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Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW)

An Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) is a deployed wing or a wing slice attached to an ASETF or in-place NAF by G-series orders. Normally the ASETF/in-place NAF commander exercises OPCON of an AEW. An AEW normally is composed of the wing command element and several groups. Use of the AEW designation is also intended to provide appropriate unit awards and honors credit. Where possible, the AEW is formed from units of a single wing. The AEW commander, normally a brigadier general, will report to the ASETF/ in-place NAF commander.

There are two Aerospace Expeditionary Wings -- the 366th Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. The two wings rotate "on-call" responsibilities and respond to crises as they occur throughout the world.

Each aerospace expeditionary force has a "lead" wing that provides contingency leadership. The lead wings provide commanders, if tasked to provide group- or wing-level leadership to a new deployed location.

• AEF 1: 388th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, Utah
• AEF 2: 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess AFB, Texas
• AEF 3: 3rd Wing, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
• AEF 4: 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom
• AEF 5: 355th Wing, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
• AEF 6: 20th Fighter Wing, Shaw AFB, S.C.
• AEF 7: 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale AFB, La.
• AEF 8: 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
• AEF 9: 27th Fighter Wing, Cannon AFB, N.M.
• AEF 10: 1st Fighter Wing, Langley AFB, Va.

Five wings provide "on call" mobility operations for responding to humanitarian relief operations, disaster responses and noncombatant evacuation operations from hostile areas. The mobility wings:

• AEF 1/2: 43rd Airlift Wing, Pope AFB, N.C.
• AEF 3/4: 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
• AEF 5/6: 22nd Air Refueling Wing, McConnell AFB, Kan.
• AEF 7/8: 319th Air Refueling Wing, Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
• AEF 9/10: 92nd Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild AFB, Wash

Until the aerospace expeditionary forces have firmly established themselves, two on-call wings provide rapid global response. They share the responsibilities and respond within 48 hours to meet unplanned "pop-up" contingencies. These wings will alternate on a 60-day schedule:

• 366th Wing, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho;
• 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB.

During Operation Allied Force, the build-up increased the number of air expeditionary wings in Europe from three to ten.