AFB, NC : 23d Fighter Wing :: Base and wing BRAC Inactivated at England AFB, LA; reactivated as 23d Wing, Pope AFB, NC) : 27th Fighter Wing :: Cannon AFB, NM : 31st Fighter Wing :: Homestead AFB, FL (Moved WOPEWOPE – Without Personnel or Equipment to Aviano AB Italy on 1 April 1994 and assigned to USAFE) : 33d Fighter Wing :: Eglin AFB, FL : 35th Fighter Wing :: George AFB, CA (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 15 December 1992) : 37th Fighter Wing :: Tonopah AP, NV (Wing Inactivated 8 July 1992; F-117s xfer to 49 FW, Holloman AFB, NM) : 49th Fighter Wing :: Holloman AFB, NM : 53d Wing :: Eglin AFB, FL : 56th Fighter Wing :: MacDill AFB, FL (Moved WOPE to Luke AFB, AZ on 1 April 1994; reassigned to AETC) : 57th Fighter Wing :: Nellis AFB, NV : 58th Fighter Wing :: Luke AFB, AZ (Moved WOPE to Kirtland AFB, NM on 1 April 1994 :: Reassigned to AETC as 58th Special Operations Wing) : 67th Reconnaissance Wing :: Bergstrom AFB, TX (Base and wing BRAC Inactivated, 30 September 1993) : 85th Wing :: NAS Keflavik, Iceland (Wing only BRAC Inactivated, 31 May 1993) : 325th Fighter Wing :: Tyndall AFB, FL (Reassigned to AETC 1 July 1993; rejoined ACC 1 October 2012) : 347th Fighter Wing :: Moody AFB, GA (Reassigned to AFSOC as 347 RQW 1 October 2003; merged into ACC 23 WG, 1 October 2006) : 354th Fighter Wing :: Myrtle Beach AFB, SC (BRAC Inactivated, 31 March 1993) : 355th Fighter Wing :: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ : 363d Fighter Wing :: Shaw AFB, SC (Inactivated 30 December 1993; replaced by 20th Fighter Wing, 30 December 1993) :

366th Fighter Wing ("Fortune Favors the Bold") , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , battles= World War IIVietnam WarDesert StormOperation Enduring FreedomOperation Iraqi Freedom , anniversaries= , decorations= DUC PUC AFOUA w/ V Device RVGC w/ ...

:: Mountain Home AFB, ID : 388th Fighter Wing :: Hill AFB, UT : 475th Weapons Evaluation Group :: Tyndall AFB, FL : 507th Air Control Wing :: Shaw AFB, SC (Wing only BRAC Inactivated, 12 June 1993) : 552d Air Control Wing :: Tinker AFB OK : 602d Air Control Wing :: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ (Wing only BRAC Inactivated, 15 June 1992)

Wings and groups

, Air Combat Command consisted of the following units: *

United States Air Force Warfare Center The United States Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, reports directly to Air Combat Command. The center was founded on September 1, 1966, as the U.S. Air Force Tactical Fighter Weapons Center. It was renamed ...

(USAFWC) :: HQ:

, Nevada : 53d Wing,

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 :: Includes 53d Test and Evaluation Group,

, Nevada :: and 53d Weapons Evaluation Group,

, Florida :

57th Wing The 57th Wing (57 WG) is an operational unit of the United States Air Force (USAF) Warfare Center, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The 57 WG's mission is to provide well trained and well equipped combat forces ready to deploy ...

, Nevada :

Nevada Test and Training Range The Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) is one of two military training areas at the Nellis Air Force Base Complex in Nevada and used by the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base. The NTTR land area includes a "sim ...

, Nevada :

Utah Test and Training Range The Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) is a Department of Defense military testing and training area located in Utah's West Desert, approximately west of Salt Lake City, Utah. UTTR is currently the largest contiguous block of over-land superson ...

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 :

99th Air Base Wing The 99th Air Base Wing (99 ABW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command (ACC) and its ACC subordinate organization, the United States Air Force Warfare Center. It is based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada and also se ...

