Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force ( Air Forces Southern ) ( 12AF – AFSOUTH ) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . It is headquartered at Davis - Monthan Air Force Base , Arizona . The command serves as a primary conventional fighter and bomber warfighting headquarters trained and ready for worldwide employment of airpower . It is responsible for the combat readiness of 10 active - duty wings and one direct reporting unit . These subordinate commands operate more than 520 combat aircraft with more than 42 , 000 uniformed and civilian Airmen . It takes part in a multitude of operations in the United States Southern Command ( USSOUTHCOM ) area of focus alongside partner nations in Central and South America , ensuring a safe , secure , and stable region . Established on 20 August 1942 at Bolling Field , District of Columbia , 12 AF was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force deployed to the European Theater of World War II . It engaged in operations in North Africa , the Mediterranean , and Western Europe . During the Cold War , 12 AF was one of the Numbered Air Forces of the United States Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE ) and later Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) , Its units engaged in combat operations during the Vietnam War , as well as Operation Desert Storm . As a result of the Global War on Terrorism , most 12 AF units have operated in the United States Central Command AOR . 12 AF serves as the air and space component to U . S . Southern Command . Therefore 12 AF is also dual - roled as the Air Forces Southern . Overview . Twelfth Air Force . Twelfth Air Force serves as a primary conventional fighter and bomber WFHQ trained and ready for worldwide employment of airpower . It is responsible for the combat readiness of seven active - duty wings , which comprise more than 33 , 000 personnel and 400 aircraft . Twelfth Air Force is also responsible for three active - duty direct reporting units , which comprise more than 1 , 200 personnel ; and 14 gained units of the AFR and ANG , featuring an additional 18 , 800 personnel and more than 200 aircraft . The command is also leading the way in bringing the Chief of Staff of the Air Force ' s Warfighting Headquarters ( WFHQ ) concept to life . The WFHQ is composed of a command and control element , an Air Force forces staff and an Air Operations Center . Operating as a WFHQ since June 2004 , Twelfth Air Force has served as the Air Force model for the future of Combined Air and Space Operations Centers and WFHQ Air Force forces . 12 AF command is also responsible for the operational readiness of 13 Twelfth Air Force - gained wings and other units of the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard . These units include more than 220 aircraft and 18 , 900 Total Force Airmen . There are three forward operating locations from which units counter narcotics trafficking and narco - terrorism , interface with partner Air Forces , provide humanitarian aid , and respond to natural disasters . Air Forces Southern ( AFSOUTH ) . The mission of AFSOUTH is to conduct Air Force , joint and combined air and space operations in addition to information operations in the USSOUTHCOM Area of Responsibility ( AOR ) . To fulfill these responsibilities AFSOUTH employs a full spectrum of Intelligence , Surveillance and Reconnaissance ( ISR ) , intra - theatre airlift and information assets . In addition the CAOC is responsible for developing strategy and plans to execute air and space operations in support of USSOUTHCOM objectives . The CAOC also provides command and control of all AFSOUTH air and space assets in the AOR . AFSOUTH oversees Air Force assets , five forward operating locations , and civil and military engagements in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility – Central and South America , and the Caribbean . AFSOUTH is also responsible for the combat readiness of one of five Falconer CAOC weapons systems in the Air Force . Organization . Typically , the 12 AF / CC and his command and control organization form the core of the AFSOUTH command section . Unlike the 12 AF / CC , who reports to COMACC and has only a training mission , the commander of AFSOUTH ( COMAFSOUTH ) reports to the commander of US Southern Command ( CDRUSSOUTHCOM ) and has a warfighting responsibility . AFSOUTH has no organic assets , but draws on forces provided to it by CDRUSSOUTHCOM . Currently , AFSOUTH manages four rotational Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard C - 130s based out of Muniz Air National