Eighteenth Air Force
Eighteenth Air Force (Air Forces Transportation) | |
---|---|
CMSgt Chad W. Bickley | |
Notable commanders | Col Earl Young[3] |
Eighteenth Air Force (Air Forces Transportation) (18 AF) is the only Numbered Air Force (NAF) in Air Mobility Command (AMC) and one of the largest NAFs in the United States Air Force. 18 AF was activated on 28 March 1951, inactivated on 1 January 1958, and re-activated on 1 October 2003. 18 AF is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.
Overview
As AMC's sole NAF, 18 AF ensures readiness and sustainment of approximately 36,000 active duty, Air Force Reserve, and civilian Airmen at 12 wings and one direct reporting unit. With more than 400 aircraft, 18th Air Force supports AMC's worldwide mission of providing rapid global mobility to America's armed forces through airlift, aerial refueling, and aeromedical evacuation.
The command's mobility aircraft include the
18 AF has an assigned military and civilian workforce of more than 37,000 personnel.
Units
Units reporting to 18 AF include 12 wings.
Other AMC units assigned to 18th AF are:
|
|
618th Air Operations Center
Formerly under 18 AF, now directly under AMC, the 618th Air Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center), located at Scott AFB, serves as the organization's air operations center, planning and directing tanker and transport aircraft operations around the world. It is stationed at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. The 618th AOC (TACC) is responsible for planning, scheduling, and tracking aircraft performing airlift, aerial refueling, and aeromedical evacuation operations around the world.[12] It serves as an Air Operations Center (AOC) for AMC, executing missions assigned by the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM).[13]
The 618th AOC (TACC), initially known as TACC, became operational April 1, 1992. Air mobility leadership sought to simplify the execution of the worldwide mobility mission. They created a highly efficient organization to centralize command and control operations previously located within numbered air forces and airlift divisions. TACC was redesignated as the 618th TACC on April 1, 2007, and remained under that designation until being renamed the 618th AOC (TACC) Aug. 30, 2010.[14] 618 AOC underwent extensive reorganization in 2020 and move change from reporting to 18 AF to AMC directly.[15]
History
Origins
When the
Cold War
18 AF was established and activated 28 March 1951 to discharge
The command added a "heavy" (
In the spring of 1952, 18 AF C-124 Globemasters were sent to Japan and by July 1952, C-124s from the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron were flying missions in South Korea. The arrival of the C-124 introduced the aircraft loadmaster position to the troop carrier mission. As the Korean War wound down, C-119 Flying Boxcar crews from the
By early 1953, the Air Force Reserve wings were replaced by active duty wings organized, administered, equipped, trained, and prepared for combat by 18 AF. Augmented troop carrier forces in the Far East and Europe provided trained crews and replacement personnel to units in the Korean War.
The next year, 18 AF C-119s from the 483rd Troop Carrier Wing (and flown by civilian crews employed by
The command also took part in joint exercises and provided support for airborne paratroop training all the while working to improve communications capabilities and to advocate for the inclusion of medical air evacuation in joint exercises. 18 AF also provided airlift support to other Air Force major commands and TAC organizations.
The advent of the jet age saw TAC with a new mission, as it became the focal point for a new military philosophy based on the rapid deployment of heavily armed fighter/bomber units and Army airborne and light infantry units to overseas "trouble spots" before conflicts could escalate into full-scale war. 18 AF units supplemented
The Korean War illustrated the need for a medium transport capable of operating from dirt airstrips, which led to the development of several new transport aircraft, including the delivery of the jet-prop powered C-130 Hercules at the end of 1956. 18 AF also took deliveries of the Fairchild C-123 Provider, a twin-engine transport designed for assault operations into rudimentary landing zones.
With the advent of the C-130, TAC established the
The command was heavily committed to airlift operations in Arctic areas beginning in the Fall of 1952. Between 1955 and 1957, the command offloaded and airdropped equipment supporting the construction of the
The command was also instrumental in the development of the aerial port concept, including techniques and equipment for loading troop carrier aircraft and the airdrop of cargo.
18 AF Airmen also developed the Air Force "pathfinder" combat controller capability to establish ground to air communications and navigation aids at jump sites and to select landing sites. They also carried out fixed wing assault missions using C-123 aircraft for landing on small unimproved landing areas. The command organized the first rotary assault group in the U.S. Air Force before losing the mission to the U.S. Army and served as advisory body for reserve troop carrier wings. Finally, the command was also heavily involved in the testing of new aerial delivery equipment, equipment and techniques for dropping paratroops and cargo, and navigation devices to determine "point of release".
