TheAir Combat Command (ACC) is one of nineMajor Commands (MAJCOMs) in theUnited States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) atthe Pentagon.[9] It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and it is the direct successor toTactical Air Command. Air Combat Command is headquartered atLangley Air Force Base,Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia, United States.
ACC directly operates 1,110fighter,attack,reconnaissance,combat search and rescue,airborne command and control andelectronic aircraft along withcommand, control, computing, communications and intelligence (C4I) systems, Air Force ground forces, conductsglobal information operations, and controls Air Force Intelligence.[10] As of 6 April 2023 ACC operated 48 fighter squadrons and nine attack squadrons.[11]
Air Combat Command consists of approximately 74,240active duty Airmen and 10,610 Department of the Air Force Civilians. When mobilized, more than 49,000 additional Airmen of theAir Force Reserve and theAir National Guard, along with over 700 additional aircraft, are operationally-gained and assigned to ACC, bringing total aircraft to more than 1,800 and number of Airmen to 123,240.[4]
Air Combat Command's mission is to provide air combat forces to the geographicUnified Combatant Commands. ACC organizes, trains, equips, and maintains combat-ready units for rapid deployment abroad while also ensuringair defense of the United States is strong enough for both peacetime and wartime needs. ACCNumbered Air Forces serve as the air components forUnited States Central Command,United States Southern Command, andUnited States Northern Command. ACC augments the forces of theUnited States European Command,United States Africa Command,United States Pacific Command, andUnited States Strategic Command.
Air Combat Command was created 1 June 1992 after the inactivation of theTactical Air Command (TAC),Strategic Air Command (SAC) andMilitary Airlift Command (MAC). Upon activation, ACC assumed control of all former-TAC fighters, allbombers,reconnaissance platforms, battle management resources, andIntercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Furthermore, ACC had someKC-135 andKC-10aerial refueling tankers andC-130 tactical airlift aircraft in its composite, reconnaissance, and other combat wings. In 1993, control of the ICBM force was transferred to theAir Force Space Command (AFSPC) until transferred again toAir Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) on 1 December 2009.[12]
Following the inactivation of SAC atOffutt AFB, Nebraska, a new unified command, theUnited States Strategic Command, was activated at Offutt, created to manage the combined strategic nuclear forces belonging to both the U.S. Air Force and theU.S. Navy.[12]
Historically, Combat Command was an earlier air unit designation. During 1941 and early 1942, the tactical air units of theWar Department, formerly known as the GHQ Air Force, formed the Air Force Combat Command. The AFCC was dissolved in the reorganization of theUnited States Army, effective 9 March 1942, which created theUnited States Army Air Forces as a major command of the Army, which functioned as ade facto independent service branch of the Armed Forces.[12]
Not long after activation, ACC underwent organizational and mission changes. The first such major change was the transfer of thecombat search and rescue (CSAR) mission fromAir Mobility Command to ACC. With the realigning of search and rescue units, ACC gained additional resources, as well as a new mission. The formal transfer took place on 1 February 1993, when theAir Rescue Service (ARS) was assigned to ACC. On 2 July of the same year, the ARS was disestablished and rescue units became fully integrated in the same manner as other ACC units reporting to numbered air forces. The USAF Combat Rescue School was subsequently assigned to the 57th Wing atNellis AFB, Nevada.[12]
One of the most significant changes for Air Combat Command resulted from an overhaul of flying training responsibilities. Following its activation, ACC was responsible for aircraft-specific aircrew training, including initial weapon system and continuation training. On 1 July 1993, the 58th and 325th Fighter Wings—F-16 and F-15 training units transferred from ACC toAir Education and Training Command (AETC). Concurrently,Luke AFB, Arizona, andTyndall AFB, Florida, for which those respective wings were the host units, also moved from ACC to AETC ownership. However, on 1 October 2012, both Tyndall AFB and the 325th Fighter Wing returned to the control of ACC.[12]
The next major organizational change resulted from a fine-tuning ofaerial refueling andairlift resources. From its activation, Air Combat Command had assumed ownership of someC-130 Hercules theater airlift assets andKC-10 Extender andKC-135 Stratotankers. Just as ownership of overseas C-130 resources had already been transferred toUSAFE andPACAF commanders, it was decided that all C-130s based in the CONUS would be under the control of ACC, while at the same time, almost all KC-135 tankers would be assigned toAir Mobility Command.[12]
