United States Air Forces Central

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= United States Air Forces Central


caption= United States Air Forces Central emblem
dates= 1983 - Present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Air Force
type=
role= Air Component of United States Central Command
size=
command_structure=
current_commander= [http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=6617 Lt. Gen. Gary L. North]
garrison= Shaw Air Force Base, Iraq Campaign (7 October 2001 - Present)
anniversaries=

United States Air Forces Central (USAFCENT, or AFCENT), formerly United States Central Command Air Forces (USCENTAF, or informally just CENTAF), is the Air Force component of United States Central Command. USCENTAF was established and activated on 1 January 1983, at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, and assigned to United States Central Command. USCENTAF shares its commander with Ninth Air Force. On 1 March 2008 USCENTAF was redesignated USAFCENT. [http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123088409]

CENTAF has fought in the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq war, as well as various engagements during the 1980s.

Current Components

*332d Air Expeditionary Wing (Balad Air Base, Iraq)
**407th Air Expeditionary Group, Ali Air Base, Iraq, activated April 17, 2003
**438th Air Expeditionary Group
**447th Air Expeditionary Group, Baghdad International Airport
**506th Air Expeditionary Group
**732nd Air Expeditionary Group
*376th Air Expeditionary Wing (Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan)
*379th Air Expeditionary Wing (Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar)
**64th Air Expeditionary Group
*380th Air Expeditionary Wing (UAE)
*386th Air Expeditionary Wing (Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait)
**387th Air Expeditionary Group
**586th Air Expeditionary Group
*455th Air Expeditionary Wing (Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan)
**451st Air Expeditionary Group, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan
**755th Air Expeditionary Group
*370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group
*449th Air Expeditionary Group

ervice and campaign streamers

* War in Southwest Asia
** Defense of Saudi Arabia (Desert Shield) 1990-1991
** Liberation of Kuwait (Desert Storm) 1991

Awards

* Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for 1 June 1986-31 May 1988
* Air Force Organizational Excellence Award for 4 August 1990-11 April 1991
* Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for 1 July 1996-31 March 1998
* Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for 1 June 1998-31 May 2000

Emblem significance

The original emblem was approved in October 1988, then updated for the change of name in March 2008.

:Blue and yellow are the Air Force colors. Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of operations. Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel. The light and dark blue of the emblem indicate day and night capability. The globe depicts the area of responsibility. The star and wings over the globe signify the readiness to provide protective air power to the area. The star in the circle represents U.S. Air Force air power. The wings are from the Ninth Air Force insignia, the command element of the unit.

External links

* [http://www.centaf.af.mil/ Official public website]
* [http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/usa/USAF/usaf-centcom.htm Claimed current order of battle]