USAFE Stands Up New 16th AF

USAFE Stands Up New 16th AF: It has been operating for about a year, but US Air Forces in Europe only recently gave its new warfighting headquarters a name—an historical one, 16th Air Force. The new numbered air force is one of eight regionally located headquarters the Air Force has established to handle operational missions—whether combat or humanitarian relief—on a 24/7 basis. (One of its first tasks was to organize assistance to African Union forces on a NATO mission.) These headquarters have no support responsibility, rather they are designed primarily to provide teams to plan and direct wartime missions. “We learned some lessons after the Air War over Serbia,” explains Brig. Gen. Philip Breedlove, 16th AF vice commander. (Read our article on Operation Allied Force.) At that time, he said, “We had to grab people from here, from there. … We are out of the pick-up game mentality.”