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Wikipedia / Air Mobility Command

The Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri, near Mascoutah, Illinois.

Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992 and was formed from elements of the inactivated Military Airlift Command (MAC) and Strategic Air Command (SAC). AMC melded MAC's worldwide airlift system of primarily C-5 Galaxy, C-141 Starlifter (later replaced by C-17 Globemaster III beginning in 1995), and C-130 Hercules airlift aircraft with SAC's tanker force of KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-10 Extender aerial refueling aircraft, the latter air refueling aircraft having been freed from their strategic nuclear strike commitment to SAC's B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer bomber fleet by the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 2016, the Air Force Historical Research Agency consolidated the histories of AMC and MAC, extending AMC's lineage back to 1941.

Overview

Air Mobility Command's mission is to provide global air mobility. The command also plays a crucial role in providing humanitarian support at home and around the world. AMC Airmen – active duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve, augmented by the civilian airliners and flight crews of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) – provide airlift and aerial refueling for all of the United States armed forces. Many special duty and operational support aircraft (OSA) and stateside aeromedical evacuation missions are also assigned to AMC.

U.S. forces must provide a rapid, tailored response that can intervene against a well-equipped foe, hit hard, and terminate quickly. Rapid global mobility lies at the heart of U.S. strategy in this environment. Without the capability to project forces, there is no conventional deterrent. As the number of U.S. forces stationed overseas continues to decline, global interests remain, making the capabilities AMC can provide even more in demand.

Air Mobility Command also has the mission of establishing bare air bases in contingencies. To accomplish this mission, AMC established two Contingency Response Wings, and operates the Eagle Flag exercise.

In addition to its status as a MAJCOM of the Air Force, AMC is also the Air Force component command of the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM). It provides airlift, special missions, aerial refueling, and aeromedical evacuation for the United States armed forces. It also provides alert aerial refueling aircraft to the United States Strategic Command, and is a provider of theater airlift, aerial refueling, and aeromedical evacuation forces to the regional Unified Combatant Commands. AMC also operates VIP flights such as Air Force One, Air Force Two, and other Special Assignment Airlift Missions (SAAM). Finally, AMC acts as the single manager, on behalf of United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), for Military Space Available Travel.

Principal aircraft assets of the command include: C-17 Globemaster III, C-5 Galaxy, C-130 Hercules, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-40 Clipper, C-37 Gulfstream V, and the C-21 Learjet. As of 2022, the command continues to integrate the KC-46 Pegasus within air refueling wings and air mobility wings in both the Active Component and the Air Reserve Component (ARC, i.e., the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard). In 2024, AMC retired the final KC-10 Extender from its inventory.

AMC also operates and maintains additional aircraft in support of high-profile VIP airlift include: VC-25, C-32, C-20G, C-20H, C-37 and the C-38, with the majority of that mission conducted by AMC's 89th Airlift Wing.

Additional long-range airlift aircraft are available during national emergencies through the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), a fleet of civilian commercial aircraft committed to support the transportation of military forces and material in times of crisis.

AMC wings and groups

The Air Mobility Command consists of the following active duty units:

Air Operations Centers

Numbered Air Forces

  1. Eighteenth Air Force (18 AF)

  2. Twenty-First Air Force (21 AF)

  3. Air Mobility Wings

  4. 60th Air Mobility Wing (C-5, C-17, KC-46A) at Travis AFB, California

  5. 305th Air Mobility Wing (C-17, KC-46A) at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (McGuire AFB), New Jersey

  6. 375th Air Mobility Wing (C-21, Total Force integration aircrews for the C-40, KC-135) at Scott AFB, Illinois

  7. Airlift Wings

  8. 19th Airlift Wing (C-130J) at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas

  9. 62nd Airlift Wing (C-17) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (McChord AFB), Washington

  10. 89th Airlift Wing (C-20, C-32, C-37, C-40, VC-25) at Joint Base Andrews (Andrews AFB), Maryland

