United States Air Force air fleets
The Numbered Air Forces ( NAF ; German " numbered air fleets ") are major units of the US Air Force . An air fleet can consist of several squadrons or separate groups . As the largest tactical unit of the air force, it is the equivalent of the Army of the Army and is usually led by a major general . Seventeen US air fleets are currently in service.
history
Beginnings and different names
The first air fleet, at that time still within the US Army, was the General Headquarters Air Force (Eng. "Air fleet of the General Headquarters "). The 2nd, 3rd and 4th Air Fleet also initially had so-called establishment names ( named establishments ), like the first with a regional reference. Only for a short time, at the beginning of the Second World War , they were numbered in Arabic ( 1st Air Force ). In early 1942 they were then numbered and written out in their names ( First Air Force ).
Since the end of the Second World War, two designation systems were in use in parallel. Once the written number designation and the air fleets by name, such as the Air Education and Training Command (German "Luftwaffe Training and Exercise Command ") and the Military Airlift Command (German "Military Air Transport Command "), which was dissolved in 1992. The Air Defense Command was subordinate to several air fleets, which led regional names, such as Central , Eastern and Western Air Defense Forces (German "Middle, Eastern and Western Air Defense Forces "). Nonetheless, the named air fleets fulfilled both tactical and logistical functions, while the numbered air fleets had exclusively tactical tasks.
Historically, an air fleet was located in the unit structure below a Major Command (MAJCOM) (Eng. "Hauptkommando"). In the meantime, however, their traditional role has changed. Some were replaced by new main commands and vice versa. In addition, some air fleets were given a multiple role as a main command, as a component command of a regional or functional command or a subunified command and a combined command.
Reorganization in the 1990s
After the reorganization of the Air Force in the early 1990s, it was determined that the air fleets should again primarily serve as large tactical units with the task of commanding and monitoring subordinate combat units. In this function, the previously performed tasks of the headquarters operation and administration and the higher-level personnel administration should take a back seat. Instead, the air fleets should only serve as an "on-site command center" that reports directly to the higher-level main command in the event of crisis and combat missions. The reorganization was intended to eliminate the previous parallel work in administrative “day-to-day business” by outsourcing these areas from the air fleets and assigning them to the corresponding departments of the higher-level main commandos. This led to the fact that the individual air base administrations on these levels were now also managed directly by the main commands. The air fleet staff was reduced to an average of 100 personnel, which was sufficient for the management of the subordinate squadrons and groups, as they were now freed from these routine tasks and could concentrate fully on their new, purely tactical crisis and combat mission.
After the Tactical Air Command tested the new structure and released it on October 29, 1991, it was officially introduced on December 1 of the same year.
Although the tactical supreme command remained with the main commands, there were exceptions when the air fleets served in a double function, namely both as a component command of a regional or functional command, and as a tactical task force of the same. This means that a separate command staff was set up for the function of the component command , which stood separately from that of the air fleet, but was superior to it. In practice, this meant that the commander of the air fleet was also that of the actually higher-level component command in personal union. A current example of this organizational practice is the Ninth Air Force , which forms both the US Air Forces Central (USAFCENT), the component command of the air forces within the US Central Command (CENTCOM), and the task forces subordinate to it. In cases of this dual function, the air fleet is not led, as usual, by a major general, but by a lieutenant general , since it is possible that other air fleets are temporarily subordinated to the component command concerned and the area of responsibility of the component command goes beyond that of an air fleet.
After the air fleets had been restructured accordingly, they now had so-called Air Control Operations Centers (ACOC ), later renamed the Air Operations Group (AOG) . ), in which all necessary units that were necessary for tactical air operations , such as flight operations officers , intelligence officers and operational planners, etc., were summarized.
Reorganization 2004/2005
In 2004 and 2005, the role of the air fleet was redefined again. The role as a tactical troop formation was supplemented by the establishment of the air fleets as so-called Warfighting Headquarters (WFHQ) (de. "Headquarters for the war effort") and the former command responsibility for the emergency services was transferred to the respective higher-level main and component commands. This new function as Air Force Component Numbered Air Force (C-NAF) Headquarters was now part of the new doctrine that all component commands are a standing joint, according to the instructions of the Chairman of the United Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) Force Headquarters (SJFHQ) (dt. "Permanent composite armed forces command ") should set up. As a result, many air fleets were either disbanded or only corresponded to the name of such a large association.
Today the air fleets continue to serve formally as a tactical unit, but in practice they are more of a provisional air force headquarters for all eventualities. In this function, they are responsible for the provision and installation of management and control elements in the operational area, such as the so-called Air Operations Centers . At the same time, functions of the operations directorates of the main commands went to the air fleets in order to streamline the channels of command.
