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| Seventeenth Air Force | |
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 Seventeenth Air Force emblem |
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| Active | 17 April 1953 - 30 September 1996 Reactivated: October 1, 2008 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Part of | United States Air Forces in Europe |
| Garrison/HQ | Rabat-Sale, Morocco (1953-1956) Wheelus Air Base Libya (1956-1959) Ramstein Air Base West Germany (1959-1973) Sembach Air Base Germany (1973-1996) Ramstein Air Base Germany (2008-present) |
Seventeenth Air Force (17 AF) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during its years of active service (1953-1996). As of October 1, 2008, it is the Air Force component of United States Africa Command,1 but is to remain under USAFE ordinancy until a future date when the Seventeenth Air Force, known now as the Air Forces Africa (AFAFRICA), becomes a component that is autonomous of USAFE and answerable to AFRICOM.
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History
Lineage
- Established as Seventeenth Air Force on 17 Apr 1953
- Organized on 25 April 1953
- Inactivated 30 Sep 1996
- Reactivated 1 Oct 2008
Assignments
- United States Air Forces in Europe, 17 Apr 1953 - 30 Sep 1996; 1 Oct 2008 - Present
Stations
- Rabat-Sale, French Morocco (later, Morocco), 17 Apr 1953
- Wheelus Air Base, Libya, 1 Aug 1956
- Ramstein Air Base, West Germany, 15 Nov 1959
- Sembach Air Base, West Germany, Oct 1972 - 30 Sep 1996
- Ramstein Air Base, West Germany, 1 Oct 2008 - Present
Major Components
Divisions
- 1 Jun 1985 - 30 Jun 1991
- 14 Jun 1985 - 1 May 1991
- 7 Aug - 15 Nov 1959
Wings
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Operational History
Under USAFE
The command was established as Seventeenth Air Force on 17 April 1953 and assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe. The organization's mission was a support organization for Air Force activities throughout southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Seventeenth Air Force was moved to Wheelus Air Base, Libya, on 1 August 1956 then was moved without personnel or equipment to Ramstein Air Base, West Germany, on 15 November 1959 and remanned.
At Ramstein, Seventeenth Air Force exchanged its support mission in the southern region for the defensive and offensive air mission in central Europe. It was moved to Sembach Air Base, West Germany, in October 1972.
In the 1980s, 17th Air Force saw the number of its subordinate units almost double. Its area of responsibility included three of the Ground Launched Cruise Missile sites in Europe. In 1985, for the first time ever, 17th Air Force brought together all European-based electronic warfare aircraft under a single command when it activated the 65th Air Division and the 66th Electronic Wing at Sembach. All of these units were deactivated in the early 1990s.
Seventeenth Air Force was inactivated effective 30 September 1996.
Under AFRICOM
It was announced on September 12, 20082 that 17 AF under a newly-activated Seventeenth Air Force will be headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, located west of Kaiserslautern in the German federal state of Rheinland-Palatinate as part of the creation of the United States Africa Command. The stand-up ceremony occurred on September 18, 2008, under the command of Major General Ron Ladnier.
It was officially reactivated by the Air Force on October 1, 2008. In this capacity, it is currently subordinate to the United States Air Forces in Europe, and be referred to by its componency name: Air Forces Africa (AFAFRICA).
It's first flying unit was activated on 6 October 2008. The 42nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, with two C-130s, will serve under the 404th Air Expeditionary Group flying from Ramstein.3
References
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This article incorporates text from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website which, as a United States government publication, is in the public domain. |
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 20 November 2008, at 18:26.
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