Fifth Air Force | |
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Shield of the Fifth Air Force
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Active | 5 February 1942 - present (as 5th Air Force) 5 February 1942 - 18 September 1942 (as 5 Air Force) 28 October 1941 - 5 February 1942 (Far Eastern Air Force) 16 August 1941 - 28 October 1941 (as Philippine Department Air Force) (76 years, 4 months) |
Country | United States of America |
Branch |
United States Air Force (18 September 1947 – present) United States Army (Army Air Forces, 16 August 1941 – 18 September 1947) |
Type | Numbered Air Force |
Role | Provide combat-ready air forces for U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Japan, along with serving as the air component for U.S. Forces Japan |
Part of |
Pacific Air Forces U.S. Pacific Command U.S. Forces Japan |
Headquarters | Yokota Air Base, Japan |
Engagements |
See list
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Decorations |
See list
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Commanders | |
Current commander |
Lieutenant General Jerry P. Martinez |
Notable commanders |
George Kenney Earle E. Partridge Richard Myers |
The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organization has provided 70 years of continuous air power to the Pacific since its establishment in September 1941.
Fifth Air Force is the Headquarters Pacific Air Forces forward element in Japan, and maximizes partnership capabilities and promotes bilateral defense cooperation. In addition, 5 AF is the air component to United States Forces Japan.
Its mission is three-fold. First, it plans, conducts, controls, and coordinates air operations assigned by the PACAF Commander. Fifth Air Force maintains a level of readiness necessary for successful completion of directed military operations. And last, but certainly not least, Fifth Air Force assists in the mutual defense of Japan and enhances regional stability by planning, exercising, and executing joint air operations in partnership with Japan. To achieve this mission, Fifth Air Force maintains its deterrent force posture to protect both U.S. and Japanese interests, and conducts appropriate air operations should deterrence fail.
Fifth Air Force is commanded by Lieutenant General Jerry P. Martinez.
With its origins going back over a century to 1912, the command was officially established on 6 May 1941 as the Philippine Department Air Force at Nichols Field, Luzon, Philippines. Fifth Air Force was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force in the Pacific Theater of World War II, engaging in combat operations primarily in the Southwest Pacific AOR.
During World War II, Fifth Air Force units first engaged the Japanese during the Philippines Campaign, then afterward withdrawing to Australia after the Japanese conquest of the islands. Rearmed, it engaged the Japanese in New Guinea, the Dutch East Indies and then as part of the liberating forces in the Philippines Campaign. In the postwar era, Fifth Air Force was the primary USAF occupation force in Japan. During the Korean War, Fifth Air Force was the primary command and control organization for USAF forces engaged in combat operations over Korea, and during the Cold War was the main USAF defense force in Japan.