A realignment of Troop Carrier forces in 1957 led to the reassignment of 18 AF's C-124 wings to MATS and its headquarters was moved to James Connally AFB, Texas on 1 September. At the same time, Donaldson AFB was turned over to MATS (along with the C-124s and 63d TCW assigned there). At Connally the command gained responsibility for TAC's day fighter, fighter-bomber, and aerial tanker operations on western U.S. bases.
18 AF was inactivated effective 1 January 1958 due to budgetary reasons, and its units were reassigned to
Air Mobility Command
18 AF was reactivated on 1 October 2003 as part of an overall AMC reorganization. Born from the consolidation of AMC's 15th and 21st Air Forces under the leadership of Maj Gen Bill Essex,[16] AMC'S director of plans and programs, the command had a modest restart. By the time Lt Gen William Welser III [17] was finally confirmed as commander a mere two months after reactivation, the 18 AF headquarters staff numbered 30 (of which more than half was the legal office).
At that time, every AMC wing and independent group reported to the 18 AF, including the newly designated
In November 2005, Maj Gen James A. Hawkins,[18] a former 18 AF vice commander, took the reins of the 18 AF. Under his leadership, and that of his successor, Maj Gen Winfield W. Scott III,[19] who took command in June 2008, the command continued to evolve to meet complex missions at home and abroad.
One of the most demanding of those missions came when Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast in August 2005, eventually causing more than 1,800 deaths and nearly $80 billion in damage over an area of approximately 90,000 square miles. From the initial response through recovery, 18 AF Airmen were part of a massive total force team that flew more than 300 missions that moved nearly 1,800 sick and injured hurricane victims to safety and airlifted more than 4,000 tons of relief supplies to the stricken area.
A mere two years afterward, the command also flexed its muscle overseas with the deployment of approximately 1,500 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to Iraq in only four months.
The increasingly complex nature of the command's mission, evidenced by global demands such as these argued for a second "rebirth" of the command, which was soon to come.[citation needed]
These changes occurred on 6 January 2011, when five units transferred from the 18 AF to the command of the
The 18 AF Commander, Lt Gen Robert Allardice[20] at the time, retained operational control of Airmen in these units (a control 18 AF retains to this day), but the change reduced his administrative burden, allowing him greater focus on the command's worldwide mobility flying operations. The need for that focus had become obvious over the years, reflected in a doubling of the 18 AF's headquarters staff between 2003 and 2010. During the same time the headquarters also added Operations and Plans directorates as well as an integration cell to leverage other key AMC staff members performing operational tasks supporting the command's mission.
While the 2011 restructuring was one of the most visible elements of an evolutionary process that enhanced the 18 AF's operational capability - it was far from the last. The following year the command went through one of its most significant restructuring efforts to date.
In March 2012, the 18 AF inactivated its two Expeditionary Mobility Task Forces: the
While the changes reduced the administrative demands on the 18 AF commander, they still left him with full operational control of AMC's forces. Lt Gen Mark Ramsay,[21] then-18 AF Commander, noted that the changes represented a more effective and efficient way of carrying out the command's global air mobility mission "especially the planning, exercising, execution, and assessment of airlift, air refueling, and aeromedical evacuation operations in support of combatant commanders across the globe."
In the wake of Japan's 2011 earthquake and tsunami, the command orchestrated efforts transporting hundreds of tons of humanitarian relief while assuring the safe return of thousands of military families back to the U.S. Simultaneously, within hours of the passing of a Security Council Resolution, AMC tanker units rapidly formed the 313th Air Expeditionary Wing, a total force "Calico wing" (so named for the variety of aircraft tail flashes from the different units that constituted it) to support the U.S. Operation Odyssey Dawn over Libya, which later became the NATO Operation Unified Protector. All this occurred against the backdrop of the massive movement of personnel and equipment from Iraq.[citation needed]
Since that time, the command has continued to rapidly respond to crises across the globe whether delivering relief supplies to Americans stricken by
Lineage
- Established as Eighteenth Air Force (Troop Carrier) on 7 March 1951.
- Organized on 28 March 1951.
- Redesignated Eighteenth Air Force on 26 June 1951.
- Inactivated on 1 January 1958.
- Activated on 1 October 2003.
- Reorganized on 6 January 2011.
Assignments
- Tactical Air Command, 28 March 1951 – 1 January 1958.
