AMC Airlift Wings

AMC Airlift Wings
Unit name	AMC Airlift Wings
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Airlift
Command structure	Air Mobility Command
Garrison	Scott Air Force Base
Notable commanders	Gen. Paul J. Selva, Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II
Aircraft transport	Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Boeing C-130 Hercules

AMC Airlift Wings

AMC Airlift Wings are the wing-level United States Air Force organizations assigned to Air Mobility Command responsible for global strategic and tactical airlift, aeromedical evacuation, and mobility support. They integrate personnel, Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, and Boeing C-130 Hercules assets to support operations across theaters such as United States Central Command, United States European Command, and United States Indo-Pacific Command. AMC Airlift Wings have supported operations from the Berlin Airlift legacy through Operation Desert Shield, Operation Enduring Freedom, and contemporary contingency responses.

History

Airlift wings trace lineage to early strategic air transport units like the Air Transport Command and Military Air Transport Service, evolving through Cold War reorganizations under Tactical Air Command and the 1992 creation of Air Mobility Command. Key historical milestones include participation in the Berlin Airlift, logistical support during the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and expansion during the post-9/11 campaigns such as Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Structural reforms after the Goldwater–Nichols Act and lessons from Operation Eagle Claw influenced doctrine, while aircraft modernization programs—procurement of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy modernization and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III fielding—reshaped capabilities. AMC Airlift Wings also played roles in humanitarian responses to crises like the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

Organization and Structure

A typical AMC Airlift Wing is organized into operations, maintenance, mission support, and medical groups, aligned with wing-level command similar to the structure at Scott Air Force Base and other bases like Joint Base Lewis–McChord and Dover Air Force Base. Command relationships often include attachments to regional combatant commanders such as United States Northern Command or operational control transfers to air components like U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. Wings incorporate tenant organizations including reserve and guard units from the Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard, enabling Total Force integration with units like the 151st Air Refueling Wing or the 107th Airlift Wing. Logistics and sustainment coordination occurs with agencies such as the Defense Logistics Agency and support from United States Transportation Command for joint distribution.

Aircraft and Capabilities

Airlift wings operate strategic transports like the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy for oversized cargo, the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III for rapid strategic delivery and austere-field operations, and tactical platforms like the Lockheed C-130 Hercules for intra-theater airlift and airdrop. Specialized missions include aeromedical evacuation using configurations developed in cooperation with the Tricare system and global patient movement coordinated with United States Transportation Command. Capability development intersects with acquisition programs such as the C-130J Super Hercules procurement and modernization efforts for C-5M Super Galaxy avionics upgrades. Wings also integrate force enablers like aerial port squadrons, maintenance squadrons, loadmaster cadres trained in procedures derived from Air Mobility Command regulations, and contingency response elements modeled after Air Mobility Command rapid deployment packages.

Operations and Deployments

AMC Airlift Wings execute strategic and tactical airlift in support of combat operations, humanitarian relief, disaster response, and global exercises including Operation Unified Protector, Operation Odyssey Dawn, and multinational exercises with NATO partners such as Anaconda and Trident Juncture. Deployments include sustained rotations to Al Udeid Air Base, Ramstein Air Base, and Andersen Air Force Base, and surge operations for crises like the Haiti earthquake (2010) response. Wings contribute to aeromedical evacuation chains from theater hospitals to definitive care facilities including Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, while tempo and basing decisions are influenced by agreements such as Status of Forces Agreements with host nations like Germany and Japan.

Notable Wings and Units

Prominent AMC Airlift Wings include the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base, noted for Lockheed C-5 Galaxy operations; the 62d Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis–McChord operating C-17 Globemaster III; the 437th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Charleston; and the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, a center for C-130 training. Reserve and Guard elements such as the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group and the 934th Airlift Wing augment capacity. Historical units like the 60th Military Airlift Wing and the 61st Airlift Wing have contributed to doctrinal development and legacy missions.

Training and Doctrine

Training pipelines link with schools such as the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command's formal schools and the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, and aircrew qualifications follow syllabi in coordination with the Air Education and Training Command. Exercises, evaluations, and lessons-learned feed into doctrine published by Air Mobility Command and joint guidance from U.S. Transportation Command and Joint Staff J-4. Joint training with services like the United States Army and multinational partners, combined with programs at ranges such as Nellis Air Force Base and Dover AFB’s mission rehearsal facilities, refine tactics for contested logistics, airdrop, and humanitarian operations.

Honors and Insignia

Airlift Wings carry wing emblems and heraldry authorized by the Institute of Heraldry and wear campaign streamers and unit awards including the Presidential Unit Citation, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, and campaign credit for operations such as Operation Desert Storm. Insignia reflect heritage with symbols tied to bases like Scott Air Force Base and missions associated with aircraft like the C-17 Globemaster III. Individual awards earned by wing personnel include decorations such as the Air Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and Defense Superior Service Medal for leadership in joint operations.

Category:United States Air Force wings Category:Air Mobility Command