, Nevada : 505th Command and Control Wing,

Hurlburt Field Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force Spe ...

, Florida * First Air Force (AFNORTH) :: HQ:

, Florida :

Eastern Air Defense Sector The Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) is a United States Air Force unit of Air Combat Command (ACC), permanently assigned to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). A joint, bi-national military organization, EADS is composed of U ...

Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area, which li ...

(former

Griffiss AFB Griffiss Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force installation in the northeastern United States, located in Central New York state at Rome, about northwest of Utica. Missions included fighter interceptors, electronic research, i ...

) :

Western Air Defense Sector The Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) is a unit of the Washington Air National Guard located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, Washington. As a state militia unit, the Western Air Defense Sector is not in the normal United States Air Force c ...

McChord AFB McChord Field is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord Field is the home of the 62d Airlift Wing, Air Mobility Command, the field's primary mission being worldwi ...

, Washington : 701st Air Defense Squadron,

, Florida : 702d Computer Systems Squadron,

, Florida : 722d Air Control Squadron, North Bay (CFB North Bay), Canada * Ninth Air Force (AFCENT) :: HQ:

Shaw AFB Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is under the jurisdict ...

, South Carolina * Twelfth Air Force (AFSOUTH) :: HQ: Davis–Monthan AFB, Arizona * Fifteenth Air Force :: HQ:

, South Carolina : 1st Fighter Wing (F-22A, T-38A),

Langley AFB Langley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Hampton, Virginia, adjacent to Newport News. It was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the entry of the United States into World War I in April 1 ...

, Virginia : 4th Fighter Wing (F-15E),

Seymour Johnson AFB Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an airplane crash near Norbeck, Marylan ...

, North Carolina : 20th Fighter Wing (F-16C/D),

, South Carolina :: Includes Poinsett Electronic Combat Range, South Carolina : 23d Wing (HH-60, HC-130J, A/OA-10C),

Moody AFB Moody Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation near Valdosta, Georgia. Geography The base is in northeastern Lowndes County, Georgia, with the eastern border of the base following the Lanier County line. Georgia State Ro ...

, Georgia :: Includes Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida :

93d Air Ground Operations Wing The 93d Air Ground Operations Wing (93d AGOW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command, Ninth Air Force. It is stationed as a tenant unit at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The wing directs the 3d Air Support Operations ...

, Moody AFB, Georgia : 325th Fighter Wing (F-22A, T-38A),

, Florida : 355th Fighter Wing (A/OA-10C), Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona :

(F-15E),

, Idaho : 388th Fighter Wing (F-35A),

, Utah :

432d Wing The 432nd Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command at Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada. It flies General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-170 Sentinel Unmanned aerial vehicles. The group operates unmanne ...

(MQ-1, MQ-9),

Creech AFB Creech Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) command and control facility in Clark County, Nevada used "to engage in daily Overseas Contingency Operations …of remotely piloted aircraft systems which fly missions across the globe." ...

, Nevada :

461st Air Control Wing The 461st Air Control Wing is a joint Air Force/Army unit flying the E-8 J-STARS aircraft. The wing is assigned to Air Combat Command's Ninth Air Force, and is stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It was activated on 1 October 2011. O ...

(E-8C),

Robins AFB 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 ...

, Georgia : 552d Air Control Wing (E-3B/C), Tinker AFB, Oklahoma :

633d Air Base Wing The United States Air Force's 633rd Air Base Wing is the host organization for Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. Its headquarters are at Langley Air Force Base. The unification of support for Langley and Fort Eustis was directed by the ...

, Virginia : 495th Fighter Group,

, South Carolina *

Sixteenth Air Force The Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) (16 AF) is a United States Air Force (USAF) organization responsible for information warfare, which encompasses intelligence gathering and analysis, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber warfare and ele ...

:: HQ:

Lackland AFB 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 Sa ...

, Texas :

(U-2S, RQ-4, MC-12),

Beale AFB Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. It is located outside Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City, and about north of Sacramento. The ho ...

