21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force The 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force ( 21 EMTF ) was one of two EMTFs assigned to the Air Force ’ s Air Mobility Command . It was headquartered at Joint Base McGuire - Dix - Lakehurst , New Jersey . The 21 EMTF was a redesignation of Twenty - First Air Force , effective 1 October 2003 . The 21st EMTF reported to Headquarters , Eighteenth Air Force at Scott Air Force Base , Illinois . It was inactivated on March 19 , 2012 . Mission . The 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force ( EMTF ) provided a rapid , tailored , worldwide , air mobility response to combatant commander ' s needs . Reporting through Eighteenth Air Force , the EMTF extended existing AMC infrastructure , through both en route employment and rapid forward deployment capabilities . Its mission was to command and assess the combat readiness of assigned air mobility forces over the Atlantic half of the globe in support of Global Reach . These forces were at more than 55 locations in eight countries . 21 EMTF ' s major units included six active duty wings , two operational flying groups , and two mobility operations / support groups . Additionally , the 21 EMTF was liaison to 40 Air Reserve Component Wings . 21 EMTF ' s strategic airlift force included the C - 5 Galaxy , C - 17 Globemaster III and the C - 130 Hercules , aircraft , used to move cargo and passengers worldwide . The tanker force included KC - 10 Extender s and KC - 135 Stratotanker s used for inflight refueling to provide increased global mobility . In addition to the Task Force ' s airlift and refueling mission , the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base , Maryland provided worldwide administrative airlift support to the President of the United States and other top government officials flying the C - 20 , C - 21 , C - 32 , VC - 25 ( Air Force One ) , VC - 137 , and UH - 1 aircraft . History . Created as a wing of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II , it gradually evolved into the 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force . Initially , it ferried aircraft , but by 1942 , its mission had changed to airlifting personnel and cargo . Aerospace vehicles . C - 5 Galaxy ; C - 17 Globemaster III ; C - 130 Hercules ; C - 141 Starlifter ; KC - 10 Extender ; KC - 135 Stratotanker . Operational history . 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force units provided airlift in support of national policy under the most difficult circumstances . Under Military Air Transport Service , Eastern Transport Air Force ( EASTAF ) , headquartered at McGuire AFB , New Jersey , controlled all strategic airlift operations between the Mississippi River and the east coast of Africa and in Central and South America . When MATS became Military Airlift Command , EASTAF was redesignated Twenty - First Air Force , with the same area of responsibility . In addition to Dover AFB , other major 21st AF bases were Charleston AFB , South Carolina and McGuire AFB , NJ . Depending upon command organization at different times , airlift and airlift support units in Europe , the Azores , Bermuda and throughout the southeastern United States also reported to EASTAF or 21st AF . Operating as Twenty - First Air Force , in Operation Just Cause , Twenty - first Air Force units conducted the largest night airdrop since World War II , leading to the liberation of Panama . Twenty - first Air Force controlled the largest airlift in history during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm , ensuring the success of our response to Iraqi aggression . Twenty - First Air Force was involved in operations in Bosnia and Southwest Asia . The command also supported peaceful , humanitarian missions . Twenty - first Air Force units flew relief missions after Hurricane Hugo ( 1989 ) and Andrew ( 1992 ) , earthquakes in Armenia and San Francisco , and many other natural disasters . In addition , it controlled the Operation Provide Comfort airlift missions to the Kurds following the Persian Gulf War , the Operation Provide Hope airlift in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union , and participated in Operation Restore Hope , the humanitarian airlift of food and supplies into Somalia . The ETF supported numerous exercises around the world , one of which was CENTRAZBAT , in which C - 17 ’ s flew multi - national paratroopers non - stop from Pope AFB , North Carolina , airdropping them directly into the Central Asian countries of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan demonstrating the capabilities of direct delivery . The command could operate in remote , often austere locations throughout Europe , Africa , and South America .