RAF Air Command

Headquarters Air Command is the only Command currently active in the Royal Air Force. It was formed by the merger of Royal Air Force Strike and Personnel and Training Commands on 1 April 2007, and has its headquarters at RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

Air Command is commanded by the Chief of the Air Staff. Formerly, it was under a four-star Air Chief Marshal but this structure was discontinued due to the 2011 Levine Report. The Chief of Air Staff retains command himself in contrast with the Royal Navy (where command is delegated to the Fleet Commander) or the British Army (where command is delegated to the Commander Land Forces). There are two Deputy Commanders of Air Marshal rank. The Deputy Commander (Operations) has responsibility for the two Groups inherited from Strike Command, No. 1 Group and No. 2 Group; the Deputy Commander (Personnel) has responsibility for the Group inherited from Personnel and Training Command, No. 22 (Training) Group.

The equivalent in the Royal Navy is Navy Command Headquarters at Portsmouth and the equivalent in the British Army is Army Headquarters at Andover.

Deputy Commanders (Operations)
Deputy Commanders-in-Chief (Operations)
 * Air Marshal I W McNicoll CB CBE, 26 February 2007 – 13 April 2010 (appointed as DC-in-C Strike Command)
 * Air Marshal R F Garwood CB CBE DFC, 14 April 2010 to Spring 2012

Deputy Commanders (Operations)
 * Air Marshal R F Garwood CB CBE DFC, Spring 2012 to April 2013
 * Air Marshal G J Bagwell CB CBE, 16 April 2013 to Present

Deputy Commanders (Personnel)
This appointment is held concurrently with the Air Member for Personnel. Deputy Commanders-in-Chief (Personnel)
 * Air Marshal S G G Dalton CB, 1 May 2007 – 31 March 2009
 * Air Marshal S Bryant CBE, 1 April 2009 – 17 June 2010
 * Air Marshal A D Pulford CBE, 1 September 2010 to Spring 2012

Deputy Commanders (Personnel)
 * Air Marshal Sir A D Pulford KCB, CBE, Spring 2012 to Present
 * Air Marshal B M North OBE, 3 May 2013 to Present

Former Commanders-in-Chief (post discontinued in Spring 2012)

 * Air Chief Marshal Sir Clive Loader KCB OBE, 30 March 2007 – 2 April 2009 (appointed as C-in-C Strike Command)
 * Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Moran KCB OBE MVO, 3 April 2009 – 26 May 2010 (Died in office)
 * Air Chief Marshal Sir Simon Bryant KCB CBE, 18 June 2010 to March 2012

News items

 * Royal Air Force Web Site - Official Announcement of Formation of RAF Air Command