Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) is the Air Force's Information Warfare Numbered Air Force. Through Program Guidance Letter 19-05, the Secretary of the Air Force directed the stand-up of 16th Air Force to optimize and synchronize the readiness, generation, employment and presentation of cyberspace; electromagnetic spectrum; information; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; weather; and other related capabilities to generate information warfare outcomes for combatant commanders and air components.
The 16th Air Force commander has unique and distinct roles and responsibilities. 16th Air Force is responsible to:
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The Director, National Security Agency / Chief, Central Security Service, as the Air Force's authority for matters involving the conduct of cryptologic activities, including the spectrum of missions related to tactical war-fighting and national-level operations.
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The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, as a Defense Intelligence Component, for performing foreign intelligence missions and functions, and providing intelligence oversight of those missions and functions.
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Air Combat Command and the air components for organizing, training, and equipping; and force presentation of assigned forces.
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U.S. Cyber Command and the U.S. Air Force for building, extending, operating, securing, and defending the Air Force portion of the Department of Defense information network.
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U.S. Cyber Command as the Commander of Air Force Forces (COMAFFOR), for presentation of cyber forces to other cyber components as directed.
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U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. European Command, U.S. Space Command, and U.S. Strategic Command, for performing operational planning and execution of offensive and defensive cyberspace operations
These responsibilities, unified under a single commander, are the cornerstone of 16th Air Force's ability to converge on problems and generate outcomes on strategic competition. It is the integration of the various operational capabilities and access to global data, leveraged against specific problems, with the appropriate organic authorities, and acting by, with and through partners, that forms the foundation of information warfare.
16th Air Force operates globally across nine wings and two centers presenting capabilities to generate insights on our adversaries while simultaneously ensuring and having the capabilities and the capacity to persistently engage and respond appropriately to threats today, in the future, and across the competition continuum.
Units
9th Reconnaissance Wing; Beale Air Force Base, California
The 9th RW provides high-altitude imagery, signals, and ground moving target indicator collection used in tactical and strategic settings, to include the highest levels of national leadership. The wing operates and maintains the Air Force's fleet ofU-2 and RQ-4 aircraft through four groups at Beale, AFB and multiple overseas operating locations in support of seven combatant commands. The 9th RW mission is to train, deploy, and employ 9th RW Airmen and assets to deliver globally integrated high altitude reconnaissance in support of national objectives.
55th Wing; Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
The 55th WG conducts a global flying mission providing worldwide reconnaissance, treaty verification, and agile combat support to warfighters and national leadership across the competition continuum. The wing comprises five groups, 31 squadrons, and two detachments to execute missions from home base and operating locations around the world. Additionally, the wing partners with NSA, and the Royal Air Force to provide dominant ISR, electromagnetic warfare capabilities, deliver secure and survivable command and control, enable national treaty verification activities, and provide global presidential support. The 55th WG mission is to provide global information and electronic warfare dominance... any time, any place.
67th Cyberspace Wing; Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
The 67th CW is the Air Force's newest cyberspace war-fighting wing, serving as the Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) execution arm for generating, projecting, and sustaining combat power with the employment of the offensive and defensive cyberspace operations weapon systems. The wing comprises three groups and 26 units across seven operating locations, and employs more than 2,000 Airmen, civilians, and contractors to conduct network operations, defense, attack and exploitation in service of the Air Force, combatant commands and national agencies. The 67th CW mission is to operate and fight in and through cyberspace.
70th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing; Fort George G. Meade, Maryland
The 70th ISRW conducts global ISR in air, space, and cyberspace. The wing comprises six groups, 21 squadrons, and six detachments across 36 operating locations. Additionally, wing Airmen predominantly work alongside NSA and U.S. Cyber Command professionals in support of national intelligence requirements; and build partnerships across the intelligence community in support of Air Force needs. The 70 ISRW mission is to execute global signals intelligence for national decision makers, combatant commanders and joint warfighters.
