Major Commands of the United States Air Force

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A Major Command ( MAJCOM ; German Hauptkommando ) is an organizational unit of the US Air Force (USAF). The ten major commands each take on clearly defined tasks and complement each other. Eight of them have functional tasks, the other two regional ones. Seven of the functional major commands in the chain of command report directly to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force ( CSAF ) and his staff, the Air Staff . The eighth, the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and the two regional component commands United States Air Forces in Europe and Pacific Air Forces are only subordinate to the CSAF administratively, but operationally to the respective commanders of the Unified Combatant Command to which they belong (or At the AFSOC depending on whether and to which regional UCC it is sent by the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM)).

history

The first major commands arose during the Second World War , still as part of the new US Army Air Forces , which broke away from the US Army by 1947 and developed into an independent military service .

The Panama Canal Air Force in November 1940 and the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics in October 1942 were among the first organizations to receive major command status. When the US Air Force was founded in September 1947, it had 14 Major Commands , of which only one exists nowadays under the same name: the US Air Forces in Europe . Apart from the commands active today, a total of 18 organizations and institutions of the US Air Force had at least temporarily the status of major commands .

Historical commands

Major Command (last name) active from to (sometimes with interruptions)
Aerospace Defense Command March 27, 1946 to March 31, 1980
Air Force Communications Command July 1, 1961 to July 1, 1991
Air Force Cyber ​​Command 2007 to 2008, only provisional
Air Force Intelligence Command October 26, 1948 to October 1, 1993
Air Force Logistics Command July 17, 1944 to July 1, 1992
Air Force Systems Command February 1, 1950 to July 1, 1992
Air Proving Ground Command October 27, 1942 to December 1, 1957
Air University November 29, 1945 to May 15, 1978
Alaskan Air Command December 18, 1945 to August 9, 1990
Continental Air Command December 1, 1948 to August 1, 1968
Headquarters Command, USAF December 15, 1946 to July 1, 1976
Military Airlift Command June 1, 1948 to June 1, 1992
Northeast Air Command October 1, 1950 to April 1, 1957
Pacific Air Command December 15, 1947 to June 1, 1949
Special Weapons Command December 1, 1949 to April 1, 1952
Strategic Air Command December 15, 1944 to June 1, 1992
Tactical Air Command March 21, 1946 to June 1, 1992
United States Air Forces Southern Command November 20, 1940 to January 1, 1976
3d Air Division January 3, 1949 to January 21, 1951

Mission and organization

A major command is led by a commander , usually an officer of the rank of general , and has a headquarters and staff . The Major Commands are divided into Numbered Air Forces , which in turn are made up of squadrons , the wings . Organizational units and departments that do not fit into this command structure because of their tasks or composition are referred to as Direct Reporting Units (DRU; directly subordinate units) or Field Operating Agency (FOA) and are also directly subordinate to the headquarters of the US Air Force.

The major commands are also integrated into the various higher-level functional and regional commands of the US armed forces and NATO .

Current commands

Major Command active since function
Air Combat Command (ACC) June 1, 1992 Attack, bombing , reconnaissance , surveillance
Air Education and Training Command (AETC) July 1, 1993 Education, training
Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) August 7, 2009 ICBMs
Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) July 1, 1992 Research, development, testing
Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) February 17, 1997 Air Force Reserve
Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) September 1, 1982 Satellites and cyber warfare
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) May 22, 1990 Special missions
Air Mobility Command (AMC) June 1, 1992 Strategic air transport, air refueling
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) July 1, 1957 Representation of the USAF in the Pacific region
United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) August 7, 1945 Representation of the USAF in Europe

References

Web links

literature

  • Charles A. Ravenstein: The Organization and Lineage of the United States Air Force. United States Air Force - Office of Air Force History, Washington DC 1986, ISBN 0-912799-17-X .
  • United States Air Force (Ed.): Air Force Organization. Air Force Instruction 38-101, July 20, 2006. PDF, 3.4 MB