- Air Mobility Command, 1 October 2003 – Present
Components
Divisions
- 42d Air Division: 1 October 1957 – 1 January 1958
- Bergstrom AFB, Texas
- 831st Air Division: 8 October 1957 – 1 January 1958
- George AFB, California
- 832d Air Division: 8 October 1957 – 1 January 1958
- Cannon AFB, New Mexico
- 834th Airlift Division: 1 October 1957 – 1 January 1958
- England AFB, Louisiana
Wings
|
|
Groups
- 309th Troop Carrier Group: 8 July 1955 – 2 June 1956 (detached 8 July 1955 – May 1956)
- Assigned to: Ardmore AFB, Oklahoma (USAFR), C-122, C-123
Stations
- Greenville AFB (later, Donaldson AFB), South Carolina, 28 March 1951
- James Connally AFB, Texas, 1 September 1957 – 1 January 1958
- Scott AFB, Illinois, 1 October 2003 – present.
Aircraft Assigned
|
|
List of commanders
No. | Commander | Term | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | |
1 | Lieutenant General William Welser III | 1 October 2003 | 29 November 2005 | 2 years, 59 days | |
2 | Major General James A. Hawkins | 29 November 2005 | 24 June 2008 | 2 years, 208 days | |
3 | Major General Winfield W. Scott III | 24 June 2008 | 19 August 2009 | 1 year, 56 days | |
4 | Lieutenant General Robert R. Allardice | 19 August 2009 | September 2011 | ~2 years, 13 days | |
5 | Lieutenant General Mark F. Ramsay | September 2011 | August 2012 | ~335 days | |
6 | Lieutenant General Darren W. McDew | August 2012 | April 2014 | ~1 year, 243 days | |
7 | Lieutenant General Carlton D. Everhart II | June 2014 | August 2015 | ~1 year, 61 days | |
8 | Major General Thomas Sharpy | August 2015 | October 2015 | ~61 days | |
9 | Lieutenant General Samuel D. Cox | October 2015 | 1 June 2017 | ~1 year, 243 days | |
10 | Lieutenant General Giovanni K. Tuck | 1 June 2017 | 31 July 2018 | 1 year, 60 days | |
11 | Major General Sam C. Barrett | 31 July 2018 | 18 August 2020 | 2 years, 18 days | |
12 | Major General Kenneth Bibb | 18 August 2020 | 19 August 2022 | 2 years, 1 day | |
13 | Major General Corey Martin | 19 August 2022 | Incumbent | 1 year, 243 days |
References
- ^ a b "Eighteenth Air Force (Air Forces Transportation) (". af.mil. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017.
- ^ "Units". www.18af.amc.af.mil. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Factsheets : Eighteenth Air Force (Air Forces Transportation) (". 2 April 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
- ^ "C-5M Super Galaxy". af.mil. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014.
- ^ "KC-10 Extender". af.mil. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014.
- ^ "C-17 Globemaster III". af.mil. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014.
- ^ "C-130 Hercules". af.mil. Archived from the original on 14 September 2014.
- ^ "KC-135 Stratotanker". af.mil. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014.
- ^ "VC-25 - Air Force One". af.mil. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014.
- ^ "C-21". af.mil. Archived from the original on 24 August 2014.
- ^ "C-20". af.mil. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014.
- ^ "Official 618th AOC (TACC) factsheet". Archived from the original on 25 March 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
- ^ Brockhoff, Justin. "618th Tanker Airlift Control Center enables Air Mobility Command's global reach." Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine Air Mobility Command. 4 March 2009. Accessed 28 January 2011.
- ^ Brockhoff, Justin. "618th Tanker Airlift Control Center redesignated as 618th Air Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center)." Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine 618th AOC (TACC) home page. 30 August 2010. Accessed 28 January 2011.
- ^ "618th AOC undergoes extensive organizational transformation". U.S. Air Force.
- ^ "MAJOR GENERAL PAUL W. "BILL" ESSEX > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display". www.af.mil. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014.
- ^ "LIEUTENANT GENERAL WILLIAM WELSER III > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display". www.af.mil. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014.
- ^ "MAJOR GENERAL JAMES A. HAWKINS > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display". www.af.mil. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014.
- ^ "MAJOR GENERAL WINFIELD W. SCOTT III > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display". www.af.mil. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014.
- ^ "LIEUTENANT GENERAL ROBERT R. ALLARDICE > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display". www.af.mil. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014.
- ^ "LIEUTENANT GENERAL MARK F. RAMSAY > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display". www.af.mil. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.