Air Mobility Command


The Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri, near Mascoutah, Illinois.
Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992 and was formed from elements of the inactivated Military Airlift Command and Strategic Air Command. AMC melded MAC's worldwide airlift system of primarily C-5 Galaxy, C-141 Starlifter, and C-130 Hercules airlift aircraft with SAC's tanker force of KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-10 Extender aerial refueling aircraft, the latter air refueling aircraft having been freed from their strategic nuclear strike commitment to SAC's B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer bomber fleet by the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 2016, the Air Force Historical Research Agency consolidated the histories of AMC and MAC, extending AMC's lineage back to 1941.

Overview

Air Mobility Command's mission is to provide global air mobility. The command also plays a crucial role in providing humanitarian support at home and around the world. AMC Airmen – active duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve, augmented by the civilian airliners and flight crews of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet – provide airlift and aerial refueling for all of the United States armed forces. Many special duty and operational support aircraft and stateside aeromedical evacuation missions are also assigned to AMC.
U.S. forces must provide a rapid, tailored response that can intervene against a well-equipped foe, hit hard, and terminate quickly. Rapid global mobility lies at the heart of U.S. strategy in this environment. Without the capability to project forces, there is no conventional deterrent. As the number of U.S. forces stationed overseas continues to decline, global interests remain, making the capabilities AMC can provide even more in demand.
Air Mobility Command also has the mission of establishing bare air bases in contingencies. To accomplish this mission, AMC established two Contingency Response Wings, and operates the Eagle Flag exercise.
In addition to its status as a MAJCOM of the Air Force, AMC is also the Air Force component command of the United States Transportation Command. It provides airlift, special missions, aerial refueling, and aeromedical evacuation for the United States armed forces. It also provides alert aerial refueling aircraft to the United States Strategic Command, and is a provider of theater airlift, aerial refueling, and aeromedical evacuation forces to the regional Unified Combatant Commands. AMC also operates VIP flights such as Air Force One, Air Force Two, and other Special Assignment Airlift Missions. Finally, AMC acts as the single manager, on behalf of United States Transportation Command, for Military Space Available Travel.
Principal aircraft assets of the command include: C-17 Globemaster III, C-5 Galaxy, C-130 Hercules, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-40 Clipper, C-37 Gulfstream V, and the C-21 Learjet. As of 2022, the command continues to integrate the KC-46 Pegasus within air refueling wings and air mobility wings in both the Active Component and the Air Reserve Component. In 2024, AMC retired the final KC-10 Extender from its inventory.
AMC also operates and maintains additional aircraft in support of high-profile VIP airlift include: VC-25, C-32, C-20G, C-20H, C-37 and the C-38, with the majority of that mission conducted by AMC's 89th Airlift Wing.
Additional long-range airlift aircraft are available during national emergencies through the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, a fleet of civilian commercial aircraft committed to support the transportation of military forces and material in times of crisis.

AMC wings and groups

The Air Mobility Command consists of the following active duty units:
Air Operations Centers
Numbered Air Forces
  • Air Mobility Wings
  • Airlift Wings
  • Air Refueling Wings
  • Bands
  • Museums
Direct reporting units
In addition to the active duty AMC units, numerous Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard units equipped with C-5, C-17, C-21, C-38, C-40, C-130, LC-130, WC-130, KC-10, KC-135 and KC-46 aircraft are "operationally gained" by AMC. These units train and exercise frequently and routinely provide augmentative operational support to AMC's active duty forces. AFRC units, when mobilized to active duty, and ANG units, when mobilized to federal service and active duty, may be deployed overseas as part of AMC in Air Expeditionary Groups and Wings as directed by HQ AMC.
AMC has undergone considerable change since its establishment.
Focusing on the core mission of strategic air mobility, the command divested itself of infrastructure and forces not directly related to Global Reach. Divestments included the former Air Rescue Service, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, intratheater aeromedical airlift forces based overseas, and much of the operational support airlift fleet. Most of these activities were transferred to other commands, such as Air Combat Command. ACC would later inactivate the Air Rescue Service while continuing to maintain the AFRCC under 1st Air Force.
However, all KC-10 Extender and most KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling aircraft initially assigned to Air Combat Command following the disestablishment of Strategic Air Command were transferred to AMC, along with Grand Forks AFB, McConnell AFB and Fairchild AFB.
As a result of the global war on terrorism, on 1 October 2003, AMC underwent a major restructuring, bringing a war fighting role to its numbered air force. AMC reactivated Eighteenth Air Force and established it as its main war fighting force. As subordinate components of 18 AF, AMC redesignated its two former numbered air forces as Expeditionary Mobility Task Forces. Fifteenth Air Force was redesignated as the Fifteenth Air Force, headquartered at Travis AFB, and Twenty-First Air Force was redesignated as the Twenty-First Air Force, headquartered at McGuire AFB.
AMC's ability to provide global reach is tested daily. From providing fuel, supplies and aeromedical support to troops on the frontline of the Global War on Terrorism, to providing humanitarian supplies to hurricane, flood, and earthquake victims both at home and abroad, AMC has been engaged in almost nonstop operations since its inception. Command tankers and airlifters have supported peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq, Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda and Haiti, and continue to play a vital role in the ongoing Global War on Terrorism. The USAF believes that air mobility is a national asset of growing importance for responding to emergencies and protecting national interests around the globe.
AMC coordinates wildlife management on overseas runways between several agencies, including deployments in southwest Asia. Where necessary AMC cooperates outside the DOD such as with the United States Department of Agriculture. This includes obtaining USDA bird netting solutions to fill the military's need for bird strike defense.