There was historical precedent for the reassignment of C-130s to Air Combat Command. During the earliest days ofTactical Air Command (TAC), the command had carried out the "tactical" or combat airborne aspect of airlift operations, leaving the "strategic" or logistical mission toMilitary Air Transport Service, later redesignatedMilitary Airlift Command (the precursor of today'sAir Mobility Command) in 1966. The tactical airlift mission included logistical airlift, airborne operations, aeromedical evacuation, and air support for special operations. This division of the airlift mission continued until 1 December 1974, when TAC transferred its CONUS-based tactical airlift units, including Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard tactical airlift units, toMilitary Airlift Command (MAC). MAC gained the overseas units from theater commands on 31 March 1975.[12]
On 1 October 1993, all Air Mobility Command C-130s with the exception of those permanently underUnited States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) andPacific Air Forces (PACAF) regions were transferred to ACC, while USAFE and PACAF assumed control of the C-130 permanently based in their respective geographic regions. Concurrently, all KC-10 tankers and all KC-135 tankers except those atMountain Home AFB, Idaho, which supported the fighter and bomber aircraft of the composite wing stationed there, transferred to AMC. ACC also retained two KC-135s atOffutt AFB Nebraska andGrand Forks AFB, North Dakota under ACC control until transferring them to AMC on 1 October 1993.McConnell AFB, Kansas;Fairchild AFB, Washington; and their respective air refueling wings were also transferred to AMC in January 1994 and July 1994, respectively.[12]
In 1997, a subsequent USAF reorganization of ACC and AMC resulted in all CONUS-based C-130 theater airlift aircraft being reassigned from ACC back to AMC. This change also shifted operational claimancy for all "slick" theater airlift mission C-130s in theAir Force Reserve and CONUS-basedAir National Guard.USAFE andPACAF C-130 assets remained in those respective MAJCOMs to include PACAF's operational claimancy for Alaska Air National Guard C-130 and HC-130 assets.[13]
In Southwest Asia, Air Combat Command provided active duty and reserve component forces for the follow-on toOperation Desert Storm and the establishment of Operation Southern Watch to deter Iraqi aggression. In October 1994, ACC also demonstrated its ability to react quickly to the buildup of Iraqi troops near the border of Kuwait. In addition, ACC, from its inception, has provided indispensable support to counter-drug operations, includingAirborne Warning and Control System (AWACS),reconnaissance andfighter aircraft, as well asradar and connectivity assets.[12]
Participation in humanitarian operations has also been a recurring theme. Air Combat Command supported the humanitarian efforts of theUnited States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), deploying active duty and air reserve component forces to Provide Promise and Deny Flight in Eastern Europe and Operation Provide Comfort out ofIncirlik AB, Turkey. Provide Promise offered humanitarian relief airlift support to the city ofSarajevo, while Deny Flight enforced the "no-fly" zone against Serb air attacks on Bosnian civilians. Operation Provide Comfort, another humanitarian operation, also provided relief to Kurdish inhabitants of northern Iraq who had undergone fierce repression by the Iraqi government.[12]
In addition, ACC supported United States Atlantic Command's humanitarian relief to Haitian refugees associated with Operation GTMO atGuantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. Similarly, the command supportedOperation Safe Haven and the processing of Cuban refugees during the latter part of the summer of 1994. Across the Atlantic, Air Combat Command units participated in Operation Restore Hope, largely anAir Mobility Command humanitarian operation intended to provide food for Somalia. Also, ACC regular and ACC-gainedAir National Guard C-130 units deployed to Uganda and Kenya to participate in Operation Support Hope. This operation, conducted by theUnited States European Command, comprised part of the United Nations effort to provide humanitarian relief to victims of the civil war in Rwanda.[12]
In keeping with its global responsibilities, ACC initiated a series of "Global Power" missions in 1993. ACC's bomber wings are required to perform out-of-CONUS training flights to demonstrate the capability to perform their "quick reaction" worldwide mission. On one of the global power missions, twoB-1 Lancer aircraft of the 28th Bomb Wing,Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, set a B-1 flying time record on the first leg of their round-the-world flight, 11–13 August 1993. The following year, twoB-52s from the 2d Bomb Wing,Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, circumnavigated the globe in 47.2 hours, the longest jet aircraft flight in history.[12]
Air Combat Command units flew operational missions during the 2002Operation Enduring Freedom - the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, and theIraqi War, especially in the 2003-11 phase when there was a large-scale U.S. presence in the country.
