ALLIED
AIR FORCES SOUTHERN EUROPE - AIRSOUTHALLIED FORCES SOUTHERN EUROPE
Fact Sheet
ALLIED
AIR FORCES SOUTHERN EUROPE - AIRSOUTHNOTE: THIS FACTSHEET WAS VALID PRIOR TO 1 SEPTEMBER 1999
FOR THE CURRENT FACT SHEET PLEASE CLICK HERE
Allied Air Forces Southern Europe is one of the five Principal Subordinate Commanders (PSCs) in Allied Command Europe's Southern Region. The commander of AIRSOUTH (COMAIRSOUTH) is a U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General. The headquarters, located in Naples, is comprised of a multinational staff, with personnel from Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. AIRSOUTH has two subordinate commands: the Fifth Allied Tactical Air Force, with headquarters at Vicenza, Italy, and the Sixth Allied Tactical Air Force, with headquarters in Izmir, Turkey.
AIRSOUTH was established in August 1951. COMAIRSOUTH's area of responsibility encompsses the airspace over the Mediterranean and Black Seas and the mainland and island possessions of Italy, Greece and Turkey.
On a day to day basis, COMAIRSOUTH is charged with the air defense of the Southern Region, making him the only Southern Region PSC with NATO forces under his command in peacetime. Air Defense Forces are provided from the Hellenic Tactical Air Force headquartered in Larissa, Greece, and from the Fifth and Sixth Tactical Air Forces in Vicenza, Italy, and Izmir, Turkey. Additionally, COMAIRSOUTH conducts the necessary planning, coordination and operations to ensure full preparedness for the wartime mission. Should deterrence fail, AIRSOUTH is responsible for the control of all air forces assigned to the region for its collective defence. Operational readiness is maintained by planning and conducting exercises to ensure forces and facilities assigned to NATO in peace or war are organized, equipped, supported and trained to implement Alliance war plans.
Air Force units are made available to AIRSOUTH by Italian, Greek, Turkish, United States and Portuguese Air Forces. Continually modernizing, these forces include F-1 Mirages, F-4 Phantoms, Tornadoes, F-16 Fighting Falcons, Mirage 2000s and surface-to-air missile defense systems. The readiness of these forces clearly indicates the commitment of the NATO member nations and is the key element in the Alliance's strategy of deterrence.
From April 12, 1993 to 20 December 1995, NATO aircraft controlled by AIRSOUTH patrolled the skies over Bosnia-Herzegovina in Operation DENY FLIGHT. From 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996, COMAIRSOUTH was the Air Component Commander of IFOR, a responsibility he still has in support of SFOR. On January 31, 1994, COMAIRSOUTH was "dual-hatted" and now also commands the United States Air Forces 16th Air Force, headquartered at Aviano, Italy.
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