Sixteenth Air Force
Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) is a United States Air Force organization focused on information warfare. This includes gathering and analyzing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, cyber operations, electronic warfare, and information operations. Its headquarters is at Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland, Texas, and it is part of Air Combat Command.
The 16th Air Force traces its roots to 1954 when it began in Spain as a joint group to command and control USAF activities there. It became the Sixteenth Air Force in 1956 and was aligned under Strategic Air Command in 1957 to oversee SAC bases and B-47 units in Spain and Morocco. In 1966, after SAC pulled its forces from Europe, the 16 AF moved under United States Air Forces in Europe, directing USAFE forces in Spain, North Africa, Italy, and Turkey until 2006. It later operated as a provisional Air Expeditionary Task Force under USAFE during the global War on Terror.
During the 1990s, the 16 AF played a key role in Balkan operations, supporting Deny Flight, Deliberate Force, Joint Endeavor, and other missions in Bosnia and Kosovo. It also helped establish expeditionary wings and engaged in peacekeeping and no-fly-zone enforcement efforts in the region. In 2005–2006, the 16 AF relocated to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to serve as USAFE’s Warfighting Headquarters, planning and directing operations in southern Europe and nearby areas. It was inactivated in December 2006 and reconstituted as the Sixteenth Air Expeditionary Task Force in Izmir, Turkey, in 2006, then inactivated again in 2008.
On October 11, 2019, the Sixteenth Air Force was reactivated as the Information Warfare Numbered Air Force—Air Forces Cyber. Under this modern form, it consolidates and provides information warfare capabilities—cyber, electronic warfare, ISR, and information operations—to combatant commanders. It also serves as the Service Cryptologic Component to the National Security Agency/Central Security Service and the Service Cyber Component to United States Cyber Command.
The 16 AF holds the Shield of Air Forces Cyber and has earned multiple honors, including the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (seven times). Its leadership includes a commander, a deputy commander, and a command chief, with its headquarters still at Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:02 (CET).