Twenty-First Air Force

The Twenty-First Air Force (21 AF) is an active numbered air force of the United States Air Force. It was reactivated on September 5, 2025 during a ceremony hosted at the McGuire AFB entity of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. It had been inactive since 2003, when it was previously designated as the 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force (21 EMTF), headquartered at the McGuire AFB entity of Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst until its inactivation in 2012. In this capacity, it was subordinate to Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force.

First created as a wing of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, the unit initially ferried aircraft, but its mission soon changed to airlifting personnel and cargo.

The organization was redesignated several times, eventually becoming the Twenty-First Air Force in 1966.

In 2003, the unit was redesignated as the 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, assuming responsibility for worldwide airlift operations in support of United States Joint Forces Command, United States European Command, and United States Central Command.

In 2012, the organization was inactivated, with its subordinate units and responsibilities being transferred to the United States Air Force Expeditionary Center.