  11. 317th Airlift Wing (C-130J) at Dyess AFB, Texas

  12. 436th Airlift Wing (C-5, C-17) at Dover AFB, Delaware

  13. 437th Airlift Wing (C-17) at Joint Base Lindsey Graham (Charleston AFB), South Carolina

  14. Air Refueling Wings

  15. 6th Air Refueling Wing (KC-135) at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida

  16. 22d Air Refueling Wing (KC-135, KC-46) at McConnell AFB, Kansas

  17. 92d Air Refueling Wing (KC-135) at Fairchild AFB, Washington

  18. Bands

  19. USAF Band of Mid-America

  20. USAF Band of the Golden West

  21. Museums

  22. Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover AFB, Delaware

  23. McChord Museum at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (McChord AFB), Washington

  24. Travis Museum at Travis AFB, California

  25. Direct reporting units

  26. United States Air Force Expeditionary Center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (McGuire AFB), New Jersey

  27. Air Base Wings and Groups

  28. 87th Air Base Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (McGuire AFB), New Jersey

  29. 627th Air Base Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (McChord AFB), Washington

  30. 628th Air Base Wing at Joint Base Lindsey Graham (Charleston AFB), South Carolina*

Air Mobility Operations Wings and Groups and Contingency Response Wings

AFRC and ANG wings and groups operationally-gained by AMC

In addition to the active duty AMC units, numerous Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and Air National Guard (ANG) units equipped with C-5, C-17, C-21, C-38, C-40, C-130, LC-130, WC-130, KC-135 and KC-46 aircraft are "operationally gained" by AMC. These units train and exercise frequently and routinely provide augmentative operational support to AMC's active duty forces. AFRC units, when mobilized to active duty, and ANG units, when mobilized to federal service and active duty, may be deployed overseas as part of AMC in Air Expeditionary Groups and Wings as directed by HQ AMC.

Operations

AMC has undergone considerable change since its establishment.

Focusing on the core mission of strategic air mobility, the command divested itself of infrastructure and forces not directly related to Global Reach. Divestments included the former Air Rescue Service, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC), intratheater aeromedical airlift forces based overseas, and much of the operational support airlift fleet. Most of these activities were transferred to other commands, such as Air Combat Command (ACC). ACC would later inactivate the Air Rescue Service while continuing to maintain the AFRCC under 1st Air Force.

However, all KC-10 Extender and most KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling aircraft initially assigned to Air Combat Command following the disestablishment of Strategic Air Command (SAC) were transferred to AMC, along with Grand Forks AFB, McConnell AFB and Fairchild AFB.

As a result of the global war on terrorism, on 1 October 2003, AMC underwent a major restructuring, bringing a war fighting role to its numbered air force. AMC reactivated Eighteenth Air Force (18 AF) and established it as its main war fighting force. As subordinate components of 18 AF, AMC redesignated its two former numbered air forces as Expeditionary Mobility Task Forces (EMTF). Fifteenth Air Force was redesignated as the Fifteenth Air Force (15 EMTF), headquartered at Travis AFB, and Twenty-First Air Force was redesignated as the Twenty-First Air Force (21 EMTF), headquartered at McGuire AFB.

AMC's ability to provide global reach is tested daily. From providing fuel, supplies and aeromedical support to troops on the frontline of the Global War on Terrorism, to providing humanitarian supplies to hurricane, flood, and earthquake victims both at home and abroad, AMC has been engaged in almost nonstop operations since its inception. Command tankers and airlifters have supported peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq, Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda and Haiti, and continue to play a vital role in the ongoing Global War on Terrorism. The USAF believes that air mobility is a national asset of growing importance for responding to emergencies and protecting national interests around the globe.

AMC coordinates wildlife management on overseas runways between several agencies, including deployments in southwest Asia. Where necessary AMC cooperates outside the DOD such as with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This includes obtaining USDA bird netting solutions to fill the military's need for bird strike defense.

Aircraft

AMC accepted its first C-17 Globemaster III at Charleston AFB, South Carolina, on 14 June 1993, and declared initial operational capability on 17 January 1995. AMC's second C-17 wing was established at McChord AFB, Washington, in July 1999. The versatile C-17, America's core military airlift platform, is a key player in the Air Force's post-Cold War strategy of "global reach, global power."

