RAF Air Command explained

Air Command is the only Command currently active in the Royal Air Force. It was formed by the merger of Royal Air Force Strike and Personnel and Training commands on 1 April 2007, and has its headquarters at RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.^[1]

The equivalent in the Royal Navy is Navy Command Headquarters at Portsmouth and the equivalent in the British Army is Army Headquarters at Andover.

History

Air Command was formed by the merger of Royal Air Force Strike and Personnel and Training commands on 1 April 2007. Initially, it was under a four-star Air Chief Marshal, Commander-in-Chief, Air Command. At that time, there were two Deputy Commanders of Air Marshal rank: the Deputy Commander-in-Chief (Personnel) and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief (Operations).^[2]

Following the implementation of the 2011 Levene Report, the role of Commander-in-Chief, Air Command was discontinued in spring 2012, and the deputy commanders started to report direct to the Chief of the Air Staff.^[3] In November 2018, No. 11 Group was formed to create a "multi-domain operations group" as part of RAF Command.^[4]

Organisation

RAF Air Command is led by the Chief of the Air Staff under whom responsibilities are split as follows:^{[5] [6]}

• Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, responsible for personnel matters (including No. 22 (Training) Group)
• Air and Space Commander, responsible for air and space operations (including No. 1 Group, No. 2 Group and No. 11 Group)

Commanders-in-Chief (post discontinued in Spring 2012)

• Air Chief Marshal Sir Clive Loader KCB OBE, 30 March 2007^[7]  - 2 April 2009 (appointed as C-in-C Strike Command)
• Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Moran KCB OBE MVO, 3 April 2009^[8]  - 26 May 2010^[9] (Died in office)
• Air Chief Marshal Sir Simon Bryant KCB CBE, 18 June 2010^[10] to March 2012

See also

• List of Royal Air Force commands
• Structure of the Royal Air Force

External links

• RAF Air Command

News items

• Royal Air Force Web Site - Official Announcement of Formation of RAF Air Command

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Notes and References

1. Web site: RAF Command. 8 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080716231811/http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/rafcommand.cfm . 16 July 2008 . dead.
2. Web site: Air Command senior, as of September 2012 - GOV.UK. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk.
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/27408/defence_reform_report_struct_mgt_mod_27june2011.pdf Defence Reform Report ("the Levene Report")
4. News: Key Battle of Britain Fighter Command group to be reformed. 12 July 2018. Press Association. 11 July 2018. en.
5. Web site: How Defence Works version 6.0 . . 23 September 2020 . assets.publishing.service.gov.uk . UK Ministry of Defence . 7 November 2020 . page 31.
6. Web site: RAF Air Command. Armed Forces. 8 December 2023.
7. http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/03849DE4_1143_EC82_2ECB5FF72A4956F3.doc RAF Air Rank Appointments List 08/06 of 25 Sep 2006
8. http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/0A01BEEB_1143_EC82_2EECD1B592959ED2.doc RAF Air Rank Appointments List 07/08 of 16 Oct 2008
9. http://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive.cfm?storyid=D8BEC111-5056-A318-A8E4E9CFBE9260D9 Announcement of ACM Moran's death
10. http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/4A09776A_5056_A318_A8D4188BAF2A8399.doc RAF Air Rank Appointments List 04/10 of 18 Jun 2010