Air Combat Command

Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of ten major commands (MAJCOM's) of the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF).

ACC is headquartered at Langley Field, Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia. Its commander is General Gilmary M. Hostage III, with Lieutenant General William J. Rew as Vice-commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Richard A. Parsons as the Command Chief Master Sergeant.

Mission
The mission of Air Combat Command is to be the primary force provider of non-nuclear combat airpower to America's warfighting commands. To support global implementation of national security strategy, ACC operates fighter, bomber, reconnaissance, battle-management and electronic-combat aircraft. Air Combat Command also provides command, control, computing, communications and intelligence (C4I) systems, and conducts global information operations.

As a force provider, ACC organizes, trains, equips and maintains combat-ready forces for rapid deployment and employment while ensuring strategic air defense forces are ready to meet the challenges of peacetime air sovereignty and wartime air defense.

ACC numbered air forces provide the air components to United States Central Command, United States Southern Command, United States Joint Forces Command, United States Northern Command and United States Strategic Command. In addition, ACC augments forces to United States European Command and United States Pacific Command.

Air Combat Command consists of more than 109,000 active duty members and civilians (approximately 98,000 active duty members and more than 11,000 civilians). When mobilized, more than 63,000 members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with over 600 aircraft, are assigned to ACC. In total, ACC and ACC-gained units consist of more than 1,750 aircraft.

In 2010, responsibility for nuclear-capable assets was transferred to the Air Force Global Strike Command.

Wings and Groups
Air Combat Command consisted of the following units:


 * United States Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC)
 * HQ: Nellis AFB, Nevada
 * 53d Wing, Eglin AFB Florida
 * 57th Wing, Nellis AFB Nevada
 * 98th Range Wing, Nellis AFB Nevada
 * 99th Air Base Wing, Nellis AFB Nevada
 * 505th Command and Control Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida


 * First Air Force (AFNORTH) (Air National Guard)
 * HQ: Tyndall AFB, Florida
 * Eastern Air Defense Sector, Rome, New York
 * Western Air Defense Sector, McChord AFB Washington
 * 701st Air Defense Squadron, Tyndall AFB Florida
 * 702d Computer Systems Squadron, Tyndall AFB Florida
 * 722d Air Control Squadron, North Bay (CFB North Bay), Canada


 * Ninth Air Force
 * HQ: Shaw AFB, South Carolina
 * 1st Fighter Wing (F-22A), Langley AFB Virginia
 * 4th Fighter Wing (F-15E), Seymour Johnson AFB North Carolina
 * 20th Fighter Wing (F-16C), Shaw AFB South Carolina
 * 23d Wing (HH-60, HC-130P, A/OA-10), Moody AFB Georgia
 * 93d Air Ground Operations Wing, Moody AFB, Georgia
 * 325th Fighter Wing (F-22A), Tyndall AFB Florida
 * 461st Air Control Wing, Robins AFB Georgia
 * 633d Air Base Wing, Langley AFB Virginia


 * Twelfth Air Force (AFSOUTH)
 * HQ: Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
 * 7th Bomb Wing (B-1B), Dyess AFB Texas
 * 28th Bomb Wing (B-1B), Ellsworth AFB South Dakota
 * 49th Wing (F-22A, MQ-9), Holloman AFB New Mexico
 * 355th Fighter Wing (A/OA-10), Davis-Monthan AFB Arizona
 * 366th Fighter Wing (F-15E), Mountain Home AFB Idaho
 * 388th Fighter Wing (F-16C), Hill AFB Utah
 * 432d Wing (MQ-1, MQ-9), Creech AFB, Nevada

Note: On 6 October 2008, it was announced that the Eighth Air Force would become part of the new Air Force Global Strike Command.

In addition, units from Air Force Reserve Command Tenth Air Force and numerous state Air National Guard units are allocated to Air Combat Command when activated to federal service.

