TWENTY-FIRST AIR FORCE BLAZON                                                            Azure a mullet Argent charged with a torteau between a winged globe axis bendwise of the first gridlined Or, wings White garnished Blue; all within a diminished bordure Yellow.

SIGNIFICANCE
Blue and yellow are the Air Force colors.  Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of Air Force operations.  Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel.  The winged globe denotes the unit’s global mobility and rapid deployment.  The star pierced red symbolizes the Forces’ heritage and the sacrifices made in the defense of our country’s freedom.

USAF EXPEDITIONARY CENTER BLAZON
Per saltire (diagonal cross) Azure (blue) and Gules (red), three arrows, one in pale (center and up) and two in saltire (diagonal cross), barbs to chief (upper part of shield) surmounted by a laurel wreath Or, within a border nebuly Argent (white); all within a narrow bordure of the third. Attached below the Shield, a White scroll edged with a narrow Yellow border and inscribed “USAF EXPEDITIONARY CENTER” in Blue letters.

SIGNIFICANCE
Ultramarine blue and Air Force yellow are the Air Force colors.  Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of Air Force operations.  Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel.  The arrows symbolize martial readiness of air mobility support to national strategy in the air, on land, and at sea.  The nebuly border, which spans throughout the field, represents clouds and symbolizes the global reach of air mobility operations.  The laurel wreath denotes the unit’s excellence, accomplishments, and honors.  The saltire infers a strong supporting system.  The four quarters represent the four mission areas of expeditionary innovation, education, training and exercises as well as support of the four Military Services.  The field framed by the nebuly border symbolizes the focus of air expeditionary operations during both peacetime and war.

The Twenty-First Air Force was created as a wing of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II on 12 June 1942. The unit initially ferried aircraft, but its mission soon changed to airlifting personnel and cargo to the European Theater of War. 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 some of its subordinate units and responsibilities being transferred to the United States Air Force Expeditionary Center. Today the Twenty-First Air Force is a global power leading en route, air refueling and airlift operations for the U.S. and its allies.

The U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center (EC) began at Scott AFB, IL as the Airlift Operations School under Military Airlift Command on July 5, 1978. On June 1, 1992, the school became the USAF Air Mobility School under the newly formed Air Mobility Command.

In 1994, the school broadened its training mission and relocated to Ft. Dix, NJ and reopened as the Air Mobility Warfare Center.  In March of 2007, it was officially renamed the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center and became the Air Force’s leader in expeditionary training. 

The EC expanded in scope January 7, 2011, by taking on administrative control (ADCON) responsibilities for installation support mission sets unique to three joint bases, as well as two bases where missions changed as a result of Base Realignment and Closure decisions.  The Center expanded again in the spring of 2012, adding the Air Force’s only Contingency Response Wing and two Air Mobility Operations Wings, in Europe and the Pacific, to its ADCON responsibilities.  The EC continues to evolve from a stand-alone Center of Excellence for expeditionary combat skills training and education to an organization with vastly greater responsibilities in support of the AF’s expeditionary needs and Air Mobility Command’s global mission.

The Twenty-First Air Force and U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center are the leaders for excellence in Expeditionary Agile Combat Support, advanced Rapid Global Mobility training, and education in Expeditionary Operations. The Twenty-First Air Force provides direct oversight of the Global Air Mobility Support System, Joint Base installation support, world-wide contingency response, and builds partnership capacity mission sets within the global mobility enterprise. Located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., the Twenty-First Air Force provides administrative control for the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Operations School, nine Air Mobility Command wings, and one stand-alone group to include the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill AFB, FL; the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock AFB, AR; the 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group at Pope Field, N.C.; the 87th Air Base Wing, 305th Air Mobility Wing, and the 621st Contingency Response Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst; the 436 Airlift Wing at Dover AFB, DE; the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing at Ramstein AB, Germany; the 628th Air Base Wing and 437 Airlift Wing at Joint Base Charleston, S.C.

The U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Operations School offers 92 in-residence courses and 19 web-based training courses, graduating more than 40,000 students annually. Courses include the Air Force Phoenix Raven Training, Advanced Study of Air Mobility, Aerial Port Operations Course and more.

Both the 87th Air Base Wing and the 628th Air Base Wing are Air Force lead organizations on joint bases that host AMC flying units, along with other Department of Defense partners. The 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group enjoys unique partnerships with the U.S. Army.

The 521st AMOW, along with the 621st CRW, are responsible for en route and combat support, contingency response and building partnership capacity mission sets around the globe.

 The 19th, 436th, and 437th Airlift wings support U.S. Embassies by supplying humanitarian airlift relief to victims of disasters, to airdropping forces or vital supplies into the heart of contingency operations in hostile areas, and aeromedical evacuation anywhere around the globe.

 The 6th Air Refueling Wing supports U.S. and allied aircraft, delivers air refueling to promote global security, power projection, and humanitarian operations for up to 4,400 aircraft.