|
We are creating the world's most trusted encyclopedia and knowledge base.
|
Air Mobility Command
From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium
On 1 June 1992, the Air Mobility Command (AMC) was created as part of United States Air Force a major reorganization, a goal of which was breaking down bureaucratic and political barriers inside the military services, and amomg the different military services. For example, air refueling tankers were "owned" by the Strategic Air Command (SAC), which sometimes made it difficult to get tanker support for operations of the Tactical Air Command (TAC).
Tankers, along with transport aircraft, are tools for mobility. As part of the reorganization, the Air Force-only SAC was disbanded, and its tankers, as well as the cargo and personnel transport aircraft of other commands, were all assigned to the new AMC. AMC has a dual reporting chain: to the Air Force staff for training and readiness, but to the United States Transportation Command, a Unified Combatant Command for operations. USTRANSCOM also can call on Navy, chartered, and prepositioning ships.
Just as numbered air forces are Air Components for geographic Unified Combatant commands, such as Ninth Air Force as AFCENT of United States Central Command, AMC and Eighteenth Air Force are the Air Component for USTRANSCOM.
AMC personnel, including active duty, a very significant Air National Guard and Air Reserve components, and civilian conduct airlift, air refueling, aeromedical evacuation, special missions including Presidential long-range transport Air Force One, and a variety of source functions. Air refueling aircraft also can carry cargo, and support Navy, Marine, and allied aircraft.
Units
Headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, AMC's major subordinate commands are
- Eighteenth Air Force colocated at Scott, which "owns" all United States Air Force air refueling and transport aircraft, with the intermediate headquarters:
- 15th expeditionary mobility task force (EMTF) at Travis AFB, Calif.,
- 21st EMTF at McGuire AFB, N.J.
- 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center
- Air Force Expeditionary Center
