Mission
As the face of Europe has changed since the fall of the Berlin
Wall, USAFE has changed as well. USAFE has transitioned from a
fight-in-place fighter force postured for a large-scale conflict,
to a mobile and deployable mixed force that can simultaneously
operate in multiple locations. Since the end of the Cold War,
USAFE's role in Europe has also expanded from tasks associated
with warfighting to a mission that includes supporting humanitarian
and peacekeeping operations, and other non-traditional tasks.
In peacetime, USAFE trains and equips U.S. Air Force units pledged
to NATO. USAFE plans, conducts, controls, coordinates and supports
air and space operations to achieve U.S. national and NATO objectives
based on taskings by the commander in chief, United States European
Command. Under wartime conditions USAFE assets, augmented by people,
aircraft and equipment from other major commands and the Air National
Guard and Air Force Reserve, come under the operational command
of NATO. The command's inventory of aircraft is ready to perform
close air support, air interdiction, air defense, in-flight refueling,
long range transport and support of maritime operations.
In fulfilling its NATO responsibilities, the command maintains
combat-ready wings dispersed from Great Britain to Turkey. USAFE
supports U.S. military plans and operations in Europe, the Mediterranean,
the Middle East and parts of Africa. USAFE remains a formidable
force in Europe 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 combat command with a strong, capable force.
Personnel and Resources
More than 32,000 active-duty, reserve and civilian employees are
assigned to USAFE. Equipment assets include about 230 fighter,
attack, tanker and transport aircraft, and a full complement of
conventional weapons.
Organization
USAFE is organized geographically through two numbered air forces:
the 3rd Air Force, headquartered at RAF Mildenhall, England, and
the 16th Air Force,
headquartered at Aviano Air Base, Italy.
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.
During the Berlin Airlift, USAFE airlifted more than 2.3 million tons
of food, fuel and medical supplies with the aid of the U.S. Navy and
the British Royal Air Force. With the formation of NATO in 1949, the
United States was committed to help defend Western Europe and USAFE
again strengthened its airpower.
By the end of 1951, the command's responsibilities had expanded in Europe
and eventually to French Morocco, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Turkey,
Italy and Spain. The increased responsibilities led to far reaching
changes, including a major reorganization in 1967 when France withdrew
from the NATO military command structure, forcing all foreign troops
to leave.
In March 1973, Headquarters USAFE transferred from Lindsey Air Station,
Wiesbaden, West Germany, to Ramstein Air Base. NATO's Allied Air Forces
Central Europe was then established at Ramstein in June 1974, and the
USAFE commander took command of Allied Air Forces Central Europe in
addition to commanding U.S. Air Force units in Europe.
The Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, ratified in 1988, mandated
the first ever elimination of an entire class of weapons from U.S. and
Soviet inventories. USAFE completed removal of its ground launched cruise
missiles and other weaponry in March 1991, when the last 16 missiles
were removed from Comiso Air Station, Italy.
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 were 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 noncombat-related illnesses and injuries, were
evacuated to Europe and more than 3,000 were treated at USAFE medical
facilities.
After Desert Storm, USAFE provided immediate emergency relief to Kurdish
refugees fleeing Iraqi forces by implementing Operation Provide Comfort,
a no-fly zone enforcement over northern Iraq. As the initial Operation
Provide Comfort drew to a close, Kurdish leaders asked for continued
protection. Operation Provide Comfort continues today with USAFE maintaining
a deterrent presence in Turkey.
Since the Gulf War, USAFE has been operating at a double-time pace to
save lives and meet the demands of real-world contingencies at hot spots
throughout the European theater. This frequently puts the command's
troops on the road supporting critical operations in northern and southern
Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, Somalia, Rwanda and a host of other locations.
USAFE has participated in several major humanitarian efforts, including
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 a war-torn Yugoslavia from July 1992 until December
1995.
Following 16 years of civil war in Angola, USAFE provided airmen and
C-130 aircraft for Operation Provide Transition, which relocated government
and rebel soldiers within the country in a United Nations effort to
support democratic elections. USAFE also provided air protection over
the skies of Bosnia-Herzegovinia in Operation Deny Flight. Along with
allies from NATO countries, USAFE aircrews applied airpower in Operation
Deliberate Force, the bombing campaign that paved the way for the Dayton
Peace Agreement. USAFE's application of its diverse air assets delivered
peace Implementation Force people and equipment for Operation Joint
Endeavor and maintained sustaining airlift for the operation.
USAFE airmen today are engaged in a wide range of active U.S. military
efforts in Europe, including realistic U.S. and NATO exercises and real-world
contingencies. 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
Headquarters U. S. Air Forces in Europe
Public Affairs Office; Unit 3050, Box 120; APO AE 09094-0120
DSN 480-6559 or commercial (011) 49-6371-47-6559
e-mail: usafepai@usafe25.ramstein.af.mil
January, 1997
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