Twenty-Fourth Air Force / Air Forces Cyber (AFCYBER) was a Numbered Air Force within 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 ...

. The Air Force consolidated its cyberspace combat and support forces into 24 AF. 24 AF was the Air Force component of U.S. Cyber Command. On 11 October 2019, the 24th AF was merged with the 25th AF to form a reactivated

16th 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 elec ...

Formation

The 24AF was originally intended to be a part of the now-defunct Air Force Cyber Command; however, 24AF became a component of

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 ...

on 18 August 2009. In August 2008, then-

Air Force Chief of Staff The chief of staff of the Air Force (acronym: CSAF, or AF/CC) is a statutory office () held by a general in the United States Air Force, and as such is the principal military advisor to the secretary of the Air Force on matter pertaining to th ...

Gen. Norton A. Schwartz placed a stop order suspending implementation of Air Force Cyber Command, halting personnel assignments and unit activations. On 6 October 2008, following its annual Corona conference, the Air Force announced Air Force Cyber Command activation would not take place, and that a Numbered Air Force, 24AF, would gain the cyber warfare mission as part of

. One key element under 24 AF is the Air Force's primary network warfare wing, the 67th Cyberspace Wing, headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. The new NAF also gained: * The 688th Cyberspace Wing – JBSA-Lackland, Texas * The 689th Combat Communications Wing ''(now inactivated)'' –

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 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

* The

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 ...

(''taking over duty and personnel of the

608th Air Force Network Operations Center 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

'') – JBSA-Lackland, Texas * Although now administratively aligned under Air Combat Command, the Air Force Network Integration Center ''(formerly Air Force Communications Agency)'', works closely with 24AF on its mission to build and sustain Air Force networks. Over 14,000 Airmen make up 24 AF. Many of these are in place at other organizations. Air Force units also host cyber specialists from other organizations. Before the 24 AF was activated, the Air Force had announced six possible locations for its headquarters:

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 ...

, LA; Lackland AFB, TX;

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 ...

, VA; Offutt AFB, NE; Peterson AFB, CO; and

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 ...

, IL. On 15 May 2009, Air Force officials announced Lackland as the preferred alternative, and the decision was confirmed on 12 August 2009. The organization officially stood-up on 18 August 2009. On 22 January 2010, 24AF was certified by AFSPC/CC for its Initial Operational Capability. Full Operational Capability was declared on 1 October 2010.

History

In 2014, 24 AF provided the Cyber Mission Force for the Exercise Red Flag for the first time. During U.S. Strategic Command's Exercise Global Lightning 14, 24AF operated as a Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber in support of a combatant commander during a large joint exercise for the first time. Twenty-Fourth Air Force was reassigned to Air Combat Command on 17 July 2018.

Units

, Lackland AFB * 67th Cyberspace Wing, Lackland AFB ** 67th Cyberspace Operations Group, Lackland AFB ***

67th Operations Support Squadron 67 may refer to: * 67 (number) * one of the years 67 BC, AD 67, 1967, 2067 * ''67'', a 1992 song by Love Battery from the album '' Between the Eyes'' * 67 (rap group), a drill music group from London See also * 67th Regiment (disambiguation) ...

, Lackland AFB *** 91st Cyberspace Operations Squadron, Lackland AFB ***

315th Cyberspace Operations Squadron The United States Air Force's 315th Cyberspace Operations Squadron is a cyberspace warfare unit located at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. The first predecessor of the unit was the 15th Radio Squadron, which was activated in 1951 and performed si ...

, Ft. Meade *** 352d Network Warfare Squadron, JBPHH ***

390th Cyberspace Operations Squadron 39 may refer to: * 39 (number), the natural number following 38 and preceding 40 * one of the years: ** 39 BC ** AD 39 ** 1939 ** 2039 * 39 (album), ''39'' (album), a 2000 studio album by Mikuni Shimokawa * "'39", a 1975 song by Queen * "Thirty Ni ...

, Lackland AFB **

318th Cyberspace Operations Group The 318th Cyberspace Operations Group is a United States Air Force information operations unit located at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. The group (military aviation unit), group was first activated during World War II as the 8th Photographic ...

, Lackland AFB *** 39th Information Operations Squadron,

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 ...

*** 90th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, Lackland AFB *** 318th Operations Support Squadron, Lackland AFB ***

346th Test Squadron The 346th Test Squadron is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 318th Cyberspace Operations Group at Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland, Texas. The squadron tests military cyberspace operation systems. The squadron was first activa ...

, Lackland AFB ** 567th Cyberspace Operations Group,

*** 92d Cyberspace Operations Squadron, Lackland AFB *** 833d Cyberspace Operations Squadron, Lackland AFB *** 834th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, Lackland AFB *** 836th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, Lackland AFB *** 835th Cyberspace Operations Squadron,

*** 837th Cyberspace Operations Squadron,

* 688th Cyberspace Wing, Lackland AFB *** 688th Operations Support Squadron, Lackland AFB **

5th Combat Communications Group The 5th Combat Communications Group is a specialized unit of the United States Air Force. The 5th Mob (referred to as such by its former designation as the 5th Mobile Communications Group) is currently based at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Ro ...

, Robins AFB ***

5th Combat Communications Support Squadron Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash that ...

, Robins AFB *** 51st Combat Communications Squadron, Robins AFB *** 52d Combat Communications Squadron, Robins AFB ** 26th Cyberspace Operations Group, Lackland AFB *** 26th Network Operations Squadron,

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 ...

***

26th Operations Support Squadron 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second smal ...

, Lackland AFB *** 33d Network Warfare Squadron, Lackland AFB *** 68th Network Warfare Squadron, Lackland AFB *** 426th Network Warfare Squadron, Lackland AFB ** 38th Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group, Tinker AFB *** 38th Contracting Squadron, Tinker AFB *** 38th Cyberspace Readiness Squadron, Tinker AFB *** 38th Engineering Squadron, Tinker AFB *** 38th Operations Support Squadron, Tinker AFB *** 85th Engineering Installation Squadron,

Keesler AFB Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city along the Gulf Coast in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr., a Mississippi nat ...

** 690th Cyberspace Operations Group, Lackland AFB *** 83d Network Operations Squadron,

***

561st Network Operations Squadron The 561 Network Operations Squadron (NOS), AFCYBER's Workhorse Squadron, is located at Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is currently under the command of the 690th Cyberspace Operations Group, 690 ...

, Peterson AFB ***

690th Intelligence Support Squadron 69 may refer to: * 69 (number) * A year, primarily 69 BC, AD 69, 1969, or 2069 *69 (sex position) Arts and media Music * ''69'', a 1988 album by A.R. Kane * "'69", a song by Deep Purple from ''Abandon'' * Major 6 add 9, a jazz chord * "Summer ...

, Lackland AFB ***

690th Network Support Squadron 69 may refer to: * 69 (number) * A year, primarily 69 BC, AD 69, 1969, or 2069 *69 (sex position) Arts and media Music * ''69'', a 1988 album by A.R. Kane * "'69", a song by Deep Purple from ''Abandon'' * Major 6 add 9, a jazz chord * "Summer ...

, Lackland AFB *** 690th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, JBPHH *** 691st Cyberspace Operations Squadron,

Ramstein AB Ramstein Air Base or Ramstein AB is a United States Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate, a state in southwestern Germany. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and also ...

List of commanders

References

External links

Air Force Reserve Command

Twenty-Fourth Air Force revised structure

24th Air Force Website

Maj Gen Suzanne M. Vautrinot
{{USAF Air Combat Command 24 United States Cyber Command Military units and formations established in 2009 2009 establishments in the United States Military units and formations in Texas