Ninth Air Force (2009–2020)
| Ninth Air Force | |
|---|---|
Shield of the Ninth Air Force | |
| Active | 5 August 2009 – 20 August 2020 (11 years) |
| Country | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Numbered Air Force |
| Role | Provide combat-ready air forces to Air Combat Command |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Headquarters | Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Commanders | |
| Last commander | Maj Gen Chad Franks |
The Ninth Air Force (9 AF) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It was headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, from activation on 5 August 2009 until it was replaced by Fifteenth Air Force on 20 August 2020. The prior and current Ninth Air Force is known as United States Air Forces Central (USAFCENT). On 20 August 2020, USAFCENT was again designated Ninth Air Force in addition to United States Air Forces Central.
Until August 2009, the Ninth Air Force shared its commander with USAFCENT. In a complicated transfer of lineage, the Second World War-and-after heritage of the Ninth Air Force was bestowed solely on United States Air Forces Central, and a totally new Ninth Air Force, was activated on the U.S. East Coast, where it is responsible for a variety of Air Combat Command units.
All Ninth Air Force units, as well as units of Twelfth Air Force, were consolidated into Fifteenth Air Force on 20 August 2020 and Ninth Air Force was inactivated.