The Twenty-First Air Force and U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center are the leaders for excellence in Expeditionary Agile Combat Support, advanced Rapid Global Mobility training, and education in Expeditionary Operations. The Twenty-First Air Force provides direct oversight of the Global Air Mobility Support System, Joint Base installation support, world-wide contingency response, and builds partnership capacity mission sets within the global mobility enterprise. Located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., the Twenty-First Air Force provides administrative control for the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Operations School, nine Air Mobility Command wings, and one stand-alone group to include the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill AFB, FL; the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock AFB, AR; the 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group at Pope Field, N.C.; the 87th Air Base Wing, 305th Air Mobility Wing, and the 621st Contingency Response Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst; the 436 Airlift Wing at Dover AFB, DE; the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing at Ramstein AB, Germany; the 628th Air Base Wing and 437 Airlift Wing at Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
The Expeditionary Operations School at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center offers 92 in-residence courses and 19 web-based training courses, graduating more than 40,000 students annually. Courses include the Air Force Phoenix Raven Training, Advanced Study of Air Mobility, Aerial Port Operations Course and more.
Both the 87th Air Base Wing and the 628th Air Base Wing are Air Force lead organizations on joint bases that host AMC flying units, along with other Department of Defense partners. The 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group enjoys unique partnerships with the U.S. Army.
The 521st AMOW, along with the 621st CRW, are responsible for en route and combat support, contingency response and building partnership capacity mission sets around the globe.
The 19th, 436th, and 437th Airlift wings support U.S. Embassies by supplying humanitarian airlift relief to victims of disasters, to airdropping forces or vital supplies into the heart of contingency operations in hostile areas, and aeromedical evacuation anywhere around the globe.
The 6th Air Refueling Wing supports U.S. and allied aircraft, delivers air refueling to promote global security, power projection, and humanitarian operations for up to 4,400 aircraft.
The Twenty-First Air Force was created as a wing of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II on 12 June 1942. The unit initially ferried aircraft, but its mission soon changed to airlifting personnel and cargo to the European Theater of War. The organization was redesignated several times, eventually becoming the Twenty-First Air Force in 1966.
In 2003, the unit was redesignated as the 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, assuming responsibility for worldwide airlift operations in support of United States Joint Forces Command, United States European Command, and United States Central Command.
In 2012, the organization was inactivated, with some of its subordinate units and responsibilities being transferred to the United States Air Force Expeditionary Center. Today the Twenty-First Air Force is a global power leading en route, air refueling and airlift operations for the U.S. and its allies.
The Expeditionary Center traces its lineage back to Scott AFB, Ill. when it was constituted there as the Military Airlift Command Airlift Operations School on July 5, 1978. It was later renamed as the USAF Air Mobility School during the major USAF reorganization that occurred on June 1, 1992. It later gained establishment status at Scott AFB and became Headquarters, USAF Air Mobility School on July 15, 1993.
On October 1, 1994, the unit was renamed and then relocated to Fort Dix, N.J. and opened as the Air Mobility Warfare Center. There, the center operated the Phoenix Ace Combat Readiness Exercise and Evaluation Course, Mobile Air Tactics School, Force Support and Readiness Course, Maintenance Training Qualification Program Course, Air Transport Manager Course, Director of Mobility Forces Course, Environmental Control Unit Course, Intermediate Wartime Contingencies Course, Cargo Operations and Systems Course, Passenger Operations and Systems Course, Command and Control Information Processing Systems Course.
The center, which was officially renamed the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center on March 4, 2007, is the Air Force's leader in Rapid Global Mobility and expeditionary Agile Combat Support training, and on January 7, 2011, the center expanded in scope, taking added responsibility for evolving AMC mission sets.
Today the Expeditionary Center is a national level acceleration force, capable of projecting hard and soft power at any time by delivering "Airpower...from the ground up!"