Despite the Air Force’s large and enduring presence in the Middle East and Near East and its extensive activities each day in support of anti-insurgent operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the service has no plans to permanently assign aircraft to the region, Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley said earlier this month.

The Air Force operates a strong contingent of strike aircraft as well as tankers, transport and manned and unmanned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms from about 10 bases in the region. For example, the largest contingent of U-2 high-flying reconnaissance aircraft outside of the United States operates from one base there. But while Air Force regional commands like U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Pacific Air Forces have some dedicated squadrons of aircraft such as fighters and transports, U.S. Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF), which has responsibility for air activities in the Middle East, Near East and, currently, the Horn of Africa, has none of its own aircraft.

Instead CENTAF relies upon platforms and their aircrews and maintenance and support personnel that rotate into the theater in cycles under the Air Force’s Air and Space Expeditionary Force (AEF) construct, Moseley said Nov. 16.

“We don’t have any airplanes permanently assigned in CENTAF, but we use the AEF rotation to be able to get our hands on the capability forward,” Moseley said. “We are comfortable with [that].”

The standard AEF cycle calls for up to 120 days in theater, when the airmen’s AEF group becomes eligible for deployment.

However, depending on the platforms and the skills of the airmen, the duration of the deployments can extend significantly.

Despite this approach, the Air Force has modified some deployment schemes to maximize its capability in the region. For example, since 2005, it has been stationing up to two squadrons of C-17s in the theater for extended periods to boost intratheater airlift capacity (Defense Daily, Dec. 6, 2006). Prior to that, most C-17s brought items directly into the theater, but then flew out soon thereafter.

“When we went through OEF [Operation Enduring Freedom starting in late 2001 in Afghanistan], we would just use them as they came through,” Moseley explained. “And as we got to the beginning of OIF [Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003], we used them as they came through, but I got four of them assigned to special ops guys…That kind of broke the barrier down about putting them in theater and keeping them there.

“Since then,” he continued, “we have kind of had a presence of them there.”

Moseley acknowledged that U.S. respect for the sensitivities of friendly and partner nations in the region is also a factor in not permanently assigning aircraft of various types there. Several of these countries currently host an Air Force presence on their territory and appear open to the idea of an enduring U.S. presence in the region, but not necessarily a permanent one, as bedding down aircraft there might imply.

“We have been sensitive over time to not appearing to have a permanent presence in any country,” he said. “It is okay if you are there at an invitation with kind of a scheduled departure. It is less okay if you just park.”

Further, he said, the Air Force does not want to appear demanding to these countries, but rather has the desire to be regarded as a valued partner by them in the war on terrorism and in deterring and dissuading aggression in the region.