Resolutions and realignments and Expeditionary Mobility Task Forces (EMTFs)
The Fifteenth Air Force and Twenty-First Air Force have meanwhile been rededicated to Expeditionary Mobility Task Forces (EMTFs) (German: "Mobile Expeditionary Task Forces "). The Sixteenth Air Force was initially dissolved on December 1, 2006, but then also restructured into an Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, but is to be dissolved again in 2008.
At the same time, the Eighteenth Air Force was reorganized and placed under the Air Mobility Command . The new Expeditionary Mobility Task Forces (EMTFs) are regularly commanded by a Brigadier General and are responsible for air support in a specific region. In addition, their commanders take on the role of Director of Mobility Forces (DIRMOBFOR ) within the Air Force Warfighting Headquarters of the EMTF.
Previous changes included the reactivation of the Nineteenth Air Force in 1993 , the reassignment of the Twenty-Third Air Force to the new main command Air Force Special Operations Command , the reflagging of the Alaskan Air Command to the Eleventh Air Force in 1990 and the 1946 rededication of the Sixth Air Force to the US Air Forces Southern Command , the component command of the air forces of the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
Since the introduction of the Warfighting Headquarters concept in 2004/2005, the future of the numbered air fleets has been uncertain. For example, when the Air Force Space Command was subordinated to the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM), the parallel existence of the Fourteenth Air Force with space orientation and the Twentieth Air Force with strategic orientation within the same command made little sense.
This will be further complicated if the Air Force leadership should continue to insist on maintaining the concept of the Warfighting Headquarters, which should then support STRATCOM.
The same applies to the US Pacific Air Forces , the component command of the air forces of the US Pacific Command (PACOM), whose core is the Thirteenth Air Force , which provides the Kenney Warfighting Headquarters (WFHQ). The Fifth Air Force and Eleventh Air Force, which are also subordinate to the PACOM, are virtually without a core mandate while maintaining this new concept.
The US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) component command of the US European Command (EUCOM) with no real tactical air fleet and the remaining Warfighting Headquarters (WFHQ) of the Third Air Force , which is only present in name, seems to be the model of the major commands of the future be.
The numbered air fleets were also often called Air Divisions, after the original organizational unit of this name was abolished in 1991. These also included several squadrons and independent groups.
assignment
An air fleet is the largest tactical unit in the US Air Force. As a major association at division level, it leads emergency services into combat as a group.
At the same time, in addition to their actual function, some air fleets also form component commands of the air forces within superordinate group commands of a regional or functional type. In this function, they form the command elements of all air components within these group commands, thus also in this capacity function as command staff for any other air fleets that are temporarily subordinate to these group commands.
The third main function and future main direction is the provision of so-called Air Force Component Numbered Air Force (C-NAF) Headquarters (German "Numbered Air Fleet Headquarters"), of Standing Joint Force Headquarters (SJFHQ) (German "Ständiges Verbundstreitkräftekommando") and Air Operations Centers , as well as Warfighting Headquarters , ie of management bodies for all eventualities in the service of the higher-level main or component command.
organization
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literature
- Charles A. Ravenstein: The Organization and Lineage of the United States Air Force . Ed .: United States Air Force - Office of Air Force History. Washington DC 1986, ISBN 0-912799-17-X (English).
- Air Force Organization . In: United States Air Force (ed.): Air Force Instruction . tape 38-101 , July 20, 2006 ( archive.org [PDF; 898 kB ]).
Web links
- Numbered Air Forces at globalsecurity.org (English)
- Structure of the Air Force at globalsecurity.org (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ […] began their existence as named establishments […] at globalsecurity.org (accessed June 26, 2008)
- ↑ […] Although named air forces have been used both tactically and in support roles, numbered air forces are generally found only in a tactical role […] at globalsecurity.org (accessed on June 26, 2008)
- ↑ […] Most base-level activities no longer deal with the numbered air force for routine, day-to-day issues […] at globalsecurity.org (accessed June 26, 2008)
- ↑ […] In the restructured numbered air forces the management function disappeared, leaving only the combat operations activity […] at globalsecurity.org (accessed on June 26, 2008)
- ↑ […] On 29 October 1991 TAC said that its objective wing restructure test had gone so well that it was ending it early and implementing the new organization on 01 December 1991 […] at globalsecurity.org (accessed on June 26, 2008)
- ↑ […] In early December 1991 TAC briefed NAFs on its plan to combine elements of the NAF, NAFCOS, air control wing, tactical intelligence squadron, and TACC elements to form an Air Control Operations Center (ACOC), later called an Air Operations Group (AOG) […] at globalsecurity.org (accessed June 26, 2008)
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