Air Combat Command held an Assumption of Command ceremony for three Air Task Force units of action assigned to ACC at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Sept. 23.
The ceremony, presided over by Lt. Gen. Michael Koscheski, deputy commander of ACC, marked the official activation of ACC's ATFs.
ATFs are the next step the Air Force is taking toward Combat Wings as units of action to present to combatant commands.
"This is a GPC-era defining event," Koscheski said. "This will start us on a journey creating a definable and sustainable force presentation model for the United States Air Force.
With the ultimate goal of Combat Wings, ATFs will serve as pathfinders; helping the Air Force understand the necessary support and training Airmen will need to succeed under the Combat Wing concept.
"These ATFs represent a significant milestone in ACC's journey towards modernization and readiness," Koscheski said. "They will lay the groundwork to ensure our force maintains its competitive advantage over our pacing challenge."
Air Force leaders identified a need for cohesive and flexible units of action to be able to operate in contested environments with agility. ATFs are designed so that roughly 400 Airmen can train together as teams at separate bases prior to deploying, ensuring maximum capability and unit familiarization at the start of the deployment.
The ACC ATFs are:
• 13th ATF, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, commanded by Col. Benjamin Donberg
• 22nd ATF, Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, commanded by Col. William Watkins
• 23rd ATF, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, commanded by Col. Bradley Baker
The ATF locations were selected based on the ability of a host installation to support with current personnel and infrastructure. The commanders of these ATFs were selected directly by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and their respective command chiefs were selected by Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi.
Throughout the global war on terror, the Air Force had been using a crowd-source model to fill deployment billets, essentially taking Airmen from across the Air Force and putting them together for the first time at a deployed location. As the threat evolves and the Air Force enters an era of Great Power Competition, a more agile and capable force presentation is required.
