The Ninth Air Force (9 AF) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It was headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, from activation on 5 August 2009 until it was replaced by Fifteenth Air Force on 20 August 2020. The prior and current Ninth Air Force is known as United States Air Forces Central (USAFCENT). On 20 August 2020, USAFCENT was again designated Ninth Air Force in addition to United States Air Forces Central.[2]
| Ninth Air Force | |
|---|---|
 Shield of the Ninth Air Force | |
| Active | 5 August 2009 – 20 August 2020 (11 years) |
| Country |  United States of America |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Numbered Air Force |
| Role | Provide combat-ready air forces to Air Combat Command[1] |
| Part of |  Air Combat Command |
| Headquarters | Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Commanders | |
| Last commander | Maj Gen Chad Franks[2] |
Until August 2009, the Ninth Air Force shared its commander with USAFCENT.[3] In a complicated transfer of lineage, the Second World War-and-after heritage of the Ninth Air Force was bestowed solely on United States Air Forces Central, and a totally new Ninth Air Force, was activated on the U.S. East Coast, where it is responsible for a variety of Air Combat Command units.[1]
All Ninth Air Force units, as well as units of Twelfth Air Force, were consolidated into Fifteenth Air Force on 20 August 2020 and Ninth Air Force was inactivated.[2]
Lineage edit
- Established as Ninth Air Force on 4 August 2009
Assignments edit
- Air Combat Command, 5 August 2009 – 20 August 2020[4][2]
Major components edit
The command was responsible for operational readiness for eight active duty wings and two direct reporting units. These eight wings were:
- 1st Fighter Wing, Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia[4]
- 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina[4]
- 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina[4]
- 23rd Wing, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia[4]
- 93rd Air-Ground Operations Wing, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia[6]
- 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida[7]
- 461st Air Control Wing, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia[4]
- 495th Fighter Group, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina[8]
- 633rd Air Base Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia[9]
Assigned non-flying direct reporting units included:
- 800th RED HORSE Group, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, 1 June 2020 – 20 August 2020[5]
- 819th RED HORSE Squadron, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana[citation needed]
- 823rd RED HORSE Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida[citation needed]
The Ninth Air Force was also responsible for overseeing the operational readiness of 30 designated units of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.[citation needed]
List of commanders edit
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2022) |
Commander, Ninth Air Force edit
| No. | Commander | Term | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | |
| 1 | Major General William L. Holland | 5 August 2009 | 17 August 2010[4] | 1 year, 12 days | |
| 2 | Major General Stephen L. Hoog | 17 August 2010 | 17 October 2011[4] | 1 year, 61 days | |
| 3 | Major General Lawrence L. Wells | 17 October 2011 | 31 May 2013 | 1 year, 226 days | |
| 4 | Major General Jake Polumbo | 31 May 2013 | 31 July 2015 | 2 years, 61 days | |
| 5 | Major General Mark D. Kelly | 31 July 2015 | 17 May 2016 | 291 days | |
| 6 | Major General Scott J. Zobrist | 17 May 2016 | 13 June 2019 | 3 years, 27 days | |
| 7 | Major General Chad P. Franks | 13 June 2019 | 20 August 2020 | 1 year, 68 days | |
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References edit
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ a b "Ninth Air Force". GlobalSecurity.org. 4 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Fifteenth Air Force activates, consolidates ACC's conventional forces". United States Air Force. 20 August 2020. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ "New leaders take command of redesignated AFCENT, 9th Air Force". United States Air Force. 6 August 2009. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.New leaders take command of redesignated AFCENT, 9th Air Force, 6 August 2009, Air Force News Service
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Robertson, Patsy (23 February 2012). "Ninth Air Force (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ a b Musser, James (1 September 2022). "Factsheet 800 RED HORSE Group (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ Bailey, Carl E. (July 2014). "93 Air Ground Operations Wing (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ Haulman, Daniel (18 May 2015). "325 Fighter Wing (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ Currier, Amanda (11 March 2013). "Shaw stands up new total force fighter group". Air Force Reserve Command. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ Haulman, Daniel L. (5 March 2019). "633 Air Base Wing (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 13 September 2022.