Twenty-Second Air Force

Twenty-Second Air Force

A member of the 94th Airlift Control Flight marshals Lockheed C-130H-LM Hercules 81-0629 after a training mission at Dobbins Air Reserve Base
Active 28 December 1941 – present
Country  United States
Branch   United States Air Force
Type Numbered Air Force
Role Provide combat-ready reserve air forces[1]
Part of   Air Force Reserve Command
Garrison/HQ Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia
Engagements

  • World War II - American Theater
Decorations

  • Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (7x)
Commanders
Current
commander		 Major General John P. Stokes
Insignia
Emblem of Twenty-Second Air Force

Twenty-Second Air Force (22 AF) is a Numbered Air Force component of Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It was activated on 1 July 1993 and is headquartered at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia.

In the event of mobilization, some of the Twenty-Second Air Force subordinate units would come under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command's (AMC) 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, headquartered at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey.

Mission

22 AF is responsible for recruiting and training reservists and for maintaining subordinate units at the highest level of combat readiness. A by-product of training is to coordinate daily support of the active duty air force.

22 AF's wartime mission is to provide combat-ready airlift and support units and augments personnel requirements to Air Mobility Command in the United States.

Twenty-Second Air Force manages more than 25,000 Reservists and has 149 unit-equipped aircraft. Reserve crews in 22 AF fly the C-130 Hercules, including the WC-130 "Hurricane Hunter" aircraft, which are located at nine different Air Force Reserve wings. The wings, flying squadrons and support units are spread throughout nine states – from New York to Mississippi, Ohio and Minnesota, with its westernmost wing in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Units

History

Established as the Domestic Division, Air Corps Ferrying Command in the early days of World War II, the organization's mission was the transport of newly produced aircraft from points within the United States to Ports of Embarkation for shipment to Britain and other overseas Allies. In 1946, the organization was transferred to Air Transport Command and became, in essence, a military airline its Continental Division, managing transport routes within the United States.

When the USAF was created as a separate service in 1947, Military Air Transport Service was established to support the new Department of Defense, with responsibility for its support falling to the Department of the Air Force. Redesignated Western Transport Air Force (WESTAF), the organization managed all MATS operations from the Mississippi River west to the east coast of Africa until MATS was replaced by the Military Airlift Command in 1966. When MATS became MAC, WESTAF was redesignated 22d AF, with headquarters at Travis AFB, CA.

During the 1960s, Twenty-Second Air Force transports flew missions worldwide, supporting the efforts of the United States in Southeast Asia, Europe and other places around the world. In December 1974, the Twenty-Second Air Force absorbed Tactical Air Command's Twelfth Air Force C-130 Hercules tactical airlift operations.

On 29 March 1979, the Twenty-Second Air Force assumed responsibility for managing Military Airlift Command resources in the Pacific. For this mission, the unit provided a single commander for MAC airlift units in the Pacific theater; command and control of theater-assigned airlift forces for Pacific Air Forces; theater tactical airlift war planning and Pacific exercise planning; and aerial ports in the Pacific area to support the air movement of personnel, cargo, equipment, patients, and mail. The division participated in tactical exercises such as Team Spirit, Ulchi Focus Lens, and Capstan Dragon.

The unit was relieved from assignment to Military Airlift Command and assigned to Air Mobility Command on 1 June 1992. Activated the same day at Dobbins ARB, GA, with a change in assignment to the Air Force Reserve. It is under the peacetime command of Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base, GA.

Lineage

Route map of the Western Transport Air Force, 1964
Redesignated: Domestic Wing, ACFC, on 26 February 1942
Redesignated: Ferrying Division, ATC, 20 June 1942
Redesignated: Continental Division, ATC, 28 February 1946
Discontinued on 31 October 1946
Redesignated: Western Transport Air Force, 1 July 1958
Redesignated: Twenty-Second Air Force, 8 January 1966
Inactivated 1 July 1993
Activated 1 July 1993

Assignments

Components

World War II

Sectors

Wings

Groups/Base Units

United States Air Force

Divisions

Wings

Groups

Squadrons

Stations

References

  1. ↑ http://www.22af.afrc.af.mil/About-Us/

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

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