, California : 55th Wing (EC/OC/WC/RC-135),

, Nebraska :: Includes 55th Electronic Combat Group (EC-130H), Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona :

67th Cyberspace Wing The 67th Cyberspace Wing is a United States Air Force wing stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. It was activated in October 1993 as a military intelligence unit and is assigned to the Sixteenth Air Force. The wing was first activated ...

, Texas :: Includes

567th Cyberspace Operations Group The 567th Cyberspace Operations Group is a United States Air Force organization at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, assigned to the 67th Cyberspace Wing. It was activated in June 2018. The group's predecessor was activated as the 567th ...

Scott AFB Scott Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in St. Clair County, Illinois, near Belleville and O'Fallon, east-southeast of downtown St. Louis. Scott Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Un ...

, Illinois :

70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing The 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing (70th ISR Wing) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 16th Air Force. It is stationed at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Known as "America's Cryptologic Wing", is the only ...

Fort Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the ...

, Maryland : 319th Reconnaissance Wing,

, North Dakota :

363d Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing The 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing (363 ISRW) is a United States Air Force unit. The group is assigned to the United States Air Force Sixteenth Air Force, stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. The mission ...

, Langley AFB, Virginia : 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Langley AFB, Virginia : 557th Weather Wing,

, Nebraska :

624th Operations Center The 624th Operations Center (624 OC) is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. It was inactivated on 16 March 2020 and last located at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, with its responsibilities transferred to the newly activated 616th O ...

, Texas :

688th Cyberspace Wing The United States Air Force's 688th Cyberspace Wing is a cyberspace operations unit located at Joint Base San Antonio (Lackland), Texas. The wing delivers information operations and engineering infrastructure for air, space, and cyberspace mil ...

, Texas :: Includes 5th Combat Communications Group,

, Georgia :: Also includes 38th Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma :

Air Force Technical Applications Center The Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC), based at Florida's Patrick Space Force Base, is an Air Force surveillance organization assigned to the Sixteenth Air Force. Its mission is to monitor nuclear treaties of all applicable signat ...

Patrick Space Force Base Patrick Space Force Base is a United States Space Force installation located between Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is named in honor of Major General Mason Patrick, USAAC. It is home to Space ...

, Florida In 2009, responsibility for nuclear-capable bombers, specifically the

B-2 Spirit The Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American heavy strategic bomber, featuring low-observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses. A subsonic flying ...

and the B-52 Stratofortress, along with their associated units, bases and personnel, were transferred from ACC to the newly established Air Force Global Strike Command (

AFGSC Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. AFGSC provides combat-ready forces to conduct strategic nuclear deterrence and global stri ...

). On 1 February 2010, the Eighth Air Force transferred to the Air Force Global Strike Command. The

at Dyess Air Force Base, and the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base also transferred to

on 1 October 2015, thus, ending 23 years of operational bomber service in ACC. In October 2019 units from Twenty-Fourth Air Force and Twenty-Fifth Air Force were merged into the reactivated

. Sixteenth Air Force headquarters is based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. In August 2020 units from Ninth Air Force and Twelfth Air Force were realigned under the reactivated Fifteenth Air Force. Fifteenth Air Force headquarters is based at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. In addition, units from Air Force Reserve Command's

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...

, and numerous other state and District of Columbia Air National Guard units are allocated to Air Combat Command when activated to federal service.

Aircraft

: * Attack ** Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II ** General Atomics MQ-1 Predator ** General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper * Fighters ** McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D Eagle ** McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle ** General Dynamics F-16C/D Fighting Falcon ** Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor **

Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide ele ...

* Combat Search and Rescue ** Lockheed HC-130P Combat King and HC-130J Combat King II * Command and Control ** Boeing E-3B/C Sentry ** Boeing E-8C Joint STARS * Reconnaissance ** Boeing OC-135;RC-135S/U/V/W;TC-135;WC-135 **

Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft of the 1990s–2020s. It was initially designed by Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development. The ...

** Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady ** Beechcraft MC-12 Liberty **

Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel The Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel is an American unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by Lockheed Martin and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). While the USAF has released few details ...