The C-17 replaced the C-141 Starlifter fleet inherited from Military Airlift Command (MAC). C-141s were retired as C-17s were accepted into the inventory. First seeing operational service in 1965 under the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), the last Starlifters were retired in the early 2000s. By 2004, the C-141 left AMC service with active duty USAF units, being confined to Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units for the remainder of its operational service life. In 2004, 2005, and 2006, the C-141s assigned to the 445 AW participated in missions to Iraq and Afghanistan, mostly for the medical evacuation of wounded service members. The last eight C-141s were officially retired in 2006.

The C-5 Galaxy airlifter, also inherited from MAC, is being modernized and upgraded into the C-5M Super Galaxy model. It is planned to modernize all C-5Bs and C-5Cs and many of the C-5As to the C-5M standard. The first C-5M conversion was completed on 16 May 2006 and performed its first flight on 19 June 2006. AMC received its final C-5M conversation on 1 August 2018. It is estimated that the modifications will extend the service life of the C-5 to about 2040.

AMC fields the C-130J Super Hercules as its tactical airlift platform. Most legacy models of the C-130 Hercules (e.g., C-130E, C-130H, C-130H2) in AFRC and ANG units have been or will eventually be replaced by the C-130J Super Hercules. The C-130 family has the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft in history and has served in every branch of the U.S. armed forces except the U.S. Army and U.S. Space Force. During more than 50 years of service, the C-130 has participated in military, civilian, and humanitarian aid operations. It is likely that future improvements to the C-130 will mean the design will be in service into the foreseeable future.

The upgrades of the inherited Strategic Air Command KC-135 Stratotanker to E, R, RT, and T models have extended their airframe and powerplant lifetimes to 36,000 (E) and 39,000 flying hours (R, RT and T), respectively. The last KC-135E was retired in 2009 and all remaining operational USAF KC-135 aircraft are of the KC-135R, KC-135RT, or KC-135T series. Acquired by SAC in the late 1950s, according to the Air Force, only a few KC-135s would reach these lifetime limits before 2040; but at that time, some of the aircraft would be about 80 years old. The Air Force estimates that their current fleet of KC-135s have between 12,000 and 14,000 flying hours on them, only 33 percent of the lifetime flying hour limit and none will meet the limit until 2040. Therefore, the USAF has decided to replace the KC-135 fleet. However, since there were originally over 500 KC-135s with the since-retired KC-135E included, these aircraft will be replaced gradually, with the first batch of about 100 aircraft to be replaced in the current buy. The effort to replace the KC-135 has been marked by intense controversy. Beginning in 2021, AMC began accepting the new KC-46A Pegasus tanker into its inventory.

The 59 KC-10 Extender tankers, originally acquired in the 1980s by SAC, operated largely in the refueling of large numbers of fighter aircraft on ferry flights, the refueling of heavy bomber or other transport aircraft, or as supplemental airlift aircraft for palletized cargo, augmenting the C-5 and C-17 fleet. AMC retired the KC-10 fleet in 2024. Conversely, the KC-135 fleet has operated largely in the in-theater role. In an attempt to modernize the platform, the USAF has awarded Boeing a US$216 million contract to upgrade its fleet of 59 aircraft with new communication, navigation, and surveillance and air traffic management system to operate into the 2020s.

History

The direct successor to the USAF Military Airlift Command, the emblem of Air Mobility Command retained the historic emblem of not only the Military Airlift Command, but also the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), established in 1948 as the first Department of Defense Unified Command. The heritage of Air Mobility Command also includes the air refueling heritage inherited from the historic Strategic Air Command.

