It was headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, from activation on 5 August 2009 until it was replaced by Fifteenth Air Force on 20 August 2020.

[2] Until August 2009, the Ninth Air Force shared its commander with USAFCENT.

[3] In a complicated transfer of lineage, the Second World War-and-after heritage of the Ninth Air Force was bestowed solely on United States Air Forces Central, and a totally new Ninth Air Force, was activated on the U.S. East Coast, where it is responsible for a variety of Air Combat Command units.

[2] The command was responsible for operational readiness for eight active duty wings and two direct reporting units.

These eight wings were: Assigned non-flying direct reporting units included: The Ninth Air Force was also responsible for overseeing the operational readiness of 30 designated units of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.