U.S. Air Forces in Europe, with headquarters at Ramstein Air
Base, Germany, is a major command of the U.S. Air Force. It is
also the air component of the U.S. European Command, a
Department of Defense unified command.
Mission
As the air component for U.S. EUCOM, USAFE directs air
operations in a theater spanning three continents, covering more
than 20 million square miles, containing 91 countries, and
possessing one-fourth of the world’s population and about
one-third of the world’s Gross Domestic Product.
During the Cold War, USAFE was a fight-in-place force postured
for a large-scale conflict. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall,
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 in Europe
and Africa has included war fighting as well as humanitarian and
peacekeeping operations, and other non-traditional contingencies
throughout its area of responsibility.
In peacetime, USAFE trains and equips U.S. Air Force units
pledged to NATO. In fulfilling its NATO responsibilities, USAFE
maintains combat-ready wings based from Great Britain to Turkey.
USAFE plans, conducts, controls, coordinates and supports air
and space operations in Europe, parts of Asia and Africa to
achieve U.S. national and NATO objectives based on taskings by
the U.S. EUCOM commander.
In support of national and NATO requirements, USAFE assets stand
ready to perform close air support, air interdiction, air
defense, in-flight refueling, long-range transport and support
of maritime operations. USAFE remains a formidable force despite
a rapid drawdown that saw its main operating bases cut by 67
percent following the end of the Cold War. As witnessed in the
command's support of contingency and humanitarian operations
throughout Europe and parts of Africa, USAFE remains a highly
responsive and capable combat force.
Personnel and Resources
More than 41,000 active-duty, Reserve and civilian employees are
assigned to USAFE. Equipment assets include about 220 fighter,
attack, tanker and transport aircraft, and a full complement of
conventional weapons.
Organization
USAFE consists of five main operating bases along with 80
geographically separated locations. The main operating bases
are: RAF Lakenheath and Mildenhall in England; Ramstein and
Spangdahlem Air Bases in Germany and Aviano AB in Italy. These
bases report to Air Command Europe, ACEUR-USAFE’s Management
Headquarters, located at Ramstein AB during day-to-day
operations. During contingency operations 16th Air Force, also
located at Ramstein, is USAFE's War fighting Headquarters, and
commands attached forces.
History
USAFE originated as the 8th Air Force in 1942 and flew heavy
bombardment missions over the European continent during World
War II. In August 1945, the command was given its current name,
U.S. Air Forces in Europe. At that time, USAFE had 17,000
airplanes and 450,000 people.
During the Berlin Airlift in 1948 to 1949, USAFE airlifted more
than 1.6 million tons of food, fuel and medical supplies to the
blockaded city. With the formation of NATO in 1949, the United
States was committed to help defend Western Europe against
aggression from the Soviet Union, a mission that continued until
the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
In March 1973, Headquarters USAFE transferred from Lindsey Air
Station, Wiesbaden, West Germany, to Ramstein Air Base. In the
mid-1980s, USAFE maintained and operated 25 main bases and more
than 400 geographically separated units in 190 different
locations. These bases supported about 850 aircraft. The
community stood at more than 140,000: 60,000 active-duty airmen,
10,000 civilian workers, and almost 70,000 family members.
Beginning in late 1990, USAFE mobilized and moved more than 180
aircraft and 5,400 people to the Persian Gulf area in support of
operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In addition, 100
aircraft and 2,600 personnel deployed to Turkey for Operation
Proven Force, which denied the Iraqis a safe haven for their
military forces in northern Iraq. USAFE also activated
aeromedical staging facilities and contingency hospitals. More
than 9,000 patients, mostly suffering from non combat-related
illnesses and injuries, were evacuated to Europe and more than
3,000 were treated at USAFE medical facilities.
After Desert Storm, USAFE provided emergency relief to Kurdish
refugees fleeing Iraqi forces and enforced a no-fly zone over
Northern Iraq. This mission, known first as Operation Provide
Comfort and later Operation Northern Watch, continued until
March 2004.
Since 1990, USAFE has handled more than 70 contingencies—more
than twice as many in the 1970s and 1980s combined. For example,
the command took part in Operation Provide Hope I and II, which
airlifted food and medical supplies to the people of the former
Soviet Union, and Provide Promise, the airlifting of supplies
into war-torn Yugoslavia from July 1992 until December 1995.
USAFE also provided air protection over the skies of
Bosnia-Herzegovina in Operation Deny Flight. Along with allies
from NATO countries, USAFE aircrews applied air power in
Operation Deliberate Force, the bombing campaign that paved the
way for the Dayton Peace Agreement. USAFE then helped deploy
Peace Implementation Forces and equipment to Bosnia for
Operation Joint Endeavor and sustained them by airlift.
USAFE forces again mobilized in March 1999 when NATO intervened
in Kosovo to stop Serb repression of the province's ethnic
Albanian majority. Efforts to find a diplomatic solution
collapsed, resulting in Operation Allied Force – the NATO-led
air war over Kosovo. The 78-day operation ended June 20,
culminating in the withdrawal of Serb forces from Kosovo and the
eventual return of refugees to their homeland. USAFE's 3rd Air
Force led Joint Task Force Shining Hope, established to assist
the hundreds of thousands of refugees expelled from Kosovo by
Serb soldiers and paramilitaries. USAFE continues to contribute
to NATO-led forces promoting peace and stability in Kosovo.
In February 2000, USAFE forces again responded to a humanitarian
crisis, this time in southern Africa. Joint Task Force Atlas
Response was established to airlift aid to victims of massive
floods in Mozambique and other nearby South African countries.
Working with international relief agencies, U.S. forces assisted
with a variety of humanitarian-related activities, including the
airlift of food and medical supplies, aerial surveillance and
rescue operations in the region.
USAFE has been in the front lines of the Global War on Terrorism
since Sept. 11, 2001. During Operation Enduring Freedom, it
supported an air bridge from Europe to Asia that delivered 3,300
tons of humanitarian daily rations to northern Afghanistan,
opened a base in Kyrgystan for coalition forces, and established
a medical evacuation network that moved nearly 4,000 patients.
USAFE deployed 24 fighter aircraft, eight KC-135 tankers and
nearly 2,400 people in Operation Iraqi Freedom. It opened an
important airfield in northern Iraq and provided critical en
route support to deploying forces, not to mention vital
logistical and medical support to forward-deployed forces.
Today, USAFE airmen are engaged in a wide range of active U.S.
military efforts in Europe and Africa, including realistic U.S.
and NATO exercises and the Global War on Terrorism. The command
also plays a major role in furthering democracy in the former
Eastern Bloc, as USAFE people take part in Partnership for Peace
exercises and Military-to-Military contact programs.
Point of
Contact
U. S. Air Forces in Europe, Public Affairs Office; Unit
3050, Box 120; APO AE 09094-0120; DSN 480-6565 or commercial
(011) 49-6371-47-6565; e-mail:
usafe.pai@ramstein.af.mil.