Guard Base , Puerto Rico . The SOUTHCOM JFACC is a warfighting commander who reports to CDRUSSOUTHCOM and directs air and air defence forces provided to him for tasking by CDRUSSOUTHCOM . This typically only takes place during crisis situations in the SOUTHCOM Area of Responsibility . However , the JFACC has a significant command and control capability which is used to manage some air operations , along with the Joint Interagency Task Force South , battling illegal narcotics trafficking from several forward operating locations . Similarly to AFSOUTH , the SOUTHCOM JFACC usually draws its staff , including the commander , from the 12 AF / CC staff . In 1963 , Congress established US Southern Command and its service components , including what was know at the time as Southern Air Force ( SOUTHAF ) . In 2007 , SOUTHAF was formally redesignated AFSOUTH . The Commander of AFSOUTH is part of an operation chain of command from the President through the Secretary of Defense to the CDRUSSOUTHCOM , to the AFSOUTH commander . History . Established in the United States during World War II to be the Army Air Forces air component of Operation Torch in 1942 , Twelfth Air Force initially moved to England for training , then participated in the invasion of North Africa . It engaged in tactical operations for the remainder of the war in the Mediterranean . Some of the complicated organizational history of the 12th Air Force during this period is presented here : http : / / www . warwingsart . com / 12thAirForce / airforcetable . html Since World War II , Twelfth Air Force has subsequently served both in Europe and later the United States . The Twelfth Air Force serves as the Air Force component to the United States Southern Command . World War II . AFSOUTH ( Twelfth Air Force ) origins are traced back to a series of mid - 1942 Allied planners ' meetings to develop a strategy for the North African invasion or " Operation TORCH " . Because this extensive operation required a new organization to provide enough manpower and equipment , activation plans were prepared simultaneously with the invasion strategy . On 20 August 1942 , Twelfth Air Force was activated at Bolling AAF , Maryland . On 23 September 1942 . Brigadier General Jimmy Doolittle formally assumed 12th AF command with Colonel Hoyt S . Vandenberg as chief of staff . Barely four months after it was conceived , 12th AF made its first contributions to World War II . When D - Day for the invasion of North Africa ( Operation Torch ) arrived on 8 November 1942 , 12th AF was organized as shown in the table below : Initially , 12th AF was a composite organization containing both strategic heavy bombardment groups ; and tactical light and medium bombardment , fighter - bomber , and fighter groups . Based in French Morocco and Algeria after Operation Torch , it became very important for 12th AF to coordinate and cooperate with the Royal Air Force which had been fighting in North Africa for two years . Such Allied cooperation was a major concern of American President Franklin D . Roosevelt , British Prime Minister Winston Churchill , and their staffs at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943 where they created the Mediterranean Air Command ( MAC ) with Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder as Air Commander - in - Chief . For planning of the Tunisia Campaign , Tedder ' s MAC headquarters were adjacent to those of his immediate superior , the Supreme Allied Commander , General Dwight D . Eisenhower at Algiers , Algeria soon after the new Allied air force reorganization took effect on 18 February 1943 . One priority of MAC was to encourage cooperation between the USAAF and the RAF by creating various operational commands with commanders and deputy commanders from different air forces . Additionally , the organization was modeled after the successful RAF Middle East Command campaign in Egypt and Libya that consisted primarily of : Another priority of the new organization was to encourage coordination of USAAF and RAF with their respective ground forces . While this concept may seem rather obvious today , at the time , the role of the air force was still being explored and experimented with on the battlefield . The successful close tactical support of British 8th Army pioneered primarily by Tedder as Commander - in - Chief of RAF Middle East and Air Vice - Marshal Arthur Coningham as Air Officer Commanding of Air HQ Western Desert , provided the classic air interdiction model . The first tier of Air Commander - in - Chief Sir Arthur Tedder ' s Mediterranean Air Command ( Allied ) consisted of : The Northwest African Air Forces ( NAAF ) was the largest component of MAC and its organization was based on the tri - force model ( No . 