ACC units are actively flying combat missions in theMiddle East, especially as part ofOperation Inherent Resolve.
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As of 2020[update], Air Combat Command consisted of the following units:[9]
In 2009, responsibility for nuclear-capable bombers, specifically theB-2 Spirit and theB-52 Stratofortress, along with their associated units, bases and personnel, were transferred from ACC to the newly establishedAir Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC).
On 1 February 2010, theEighth Air Force transferred to theAir Force Global Strike Command. The7th Bomb Wing atDyess Air Force Base, and the28th Bomb Wing atEllsworth Air Force Base also transferred toAFGSC on 1 October 2015, thus, ending 23 years of operational bomber service in ACC.
In October 2019 units from Twenty-Fourth Air Force and Twenty-Fifth Air Force were merged into the reactivatedSixteenth Air Force. Sixteenth Air Force headquarters is based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.[16]
In August 2020 units from Ninth Air Force and Twelfth Air Force were realigned under the reactivatedFifteenth Air Force. Fifteenth Air Force headquarters is based at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.
In addition, units fromAir Force Reserve Command'sTenth Air Force, and numerous other state and District of ColumbiaAir National Guard units are allocated to Air Combat Command when activated to federal service.
As of 2015[update]:
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source for lineage, assignments, stations, components[20]
| No. | Commander | Term | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | |
| 1 |  | Loh, John M.General John M. Loh (born 1938) | 1 June 1992 | 23 June 1995 | 3 years, 22 days |
| 2 |  | Ralston, JosephGeneral Joseph Ralston (born 1943) | 23 June 1995 | 28 February 1996 | 250 days |
| - |  | Dula, Brett M.Lieutenant General Brett M. Dula Acting | 28 February 1996 | 5 April 1996 | 37 days |
| 3 |  | Hawley, Richard E.General Richard E. Hawley (born 1942) | 5 April 1996 | 11 June 1999 | 3 years, 67 days |
| 4 |  | Eberhart, Ralph E.General Ralph Eberhart (born 1946) | 11 June 1999 | 8 February 2000 | 242 days |
| 5 | .jpg) | Jumper, John P.General John P. Jumper (born 1945) | 8 February 2000 | 25 August 2001 | 1 year, 198 days |
| - |  | Cook, Donald G.Lieutenant General Donald G. Cook (born 1946) Acting | 25 August 2001 | 14 November 2001 | 81 days |
| 6 |  | Hornburg, Hal M.General Hal M. Hornburg (born 1945) | 14 November 2001 | 17 November 2004 | 3 years, 3 days |
| - |  | Wright, Bruce A.Lieutenant General Bruce A. Wright Acting | 17 November 2004 | 3 February 2005 | 78 days |
| - |  | Fraser, William M. IIILieutenant General William M. Fraser III (born 1952) Acting | 3 February 2005 | 27 May 2005 | 113 days |
| 7 | .jpg) | Keys, RonaldGeneral Ronald Keys (born 1945) | 27 May 2005 | 2 October 2007 | 2 years, 128 days |
| 8 |  | Corley, John D. W.General John D. W. Corley (born 1951) | 2 October 2007 | 10 September 2009 | 1 year, 343 days |
| 9 |  | Fraser, William M. IIIGeneral William M. Fraser III (born 1952) | 10 September 2009 | 13 September 2011 | 2 years, 3 days |
| 10 |  | Hostage, Gilmary M. IIIGeneral Gilmary M. Hostage III (born 1955) | 13 September 2011 | 4 November 2014 | 3 years, 52 days |
| 11 |  | Carlisle, Herbert J.General Herbert J. Carlisle (born 1957) | 4 November 2014 | 10 March 2017 | 2 years, 126 days |
| 12 |  | Holmes, James M.General James M. Holmes (born 1957) | 10 March 2017 | 28 August 2020 | 3 years, 171 days |
| 13 |  | Kelly, Mark D.General Mark D. Kelly (born 1962) | 28 August 2020 | 29 February 2024 | 3 years, 185 days |
| 14 | .jpg) | Wilsbach, Kenneth S.General Kenneth S. Wilsbach (bornc. 1963) | 29 February 2024 | 11 August 2025 | 1 year, 164 days |
| 15 |  | Spain, AdrianGeneral Adrian L. Spain (bornc. 1972) | 11 August 2025 | Incumbent | 100 days |
U.S. Armed Forces operations commands
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
