Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders   U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa RotatorRotator graphic that was created to display the name and logo of U.S. Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa.(U.S. Air Force design by Defense Media Activity)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        USAFEAFFRICAJuly2015USAFEAFFRICAJuly2015
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
 U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces AfricaUSAFEAFFRICAJuly2015

    










**Mission**As the air component for both USEUCOM and USAFRICOM, USAFE-AFAFRICA executes the Air Force, USEUCOM and USAFRICOM missions with forward-based airpower and infrastructure to conduct and enable theater and global operations. USAFE-AFAFRICA directs air operations in a theater spanning three continents, covering more than 15 million square miles, containing 104 independent states, and possessing more than one-fifth of the world's population and more than a quarter of the world's gross domestic product. During most of the Cold War, USAFE-AFAFRICA was a fight-in-place force postured for a large-scale conflict. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, it has transitioned to an Air Expeditionary Force with a mobile and deployable mix of people and resources that can simultaneously operate in multiple locations. Its role includes war-fighting as well as humanitarian and peacekeeping operations, and other non-traditional contingencies throughout its area of responsibility. In peacetime, USAFE-AFAFRICA trains and equips Air Force units pledged to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and to the peace and stability of African states. In fulfilling its NATO responsibilities, USAFE-AFAFRICA maintains combat-ready wings based from the United Kingdom to Turkey. USAFE-AFAFRICA plans, conducts, controls, coordinates and supports air and space operations in Europe and Africa to achieve U.S. national and NATO objectives based on taskings by the USEUCOM and USAFRICOM commanders.USAFE-AFAFRICA assets stand ready to perform close air support, air interdiction, air defense, in-flight refueling, long-range transport and support of maritime operations. It maintains a formidable force despite a rapid drawdown that saw its main operating bases cut by 67 percent following the end of the Cold War. USAFE-AFAFRICA remains a highly responsive and capable combat force, as witnessed in the command's support of contingency and humanitarian operations throughout Europe and Africa.**Personnel and Resources**More than 35,000 active-duty, Reserve, Air National Guard and civilian employees are assigned to USAFE-AFAFRICA. Equipment assets include about 217 fighter, attack, rotary wing, tanker, and transport aircraft, and a full complement of conventional weapons. **Organization** USAFE-AFAFRICA consists of one Numbered Air Force, seven main operating bases and 114 geographically separated locations.  Third Air Force supports USEUCOM and USAFRICOM as the Component Numbered Air Force responsible for maintaining continuous theater-wide situational awareness and providing the commander of Air Force forces here the capability to command and control assigned and attached Airmen. The USAFE-AFAFRICA main operating bases are: RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom; Ramstein and Spangdahlem Air Bases in Germany; Aviano Air Base, Italy; Lajes Field in the Azores; and Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. These bases report to Third Air Force for day-to-day and contingency operations.**History**USAFE-AFAFRICA originated as the 8th Air Force in 1942 during its bombardment missions in World War II. The command was officially given the name "U.S. Air Forces in Europe" in August 1945. During the Berlin Airlift from 1948-1949, USAFE was responsible for transporting more than 1.6 million tons of food, fuel and medical supplies to Berlin and continued to play a strategic role in deterring Soviet aggression until its break-up in 1991.Since the early 1990s, USAFE has played integral roles in multiple military combat operations, including operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Allied Force, Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Odyssey Dawn. In addition to combat operations, USAFE has greatly contributed to several humanitarian operations, including Operations Provide Comfort and Northern Watch, and Operations Provide Promise and Joint Task Force Shining Hope. USAFE also provided humanitarian assistance to Georgia during its conflict with Russia in August 2008.USAFE became USAFE-AFAFRICA on April 20, 2012, when 17th Air Force, which previously served as the air component for AFRICOM, officially stood down and transferred its mission responsibility to USAFE.With the command now entering its eighth decade of active service, USAFE-AFAFRICA continues to provide combat ready forces, maintain vital access to three continents, and give support to friends and allies while building their operational capacity.**Point of Contact**U. S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa Public Affairs Office; Unit 3050, Box 120; APO AE 09094-0120; DSN 314-480-6558 or commercial (011) 49-6371-47-6558.
   MORE FACT SHEETS
        Aircraft
        AC-130J Ghostrider
                    
                    AC-130J Ghostrider
                
                AC-130W Stinger II
                    
                    AC-130W Stinger II
                
                C-32
                    
                    C-32
                
                CV22
                    
                    CV-22 Osprey
                
                C-40C
                    
                    C-40B/C
                
                A U.S. Air Force C-37 taxis after landing
                    
                    C-37A/B
                
                C-130 Hercules
                    
                    C-130 Hercules
        RSS
    
    Major Commands
        Air Force Special Operations Command Rotator
                    
                    Air Force Special Operations Command
                
                Air Force Global Strike Command Rotator
                    
                    Air Force Global Strike Command
                
                Air Combat Command Rotator
                    
                    Air Combat Command
                
                Air Force Materiel Command Rotator
                    
                    Air Force Materiel Command
                
                Air Education and Training Command Rotator
                    
                    Air Education and Training Command
                
                Air Mobility Command Rotator
                    
                    Air Mobility Command
        RSS
    
    Weapons
        The Air Force Distributed Common Ground System (AF DCGS), also referred to as the AN/GSQ-272 SENTINEL weapon system, is the Air Force’s primary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) collection, processing, exploitation, analysis and dissemination (CPAD) system. 
(U.S. Air Force photo)
                    
                    Air Force Distributed Common Ground System
                
                LGM-30G Minuteman III
                    
                    LGM-30G Minuteman III
                
                Sniper Pod
                    
                    Sniper Pod
                
                LITENING ADVANCE TARGETING
                    
                    LITENING ADVANCE TARGETING
                
                Guardian Angel
                
                Massive Ordnance Penetrator
                
                The AN/ASQ-236 Radar Pod contains synthetic aperture radar that provides detailed maps for surveillance, coordinate generation and bomb impact assessment purposes.  It will be operational on the F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo)
                    
                    AN/ASQ-236 Radar Pod
        RSS  Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil