AFRES, AFSC, ATC and Other USAF Commands in the 1980s

The Air Force Reserve was the federally organised reserve component of the United States Air Force. AFRES was organised into three Numbered Air Forces: 4th Air Force and 14th Air Force controlled units that would have been gained by Military Airlift Command if mobilised, while 10th Air Force controlled units that would have been gained by Tactical Air Command and Strategic Air Command. Consequently, AFRES operated a highly diverse fleet of aircraft types, from the AC-130 Spectre and HH-3E Jolly Green Giant, through the F-4 Phantom II and A-10 Thunderbolt II, to the KC-135 Stratotanker, C-130 Hercules and C-5 Galaxy.

AFRES had traditionally been the recipient of older hand-me-down equipment. However, the introduction of the Total Force concept resulted in AFRES beginning to receive modern equipment on a par with those allocated to the regular USAF commands during the 1980s.

Take a step inside the day-to-day operations AFRES in the 1980s.