Aircraft



 * Bombers
 * Rockwell B-1 Lancer
 * Attack/Fighters
 * Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
 * McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
 * McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle
 * General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
 * Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor


 * Transport/Command and Control
 * Lockheed C-130 Hercules
 * Boeing E-3 Sentry
 * Boeing E-4B Nightwatch
 * Boeing E-8 Joint STARS
 * Reconnaissance
 * Boeing OC-135;RC-135S/V/U;TC-135;WC-135
 * Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk
 * General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
 * General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
 * Lockheed U-2/TR-1 Dragon Lady

Lineage

 * Established, and activated, as Air Combat Command on 1 June 1992.

Assignments

 * Headquarters, United States Air Force, 1 June 1992 – present

Stations

 * Langley AFB, Virginia, 1 June 1992 – present

Major components
Air Forces
 * First Air Force (later, First Air Force [ANG]): 1 June 1992 – present
 * Second Air Force: 1 June 1992 – 1 July 1993
 * Eighth Air Force: 1 June, 1992–2009
 * Ninth Air Force: 1 June 1992 – present
 * Twelfth Air Force: 1 June 1992 – present
 * Twentieth Air Force: 1 June 1992 – 1 July 1993

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 (later, USAF Warfare) Center: 1 June 1992 – 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 – present

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

Operational 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 (MAC). Upon activation, ACC assumed control of all fighter resources based in the continental United States, all bombers, reconnaissance platforms, battle management resources, and Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Furthermore, ACC had some tankers and C-130s in its composite, reconnaissance, and certain other combat wings. In 1993 control of the ICBM force was transferred to the Air Force Space Command.

Following the inactivation of SAC at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, a new unified command, the United States Strategic Command, was activated at Offutt, created to manage the combined strategic nuclear forces belonging to the Air Force and the Navy.

Historically, combat command was an earlier air unit designation. During 1941 and early 1942, the tactical air units of the War Department, 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, effective 9 March 1942, which created the United States Army Air Forces as a major and semi-independent component.

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 mission (CSAR) 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 (ARS) was assigned to ACC. On 2 July of the same year, the ARS was redesignated the USAF Combat Rescue School and was assigned to the 57th Wing at Nellis AFB, 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 (AETC). Concurrently, Luke AFB, Arizona, and Tyndall AFB, 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 and KC-135 Stratotankers. Just as ownership of overseas C-130 resources had already been transferred to USAFE and PACAF 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 (a precursor of AMC). 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 ANG and Reserve units, to Military Airlift Command (MAC). MAC gained the overseas units from theater commands on 31 March 1975.

On 1 October 1993, all AMC C-130s were transferred to ACC and all ACC KC-135 tankers except those at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, which supported the fighter and bomber aircraft of the composite wing stationed there, transferred to AMC. The command also kept two KC-135s at Offutt AFB Nebraska and Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, transferred to AMC on 1 October 1993, with McConnell AFB, Kansas, and Fairchild AFB, Washington, transferring in January and July, respectively, 1994.

Operational deployments
In Southwest Asia, Air Combat Command provided active duty and reserve component forces for Operations Desert Storm and 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 (AWACS), reconnaissance and fighter aircraft, as well as radar and connectivity assets.

Participation in humanitarian operations has also been a recurring theme. Air Combat Command supported the humanitarian efforts of the United States Air Forces in Europe (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, Turkey. Provide Promise offered humanitarian relief airlift support to the city of 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, 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 gained C-130 Air National Guard units deployed to Uganda and Kenya to participate in Support Hope. This operation, conducted by the United States European Command, 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 aircraft of the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB, 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-52s from the 2d Bomb Wing, 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 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 currently over both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Predecessor units merged into Air Combat Command 1992