* Helicopter **

Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk The Sikorsky MH-60G/HH-60G Pave Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It is a derivative of the UH-60 Black Hawk and incorporates the US Air Force PAVE electronic system ...

* Trainer ** Northrop T-38A, AT-38B and T-38C Talon

Lineage

* Constituted as Air Combat Command and activated on 1 June 1992 * Consolidated with Tactical Air Command on 26 September 2016

Assignments

Headquarters, United States Air Force The Air Staff is one of the Department of the Air Force's two statutorily designated headquarters staffs: the other staff is the '' Office of the Secretary of the Air Force'', also known as the ''Secretariat''. The Air Staff is headed by the C ...

, 1 June 1992 – present

Stations

* Langley Air Force Base, Hampton, Virginia, 1 June 1992 – presentActive Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 USAF Reference Series, Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C., 1989

Major components

; Air Forces : First Air Force: 1 June 1992 – present :

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...

: 1 June 1992 – 1 July 1993 :: Transferred to Air Education and Training Command : Eighth Air Force: 1 June 1992 – 2009 :: Transferred to Air Force Global Strike Command, 2009 :

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...

: 1 June 1992 – present :

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to ...

: 1 June 1992 – present : Fifteenth Air Force: 20 August 2020 – present :

: 11 October 2019 – present :

Twentieth Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Interco ...

: 1 June 1992 – 1 July 1993 :: Transferred to Air Force Space Command, 1993 :: Transferred to Air Force Global Strike Command, 2009 :

Twenty-Fourth Air Force Twenty-Fourth Air Force / Air Forces Cyber (AFCYBER) was a Numbered Air Force within the United States Air Force. The Air Force consolidated its cyberspace combat and support forces into 24 AF. 24 AF was the Air Force component of U.S. Cyber Co ...

: 17 July 2018 – 11 October 2019 :

Twenty-Fifth Air Force Twenty-Fifth Air Force (25 AF), also known as Air Force Intelligence, was a numbered air force (NAF) within the United States Air Force (USAF), and served as the Air Force's premier military intelligence organization. 25 AF was established on ...

: 29 September 2014 – 11 October 2019 ; Centers : Air & Space Expeditionary Force Center: 1 October 2002 – 29 August 2006 : Aerospace Command and Control & Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (later, Air Force Command and Control & Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Center (see Agencies below): 29 July 1997 – 30 April 2002. On 17 June 2010, the GCIC was officially redesignated the Air Force Command and Control Integration Center or AFC2IC as a direct reporting unit to Air Combat Command (ACC). : Air Force Contingency Supply Support Office (later, Air Force Contingency Supply Squadron; ACC Regional Supply Squadron; Combat Air Forces Logistics Support Center): 12 June 1992 – 1 July 1994; 1 December 1998 – present : Air Warfare Center (later, USAF Warfare Center): 1 June 1992 – present :

Air Force Network Integration Center The Cyberspace Capabilities Center (CCC), located at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the primary organization that develops cyber domain requirements in the United States Air Force. The center's goals are to attain a unity of effort of funct ...

: 17 July 2018 – present :

Air Force Spectrum Management Office The Air Force Spectrum Management Office (AFSMO) plans, provides, and preserves access to the electromagnetic spectrum for Air Force and selected Department of Defense activities in support of national policy objectives, systems development, and ...

: 17 July 2018 – present ; Agencies : Air and Space Command and Control Agency (later, Aerospace Command and Control Agency; Aerospace Command and Control & Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center; Air Force Command and Control & Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center): 29 July 1997 – 30 April 2002. : Air Intelligence Agency: 1 February 2001 – 8 August 2006 ; Groups : Air Combat Command (ACC) Air Force Targeting Center: 2008–present : Air Combat Command (ACC) Communications Group: 1 June 1992 – present : Air Combat Command (ACC) Logistics Support Group: 1 July 1994 – 16 September 1999. source for lineage, assignments, stations, components

List of commanders

References

External links

Air Combat Command website

Air National Guard website

Tenth Air Force website
{{Authority control Major commands of the United States Air Force Military units and formations in Virginia Military units and formations established in 1992