Lineage

  1. Air Transport Command

  2. Constituted as the Air Corps Ferrying Command on 29 May 1941

  3. Redesignated: Army Air Forces Ferry Command on 9 March 1942

  4. Redesignated: Army Air Forces Ferrying Command on 31 March 1942

  5. Redesignated: Air Transport Command on 1 July 1942

  6. Inactivated, on 1 June 1948

  7. Military Airlift Command

  8. Established as Military Air Transport Service on 1 June 1948 and activated

  9. Redesignated Military Airlift Command on 1 January 1966

  10. Designated a specified command on 1 February 1977

  11. Consolidated with Military Air Transport Service on 13 May 1982

  12. Lost specified command status on 1 October 1988

  13. Inactivated on 1 June 1992

  14. Air Mobility Command

  15. Established as Air Mobility Command and activated on 1 June 1992

  16. Consolidated with Military Airlift Command on 1 October 2016

Assignments

  • General Headquarters, Air Force (later, Air Force Combat Command; Army Air Forces; United States Air Force), 29 Mar 1941 – present

Stations

Major components

Air Forces

Wings and Divisions

  • Foreign Wing: 21 Feb 1942 – 25 Jun 1942

  • Air Transportation Division, 1 Jun 1942 - 15 Mar 1943

  • Domestic Transportation Division, 15 Mar 1943 - 27 Nov 1944

  • Alaskan Wing (later, Alaskan Division), 1 Oct 1942 - 1 Apr 1946

  • Caribbean Wing (later, Caribbean Division), 19 Jun 1942 - 20 Sep 1945

  • Central African Wing (later, Central African Division), 15 Dec 1943 - 18 Jul 1945

  • European Wing (later, European Division), c. 14 Jan 1943 - 30 Jun 1947

  • India-China Division, 1 Dec 1942 – 15 Feb 1946

  • North African Wing (later, North African; Atlantic) Division, 15 Dec 1943 – 1 Jun 1948

  • Pacific Wing, Air Transport Command (later Pacific Division, Air Transport Command), 5 Jan 1943 - 1 Jun 1948

  • Pacific Division, Military Air Transport Service, 1 Jun 1948 - 1 Jul 1958

  • South Atlantic Wing (later, South Atlantic Division), 26 Jun 1942 - 20 Sep 1945

Direct Reporting Units

  • 618th Air Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center) (Previously Air Mobility Command Tanker Airlift Control Center; 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center; 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center), 1 June 1992 – 1 October 2003, 6 January 2019 – Present

  • Military Airlift Command Airlift Operations School (later, USAF Air Mobility School; Air Mobility Warfare Center; USAF Air Mobility School (later, Air Mobility Warfare Center, USAF Expeditionary Center)), 15 Jul 1978 – present

  • Air Transport Command Replacement Center, 14 Nov 1942-31 Mar 1944

  • Military Airlift Command Airlift Operations School (later, USAF Air Mobility School; Air Mobility Warfare Center; USAF Expeditionary Center), 15 Jul 1978-.

  • USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Service (later, USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center), 11 May 1952-1 Jul 1960

  • United States Air Force Airlift (later, USAF Mobility Center), 1 Dec 1975-1 Jan 1995

Services

  • Aeronautical Chart, 13 Mar 1946-21 May 1947

  • Aerospace Cartographic and Geodetic, 8 Oct 1968-30 Jun 1972

  • Air Communications (later, Airways and Air Communications), 13 Mar 1946-1 Jul 1961

  • Air Photographic and Charting (later, Aerospace Audio-Visual; Aerospace Audiovisual; Air Combat Camera), 16 Apr 1952-1 Oct 1994

  • Air Rescue (later, Aerospace Rescue and Recovery; Air Rescue), 13 Mar 1946-1 Mar 1983; 1 Aug 1989-1 Feb 1993

  • Air Resupply and Communications, 23 Feb 1951-1 Jan 1954

  • Air Transport, 8 Oct 1947-1 Jun 1948

  • Air Weather, 13 Mar 1946-1 Apr 1991

  • Armed Forces Courier (later, Defense Courier), 1 Oct 1987-1 Jan 1995; 1 Oct 1998-1 Oct 2004

  • Flight, 13 Mar 1946-1 Oct 1956

  • Flying Safety, 13 Mar-15 Nov 1946

List of Commanders, Air Mobility Command

See also

References