205 Group " strategic " , No . 201 Group " coastal " , and Air Headquarters Western Desert " tactical " ) indicated above . Resultantly , the three major combat commands of NAAF were : In keeping with the MAC priority of encouraging USAAF - RAF cooperation , Air Vice - Marshal James Robb was named Spaatz ' s deputy commander of NAAF and he handled operations . Additionally , the following new units were assigned to NAAF : Lieutenant General Lewis Brereton ' s 9th Air Force was assigned to RAF Middle East although its 12th Bombardment ( B - 25Cs ) and 57th Fighter ( P - 40Fs ) Groups formed a Desert Air Task Force detached to NATAF ' s Western Desert Air Force under Air Vice - Marshal Harry Broadhurst who replaced Coningham when he was promoted to NATAF commander . The 12th AF , the largest air force ever assembled soon after its inception several months earlier , ceased to exist in the new MAC organizational structure . As an operational organization , the 12th AF simply disappeared when its groups were distributed among the various new NAAF commands listed above . The only remaining reference to the 12th AF among these commands was Major General Edwin House ' s XII Air Support Command which along with Broadhurst ' s Western Desert Air Force , Air Vice - Marshal Sir Laurence Sinclair ' s Tactical Bomber Force , and Air Vice - Marshal Sir Kenneth Cross ' No . 242 Group , became part of Coningham ' s NATAF . Later , XII Air Support Command became even less obvious when it was detached to No . 242 Group . The curious status of the 12th AF in February 1943 is illustrated by the quotation below taken from Craven and Cate , Eds . , The United States Army Air Forces in WWII , Volume 2 , Europe : Torch to Pointblank , Chapter 6 , Climax in Tunisia , p 167 , 1949 . " One of the admittedly minor problems of the reorganization concerned the status of the Twelfth Air Force . Its units , personnel , and equipment having been transferred entirely to NAAF on February 18 , both on paper and in actuality the Twelfth seemed to have vanished . At his last staff meeting , on February 22 , Doolittle expressed the opinion that once such matters as courts - martial had been wound up , the " skeleton " of the Twelfth - - " the name only " - - would have either to be returned to the States for a reincarnation or be decently interred by War Department order . Spaatz put the question to Eisenhower and , receiving answer that Headquarters , Twelfth Air Force , would be continued as the administrative headquarters for the U . S . Army elements of NAAF , he took command of the Twelfth on March 1 . As commander , however , he had no staff as such , it being assumed that AAF officers named to the NAAF staff had been automatically placed in equivalent positions in the Twelfth . Actually , all administrative functions were carried on by NAAF and the half - existence of the Twelfth served mainly to mystify all but a few headquarters experts . " Although the 12th AF was essentially unrecognized in the official Allied air force organization ( MAC ) , it was of course , still a major entity in the USAAF . But even the U . S . Army Air Forces World War II Combat Chronology 1941 – 1945 , recorded its daily chronology entries under " NAAF " rather than " 12th AF " between 1 March and 1 September 1943 . Ironically , the U . S . Ninth Air Force retained its identity in MAC ( and in the USAAF Combat Chronology ) even though it was officially a sub - command of RAF Middle East Command and most of its groups were assigned to other operational commands such as NATAF after the February reorganization of the Allied air forces . On 22 August 1943 , the Ninth Air Force ' s 12th and 340th Bombardment Groups , and its 57th , 79th , and 324th Fighter Groups were transferred to the 12th AF . This change coincided with the transfer of the 9th AF from the MTO to the European Theater of Operations ( ETO ) . On 1 September 1943 all administrative functions of USAAF elements of NAAF were transferred to the appropriate Twelfth AF organizations : HQ NAAF to HQ Twelfth AF , NASAF to XII Bomber Command , NATAF to XII Air Support Command , NACAF to XII Fighter Command , NAASC to XII AFSC , NAAF TCC to XII Troop Carrier Command ( Provincial ) , NWPRW to Photographic Reconnaissance Wing ( Provincial ) , and NATC to XII Training Command ( Provincial ) but " operational " control remained with NAAF . The general MAC structure persisted until 10 December 1943 when MAC was