Eighteenth Air Force | |
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C-17 Globemaster IIIs of the 18th Air Force at McChord AFB, Washington
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Active | 28 March 1951 – 1 January 1958 1 October 2003 – present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Air Force |
Part of | Air Mobility Command |
Garrison/HQ | Scott Air Force Base, Illinois |
Decorations | |
Commanders | |
Current commander |
Lt Gen Samuel D. Cox [1] |
Notable commanders |
Col. Earl Young [2] |
Insignia | |
Emblem of the Eighteenth Air Force |
Eighteenth Air Force (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 and is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.
As AMC’s sole NAF (and the Air Force’s largest NAF), 18 AF is responsible for the command's worldwide operational mission of providing rapid, global mobility and sustainment for America's armed forces through airlift, aerial refueling, aeromedical evacuation, and a global air mobility support system. 18 AF presents air mobility forces to combatant commanders through its role as Air Forces Transportation (AFTRANS), the air component of United States Transportation Command. The 18 AF commander also acts as the Commander, Air Force Forces (COMAFFOR), and Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC), when so designated.
The command's mobility aircraft include the C-5 Galaxy [3], KC-10 Extender [4], C-17 Globemaster III [5], C-130 Hercules [6], and KC-135 Stratotanker [7]. Operational support aircraft are the VC-25 (Air Force One) [8], C-21 [9], C-20B (Gulfstream III) [10], C-32A (Boeing 757) [11], C-37A (Gulfstream V) [12], C-37B (Gulfstream 550) and C-40B (Boeing 737) [13].