Allied Air Forces Central Europe

Allied Air Forces Central Europe
Coat of arms
Active	1951–1993
Allegiance	North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Part of	Allied Command Operations, Casteau, Belgium
Location	Ramstein, Germany

Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCE) was the

History

Allied Air Forces Central Europe was activated on 2 April 1951 at

Commanders 1951–1967

List of AAFCE commanders
#	Name	Country	Service	Duration
1	General Lauris Norstad	United States	US Air Force	2 April 1951 – 16 July 1953
2	Air Chief Marshal Sir Basil Embry	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	16 July 1953 – 1 January 1956
3	Air Chief Marshal Sir George Mills	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	1 January 1956 – 20 May 1959
4	Air Chief Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	20 May 1959 – 1 March 1961
5	Air Chief Marshal The Earl of Bandon	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	1 March 1961 – 1 December 1963
6	Air Chief Marshal Sir Edmund Hudleston*	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	1 December 1963 – 1 March 1967

• Air Chief Marshal Sir
  Allied Forces Central Europe in 1965 and continued in both positions until 1 March 1967, after which NATO officially combined the two positions.^[4] With the move of allied headquarters from France after the French withdrawal from NATOs integrated military structures beginning in 1966 AAFCE was co-located with AFCENT at Brunssum
  in the Netherlands.

Deputy C-in-C AFCENT
#	Name	Country	Service	Duration
7	Augustus Walker	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	1 March 1967 – 13 April 1970
8	Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rosier	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	13 April 1970 – 31 September 1973[clarification needed]
9	Air Chief Marshal Sir Lewis Hodges	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	31 September 1973[clarification needed] – 5 February 1976

At Ramstein 1974– 1993

On 28 June 1974 Headquarters Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCE) was re-established as an independent headquarters at Ramstein Air Base, Germany as one of three principal subordinate command under Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT).^[5] Its task was to provide central direction and control for NATO air forces in the European Central Region. Two existing headquarters, Second Allied Tactical Air Force (2 ATAF), based at RAF Rheindahlen, which covered the northern part of the region, and Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force (4 ATAF), based at Heidelberg, which was responsible for the southern part, both came under AAFCE's command.

32nd Army Air Defense Command.^[8]

Commanders

List of AAFCE commanders
#	Name	Country	Service	Duration
10	Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Le Cheminant	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	5 February 1976 – 1 June 1979
11	Air Chief Marshal Sir John Stacey	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	1 June 1979 – 1 February 1981
12	Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Terry	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	1 February 1981 – 8 April 1981
13	Air Chief Marshal Sir John Gingell	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	8 April 1981 – 14 March 1984
14	Air Chief Marshal Michael Beavis	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	14 March 1984 – 19 September 1986
15	Air Chief Marshal Sir Joseph Gilbert	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	19 September 1986 – 1 May 1989
16	Air Chief Marshal Sir Anthony Skingsley	United Kingdom	Royal Air Force	1 May 1989 – 27 August 1993

Post Cold War

During the early 1990s, following the relaxation of the tensions between East and West, a major reorganization of the NATO command and control structure was undertaken. As part of this, and to take account of the decrease in the number of allied aircraft in Europe, a rationalization of the Central Region air force headquarters occurred in 1993 with the disbandment of 2ATAF and 4ATAF on 30 June 1993 and AAFCE absorbing the functions previously undertaken by the ATAFs. The new command was inaugurated on 1 June 1993 retaining the name of Allied Air Forces Central Europe, but with a change in acronym to AIRCENT.[9] The command was redesignated Component Command-Air Headquarters Ramstein in 2004, Allied Air Command, Ramstein in 2010 and Allied Air Command in 2013.^[9]

References

1. ^ "Another officially reported creation date is 20 August 1953". Fontainebleau Veterans Association. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
2. ^ "Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Foster". Air of Authority. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
3. ^ W.T. Gunston, 'AAFCE Part I : The Background to NATO and its Constituent Formations', Flight, 26 June 1953, 825–827.
4. ^ Air of Authority, Multinational Commands held by RAF Air Officers Archived 18 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 2008
5. ^ NATO, History of the NATO Air HQs at Ramstein Air Base Archived 15 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 2008
6. ISBN 978-1-4481-3793-0
   .
7. ^ "NATO bunkers are sealed with concrete in January tunnel system is passed: no civilian use". Retrieved 14 June 2014.
8. ^ "4th Allied Tactical Air Force". US Army Germany. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
9. ^ ^{a b} "History of the NATO AIRCOMs at Ramstein Air Base". NATO. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.

External links

• ACO – Allied Command Operations