disbanded and reorganized as the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces ( MAAF ) with Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder as Air Commander - in - Chief . In mid - January 1944 , Lieutenant General Ira Eaker took over MAAF when Eisenhower chose Tedder to oversee air operations and planning for the Normandy Landings . The new MAAF organization retained the original tri - force model adopted by the Casablanca Conference in creating MAC nearly one year earlier : Components of the 12th AF , also under Cannon , were assigned to his various MATAF sub - commands after the 12th ' s heavy bomb groups ( and three B - 26 medium bomb groups that were eventually returned to the 12th ) , were transferred to the newly created Fifteenth Air Force ( 1 November 1943 ; briefly under Doolittle and then Twining ) as part of MASAF . In January 1944 , Doolittle took over the 8th AF in England which along with the 15th AF in Italy , formed the United States Strategic Air Forces ( USSTAF ) under former 12th AF , NAAF , and 8th AF commander Spaatz . As the U . S . tactical air force in the Mediterranean , the 12th AF primarily provided close tactical support to U . S . ground forces in Italy and Southern France and targeted lines of transportation and communication , particularly roads , railroads , and bridges until the end of the war . 12th AF operated in the Mediterranean , French Morocco , Algeria , Tunisia , Greece , Italy , Southern France , Yugoslavia , Albania , Romania , and Austria . By V - E Day , 12th AF had flown 430 , 681 sorties , dropped 217 , 156 tons of bombs , claimed destruction of 2 , 857 enemy aircraft , and lost 2 , 667 of its own aircraft . When hostilities ended , Twelfth Air Force was inactivated at Florence , Italy , on 31 August 1945 . 12th AF Stations : 12th AF Commanders : 12th AF Campaigns : Air Combat , EAME Theater ; Algeria - French Morocco ; Tunisia ; Sicily ; Naples - Foggia ; Anzio ; Rome - Arno ; southern France ; North Apennines ; Po Valley . Commands . XII Tactical Air Command . XII Tactical Air Command was constituted as XII Ground Air Support Command on 10 September 1942 and activated on 17 September . It was assigned to Twelfth Air Force and redesignated as XII Air Support Command , and later redesignated as XII Tactical Air Command in April 1944 . The command was moved to French Morocco on 9 November 1942 as part of the Operation Torch landings in North Africa . XII Tactical Air Command served in combat in the Mediterranean and European theaters until May 1945 . Known units were : Colonel Demas T . Craw was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the invasion of Algeria - French Morocco ( Operation Torch ) . When the Allies landed at Mehdia , French Morocco on 8 November 1942 , he volunteered to go behind enemy lines and meet with the French commander near Port Lyautey , French Morocco , to broker a cease fire . After landing on the beach under hostile fire , Craw , his interpreter Major Pierpont M . Hamilton , and their driver Private Orris Correy approached the French headquarters in a light truck . They came under machine gun fire , leaving Craw dead . Hamilton and Correy were captured . Although imprisoned , Major Hamilton succeeded in persuading the French to surrender and was awarded the Medal of Honor on 19 February 1943 . Private Correy was promoted to Sergeant and Pierpont Hamilton , a descendant of Alexander Hamilton , became an intelligence officer in the Northwest African Tactical Air Force a subordinate command of the newly created Northwest African Air Forces under Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz who also assumed administrative command of the Twelfth Air Force on 1 March 1943 . Colonel Demas Craw was awarded his Medal of Honor posthumously on 4 March 1943 and the United States Navy named their air base at Port Lyautey , French Morocco Craw Field in his honor on 12 January 1944 ( see also : http : / / www . warwingsart . com / LTA / portlyautey . html ) . Ironically , the only member of the Twelfth Air Force to be awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in the air was Lt . Raymond L . Knight of the 350th Fighter Group . Of course previous Twelfth Air Force commander , Major General James Doolittle was also a Medal of Honor recipient , but that was for the Doolittle raid on Japan in April 1942 before the Twelfth Air Force existed . XII Bomber Command . XII Bomber Command was constituted on 26 February 1942 and activated on 13 March at MacDill AAF Florida . It was assigned to Twelfth Air Force in August and transferred , without personnel