Current Air Combat Command Bases


 * Strategic Air Command
 * 2d Bombardment Wing
 * Barksdale AFB, LA
 * 5th Bombardment Wing
 * Minot AFB, ND
 * 7th Bombardment Wing
 * Carswell AFB, TX (Xfrerd to Dyess AFB TX 1 October 1993)
 * 9th Reconnaissance Wing
 * Beale AFB, CA
 * 28th Bombardment Wing
 * Ellsworth AFB, SD
 * 42d Bombardment Wing
 * Loring AFB, ME (BRAC Inactivated 30 September 1994)
 * 44th Missile Wing
 * Ellsworth AFB, SD (Xfred to AF Space Cmd 1 July 1993)
 * 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
 * Offut AFB NE
 * 90th Missile Wing
 * F E Warren AFB, WY (Xfred to AF Space Cmd 1 July 1993)
 * 91st Missile Wing
 * Minot AFB, ND (Xfred to AF Space Cmd 1 July 1993
 * 92d Wing
 * Fairchild AFB WA (Xfred to Air Mobility Cmd 1 July 1994)
 * 93d Wing
 * Castle AFB, CA (BRAC Inactivated 30 September 1995)
 * 96th Wing
 * Dyess AFB, TX (BRAC Inactivated 1 October 1993)
 * 319th Wing
 * Grand Forks AFB, ND (BRAC Inactivated 16 July 1994)
 * 321st Missile Wing
 * Grand Forks AFB, ND (Xfred to AF Space Cmd 1 July 1993)
 * 341st Missile Wing
 * Malmstrom AFB, MT (Xfred to AF Space Cmd 1 July 1993)
 * 351st Missile Wing
 * Whiteman AFB, MO (Xfred to AF Space Cmd 1 July 1993)
 * 379th Wing
 * Wurtsmith AFB, MI (BRAC Inactivated 15 June 1993)
 * 384th Wing
 * McConnell AFB, KS (BRAC Inactivated 1 October 1994)
 * 410st Wing
 * K I Sawyer AFB, MI (BRAC Inactivated 30 September 1995)
 * 416th Wing
 * Griffiss AFB, NY (BRAC Inactivated 30 September 1995)
 * 509th Bombardment Wing
 * Whiteman AFB, MO


 * Military Airlift Command
 * 314th Airlift Wing
 * Little Rock AFB, AR (BRAC Inactivated 31 August 1993)


 * Tactical Air Command
 * 1st Fighter Wing
 * Langley AFB, VA
 * 4th Fighter Wing
 * Seymour Johnson AFB, NC


 * 23d Fighter Wing
 * 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 WOPE to Aviano AB Italy Assigned to USAFE)
 * 33d Fighter Wing
 * Eglin AFB, FL
 * 35th Fighter Wing
 * George AFB, CA (BRAC Inactivated 15 December 1992)
 * 37th Fighter Wing
 * Tonopah AP, NV (Inactivated 8 July 1992 F-117s Xfred to 49th 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 1 April 1994 Reassigned to AETC)
 * 57th Fighter Wing
 * Nellis AFB, NV
 * 58th Fighter Wing
 * Luke AFB, AZ (Moved WOPE to Kirtland AFB NM 1 April 1994
 * Reassigned to AETC as 58th Special Operations Wing)
 * 67th Reconnaissance Wing
 * Bergstrom AFB, TX (BRAC Inactivated 30 September 1993)
 * 85th Wing
 * Keflavik NAS Iceland (Inactivated 31 May 1993)
 * 325th Fighter Wing
 * Tyndall AFB, FL (Reassigned to AETC 1 July 1993. Rejoined ACC on 1 October 2012)
 * 347th Fighter Wing
 * Moody AFB, GA (Reassigned to AFSOC 1 October 2003)
 * 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
 * Mountain Home AFB, ID
 * 388th Fighter Wing
 * Hill AFB, UT
 * 475th Weapons Evaluation Group
 * Tyndall AFB, FL
 * 507th Air Control Wing
 * Shaw AFB, SC (Inactivated 12 June 1993)
 * 552d Air Control Wing
 * Tinker AFB OK
 * 602d Air Control Wing
 * Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ (Inactivated 15 June 1992)