Air Force Materiel Command

Air Force Materiel Command

Air Force Materiel Command building,
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
Active July 1992–Present
Country  United States
Branch  United States Air Force
Type Major Command
Role Systems acquisition, research, development, testing, and maintenance
Size 75,000
Garrison/HQ Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
Nickname(s) AFMC
Commanders
Commander General Ellen M. Pawlikowski
Vice Commander Major General H. Brent Baker Sr.[1]
Command Chief Chief Master Sergeant Michael J. Warner[2]
Insignia
Emblem of Air Force Materiel Command

Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a major command of the United States Air Force (USAF). AFMC was created on July 1, 1992 through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former Air Force Systems Command (AFSC).

AFMC is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The commander of AFMC is General Ellen M. Pawlikowski and the vice commander is Major General H. Brent Baker, Sr. Chief Master Sergeant Michael J. Warner is the Command Chief. AFMC is one of ten Air Force Major Commands (MAJCOM) and has a workforce of approximately 78,000 military and civilian personnel. It is the Air Force’s largest command in terms of funding and second in terms of personnel. AFMC’s operating budget represents 57 percent of the total Air Force budget and AFMC employs more than 40 percent of the Air Force’s total civilian workforce.

The command conducts research, development, testing and evaluation, and provides the acquisition and life cycle management services and logistics support necessary to keep Air Force weapon systems ready for war. The command develops, acquires and sustains the aerospace power needed to defend the United States and its interests for today and tomorrow. This is accomplished through research, development, testing, evaluation, acquisition, maintenance and program management of existing and future USAF weapon systems and their components.

History

The United States Armed Forces procurement of military aircraft began when the United States Army's Aeronautical Division of the Signal Corps (United States Army), acquired several examples of the Wright Military Flyer of 1909. USAAF/USAF aircraft Research and Development (R&D) was merged with aircraft procurement twice in the 20th Century (e.g., 1944, 1992):

Preceding commands

Air Materiel Command was established on March 9, 1946, and in November 1946, AMC's History Office published Materiel Research and Development in the Army Air Arm, 1914-1945. In 1947, AMC bases were transferred to the newly established United States Air Force, with facilities such as the storage depot in Maywood, California being renamed Cheli Air Force Station.

On April 1, 1961, as part of the DoD reorganization under President John F. Kennedy and his Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara, the Air Force Logistics Command was established at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, replacing the Air Materiel Command and assuming the latter's supply and maintenance roles. The material procurement role was transferred. On the same date, Air Force Systems Command was also established at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, assuming the R&D role of the former Air Research and Development Command while also inheriting AMC's materiel procurement role.[3]

End of the Cold War

Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) was activated on July 1, 1992 as part of a post-Cold War, USAF-wide reorganization that resulted in the merger of AFLC and AFSC into a single major command.

Following the establishment of AFMC, subsequent Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) actions also saw significant reductions in AFMC infrastructure. This included the BRAC-directed closure/privatization of the San Antonio Air Logistics Center at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas and the closure of Kelly Air Force Base as an independent installation, with incorporation of its runways and remaining military flight line areas as the Kelly Field Annex to adjacent Lackland Air Force Base.

The Sacramento Air Logistics Center at McClellan Air Force Base was also closed/privatized and McClellan Air Force Base totally closed per BRAC direction, with the extant installation transitioned to a totally civilian airport with the exception of Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento and the Air Force Recruiting Service's 364th Recruiting Squadron.

AFMC Commanders:

Structure

Air Force Materiel Command conducts research, development, test and evaluation, and provides acquisition management services and logistics support necessary to keep Air Force weapon systems ready for war. AFMC delivers war-winning expeditionary capabilities to the warfighter through development and transition of technology, professional acquisition management, exacting test and evaluation, and world-class sustainment of all Air Force weapon systems. From cradle-to-grave, AFMC provides the work force and infrastructure necessary to ensure the United States remains the world's most respected Air and Space Force.

AFMC headquarters is the major unit located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. There are also ten additional AFMC host bases:

Arnold Engineering Development Complex
412th Test Wing
Air Force Test Center
96th Test Wing
66th Air Base Group
75th Air Base Wing
Ogden Air Logistics Complex

377th Air Base Wing
Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center
78th Air Base Wing
Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex
72d Air Base Wing
Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex
Air Force Sustainment Center
88th Air Base Wing
Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
Air Force Research Laboratory

In addition, the command operates associate units and tenant activities on several non-AFMC bases.[4]

In 2012, there was a major reorganization and several new centers were organized. Among them, the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker Air Force Base now directs the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base, the Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill Air Force Base, and the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at Robins Air Force Base. In 2015, the command officially activated its sixth center, the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, which provides centralized management of installation and mission support capabilities across the Air Force. The center is located at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Air Force Materiel Command.

External links

Template:USAF Materiel Command

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