Twenty-Third Air Force

Twenty-Third Air Force
18th Flight Test Squadron testing a V-22 Osprey for AFSOC
Active	January 1, 2008 – April 4, 2013
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Special Operations
Part of	Air Force Special Operations Command
Garrison/HQ	Hurlburt Field, Florida
Insignia
Emblem of Twenty-Third Air Force

Twenty-Third Air Force (23 AF) was a Numbered Air Force that was assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). It was stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida and activated on 1 January 2008. It was inactivated on 4 April 2013.^[1]

Mission

The mission of 23 AF was to provide highly trained special operations command and control (C2), intelligence, and reachback support forces to deployed air commanders for execution of assigned missions.

Mission tasks include:

• Monitor, implement, guide, and report global air operations activity to senior AFSOC/23AF leadership.
• Provide trained special operations C2, intelligence, and reachback support elements to theater special operations commanders.
• Execute C2 for air, space and cyberspace operations supporting USSOCOM.

23 AF provided a special operations liaison element to regional air operations centers and a forward command and control team to be the air component to a joint special operations task force commander.

Units

• 623d Air and Space Operations Center (AOC)
• 23d Weather Squadron
• 11th Intelligence Squadron
• 18th Flight Test Squadron

History

Lineage

• Established as Twenty-Third Air Force on 1 January 2008

Activated on 1 January 2008

Inactivated on 4 April 2013

Note: This 23 AF is not to be confused with the first 23 AF. Its lineage is listed below:

• Established as Twenty-Third Air Force of the Military Airlift Command on 10 February 1983

Activated on 1 March 1983 at Hurlburt Field, Florida

• Redesignated Air Force Special Operations Command, with the status of a major command, on 22 May 1990

Assignments

• Air Force Special Operations Command, 1 January 2008 – 4 April 2013

Stations

• Hurlburt Field, Florida, 1 January 2008 – 4 April 2013

Components

• 623d Air and Space Operations Center (AOC): 1 Jan 2008 - 4 Apr 2013
• 23d Weather Squadron: 3 Jul 2009^[2] - 4 Apr 2013
• 11th Intelligence Squadron: unknown - 4 Apr 2013
• 18th Flight Test Squadron: 1 Jan 2008 - 4 Apr 2013

Activation

On 1 January 2008, Twenty-Third Air Force stood up as Air Force Special Operations Command's first Numbered Air Force.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• Heritage of the Special Operations Professionals
• Twenty-third Air Force USAF Factsheet

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Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC)
Bases	Cannon Hurlburt Field
Wings	1st SOW 24th SOW 27th SOW 193d SOW 352d SOW 919th SOW
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Air Forces	Twenty-First Twenty-Second Twenty-Third
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