and equipment , to High Wycombe England where the command was re - formed . XII Bomber Command was moved to Tafaraoui , Algeria on 22 November 1942 as part of the Operation Torch landings in North Africa . XII Bomber Command served in combat in the Mediterranean theater until 1 November 1943 when most of the personnel were withdrawn . The command was restaffed in January 1944 and served in combat until 1 March . It was disbanded in Corsica on 10 June 1944 . Known XII Bomber Command units were : . * * Survivors of Australian - based 27th Bomb Group transferred to 12th AF . Absorbed into 47th BG XXII Tactical Air Command . XXII Tactical Air Command was constituted on 26 February 1942 and activated on 5 March . It was redesignated as XII Fighter Command in May 1942 , and XXII Tactical Air Command in November 1944 . The command was assigned to Twelfth Air Force in August 1942 and was moved to RAF Wattisham England in September , then on to Tafaraoui , Algeria on 8 November 1942 as part of the Operation Torch landings in North Africa . XXII Tactical Air Command served in combat in the Mediterranean theater until the end of the war . It was inactivated at Pomigliano Italy on 4 October 1945 . Known XXII Tactical Air Command units were : Postwar era . With the end of combat in the Mediterranean and European theaters in 1945 , Twelfth Air Force was inactivated . However XII Tactical Air Command was reassigned as part of the occupation force in Germany of the United States Air Forces in Europe . The groups operated P - 47 or P - 51 aircraft . Units assigned for occupation duty were : XII Tactical Air Command was inactivated at Bad Kissingen Germany on 10 November 1947 . Cold War . Twelfth Air Force was reactivated at March Field , California , on 17 May 1946 , and assigned to Tactical Air Command with training responsibilities . In the late 1940s , following several assignments and inactivations , 12 AF reactivated on 21 January 1951 at Wiesbaden AB , West Germany , assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe . Twelfth Air Force became the first USAFE unit to be committed to NATO . Along with French and Canadian air units , 12 AF was part of the 4th Allied Tactical Air Forces ( 4th ATAF ) charged with conducting NATO ' s Allied Air Forces Central Europe ( AFCENT ) aerial mission . On 1 January 1958 , Twelfth Air Force relocated to Connally AFB , Texas , and was assigned to Tactical Air Command . During 10 years at Connally its mission began to focus on training tactical air crews to a state of combat readiness capable of conducting joint air operations . In September 1968 , Twelfth Air Force moved to Bergstrom AFB , Texas . During the Vietnam War , the Twelfth was a primary source for tactical fighter , reconnaissance , and airlift forces deployed to the war zone in Southeast Asia . In 1987 , the Twelfth Air Force commander took on the United States Air Force Southern Command responsibility . As such , 12 AF manages all Air Force personnel and assets in the United States Southern Command area of responsibility - - Central and South America . During the 1989 Operation JUST CAUSE , for example , 12 AF and other Air Force units deployed in support of U . S . forces , returning democracy to Panama . In 1994 , 12 AF managed and orchestrated Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY ' s air operations , the mission to restore Haitian democracy while at the same time supporting US Southern Command ' s Operation SAFE HAVEN for Cuban refugees . Post Cold War . On 13 July 1993 , Headquarters Twelfth Air Force officially moved from Bergstrom AFB to Davis - Monthan AFB , Arizona . Since then , 12 AF personnel and units have participated in operations in many other parts of the world : SOUTHERN WATCH , PROVIDE COMFORT , DENY FLIGHT , PROVIDE PROMISE , RESTORE HOPE , and JOINT ENDEAVOR . During Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM 12 AF provided fighter and reconnaissance aircraft to support U . S . Central Command Air Forces . Since the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks , AFSOUTH ( Twelfth Air Force ) has worked closely with Caribbean , Central , and South American countries in the Global War on Terrorism . The command has supported efforts to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the U . S . and neighboring counties . 12 AF has also provided forces to Operations ENDURING FREEDOM in Afghanistan , IRAQI FREEDOM , and NOBLE GUARDIAN in the U . S . Today 12 AF directs six combat wings , five Direct Reporting Units , as well as 12 AF gained Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units .