Due to restructuring of the German Air Force, JG 71 was temporally transferred into the newly established Tactical Group "Richthofen" on 1 October 2013.

[2] The unit was formed in June 1959, equipped with 50 Canadair Sabre Mk.6s and stationed at the former RAF Ahlhorn.

JG 71 is part of NATO's Immediate Reaction Force, meaning that it must be ready to deploy twelve aircraft on five days' notice.

However, the likelihood of having to deploy at such short notice is almost nil, so fulfilling Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) interceptions for Northern Germany is shared with JG 74, which completed Eurofighter conversion in late 2008.

Depending on the situation, the dividing line between the two units is roughly Frankfurt-Berlin, with JG 71 protecting the northern part of Germany.