Seventeenth Air Force

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Seventeenth Air Force (Air Forces Africa) (17 AF - AFAFRICA) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during its years of active service (1953?1996). As of October 1, 2008, it is the Air Force component of United States Africa Command, but is to remain under USAFE ordinancy until a future date when the Seventeenth Air Force, known now as the Air Forces Africa (AFAFRICA), becomes a component that is autonomous of USAFE and answerable to AFRICOM. The establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949, increased USAFE's responsibilities and resulted in the designation and activation of Seventeenth Air Force on April 25, 1953 at Rabat, Morocco. Seventeenth Air Force supported a geographic area of North Africa, Portugal, Austria, the Middle East, Pakistan, India, Ceylon and the Mediterranean Islands. Seventeenth Air Force was moved to Wheelus Air Base, Libya, on August 1, 1956 as the command expanded into Italy, Greece and Turkey. The command exchanged its support mission for the defensive and offensive air missions in Central Europe in 1959.