319th Reconnaissance Wing; Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota
The 319th Reconnaissance Wing oversees three geographically separated units flying and supporting RQ-4 operations in addition to the 348th Reconnaissance Squadron at Grand Forks AFB. The GSUs include the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale AFB, California, 4th RS at Anderson AFB, Guam, and 7th RS at Sigonella Naval Air Station, Italy. The 319th Operations Group also oversees the 18th Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Warner Robins AFB, Georgia, a GSU operating the E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN) a communications relay and gateway system providing military commanders with a versatile means of exchanging information between air, ground and maritime sources. The 319th RW also maintains EUR3 and PAC1, two Satellite Communications relay sites through the 7th RS at NAS Sigonella, and a GSU of the 4th RS at Kadena AB, Japan providing tactical edge information interoperability and connectivity between joint, manned and unmanned airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets. The 319th RW is one of two locations operating the High Frequency Global Communications System that transmits and monitors signals and Emergency Action Messages globally for senior leader communications and all DoD agencies.
363d Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing; Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia
The 363d ISRW conducts lethal, resilient, and ready operations in four core mission areas: analysis for air, space, and cyber operations; full-spectrum targeting; special operations ISR; and ISR testing, tactics development and advanced training. The wing comprises three groups and two detachments with a footprint spanning 15 states, as well as England and Japan. The wing produces tailored geospatial and comprehensive threat analysis products to Air Force units employing air power. The 363d ISRW mission is to deliver integrated content-dominant analytical expertise, precision targeting, production, and special operations ISR support to the joint war-fighter to enable combat power in air, space, and cyberspace.
480th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing; Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia
The 480th ISRW provides a comprehensive set of ISR capabilities for the Air Force Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS), as well as the national cryptologic, information technology, cyber ISR, tactical analysis, Combined Forces Air Component Commander (CFACC)-support, and national-to-tactical signals intelligence integration. The wing comprises six groups, 23 squadrons, and three detachments operating in four locations. The 480th ISRW is functionally aligned to conduct full spectrum of ISR operations across the conflict continuum, from humanitarian assistance to major theater conflict, leveraging federated mission partners to synchronize timely, relevant intelligence regionally aligned to support combatant command operations.
557th Weather Wing; Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
The 557th Weather Wing, headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, is the Air Force's only weather wing. Comprised of 1,450 personnel and spanning 19 globally dispersed locations, the mission of the 557th Weather Wing is to exploit timely, accurate, and relevant weather information anytime and everywhere on the globe. This is accomplished through around-the-clock authoritative terrestrial and space-environmental data, analyses, forecasts, threat-warning and threat-mitigation products and services for the Department of Defense, the National Intelligence Community, White House Situation Room, interagency, and allied and coalition partners around the world.
616 Operations Center; Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
The 616 OC is the Center of Excellence for providing full-spectrum, multi-domain Information Warfare effects, synchronizing ISR, Cyberspace, EW, Weather & 10 capabilities, driven by innovative Airmen, to enable the Joint Force's ability to compete, deter, fight & generate outcomes. The 616 Operations Center mission Plan, direct, command, control & synchronize 16 Air Force Information Warfare missions & capabilities to deliver operational & strategic effects for US Cyber Command & theatre geographic combatant commands
688th Cyberspace Wing; Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
The 688th CW is a world-class cyberspace warfighting organization dedicated to deployable tactical communications, engineering and installation capabilities, defensive cyber operations, and network operations across the Air Force enterprise. The wing comprises four groups and 18 squadrons across 10 operating locations. The 688th CW mission is to deliver innovative and responsive combat capabilities in defense of the nation.
Air Force Technical Applications Center; Patrick Air Force Base, Florida
AFTAC is a wing-equivalent center that provides national authorities quality technical measurements to monitor nuclear treaty compliance, and develops advanced proliferation detection technologies to preserve our nation's security. The center comprises two groups, seven squadrons, 10 detachments, and six operating locations to monitor nuclear event detection and compliance. AFTAC operates and maintains the U.S. Atomic Energy Detection System, using scientific means to obtain and evaluate technical data on nuclear treaty monitoring and compliance to signatory foreign government nations.