The federal reserve component of the United States Air Force, AFRC has approximately 450 aircraft assigned for which it has sole control, as well as access to several hundred additional active duty USAF aircraft via AFRC "Associate" wings that are collocated with active duty Air Force wings, sharing access to those same active duty Air Force aircraft.

Most Air Force Reservists are part-time Traditional Reservists (TR) who serve in the Unit Program, in which they are required to report for duty with their parent Air Force Reserve Command unit, typically a wing, group or squadron, at least one weekend a month and an additional two weeks a year (e.g., 38 days).

IMAs are part-time Air Force Reservists who are assigned to active duty Air Force units and organizations, combat support agencies, Unified Combatant Commands and the Joint Staff to do jobs that are essential in wartime or during contingency operations, but do not require full-time manning during times of peace.

A smaller number of Reservists serve limited tours of extended active duty in an Active Duty Special Work (ADSW) status, usually at an Air Force headquarters staff level, in the joint combatant commands, or in other special assignments.

ARTs carry a dual status, working for the Air Force as both full-time civil service employees and as uniformed military members in the same AFRC units where they work as Department of the Air Force Civilians (DAFC), performing the same job duties.

[10] The Air Force Reserve Command Associate Program provides trained crews and maintenance personnel for active-duty owned aircraft.

Previously, an associate unit was one where the active duty (typically a wing level organization) owned the aircraft and the Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard wing or group co-located with the active duty unit, providing only manpower.

The C-130's speed, range, load-carrying characteristics and capability to operate under difficult terrain conditions make it an invaluable and versatile aircraft, strong enough to deliver its cargo on unimproved landing strips.

[8] Air Combat Command (ACC) F-22A Raptor air dominance fighters, F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-15E Strike Eagle multipurpose fighters, A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft, MQ-1 Predator remotely-piloted aircraft are jointly operated by ACC active duty personnel and AFRC aircrews via Associate units.

AFRC Space Operations associate units aligned with the United States Space Force also operate Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), Defense Support Program (DSP) and Global Positioning System (GPS) Satellites as well as various cyber warfare systems.

AFRC's HC-130 and HH-60 combat search and rescue (CSAR) aircraft are also assigned to stand-alone flying units that are operationally aligned with ACC.

A single AFRC bomb wing is equipped with the B-52 and is operationally aligned with Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC).

The 919 SOW also operates the MQ-9 Reaper[14] remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) in the attack and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles.

Reserve aircrews, for example, average more than 120 military duty days a year, often flying in support of national objectives at home and around the world.

This was most notable during Operation Nickel Grass, the Israeli assistance airlift of 1973, with some 630 crew members volunteering for Middle East missions including flying into Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv.

Air Force Reservists also supported humanitarian and disaster relief efforts, including resupply and evacuation missions in the aftermath of 1989's Hurricane Hugo.

[18] Air Force Reserve airlift and tanker crews were flying within days of Saddam Hussein's Invasion of Kuwait in August 1990.

When Operations Desert Shield/Storm ended, the Air Force Reserve counted 23,500 Reservists mobilized with another 15,000 serving in a volunteer capacity.

[19] Following Operation DESERT STORM in 1991, the Air Force increasingly relied on its Air Reserve Component, both AFRC and ANG, for a "steady state" of daily assistance, whether it was flying airlift channel; providing fighter, tanker and theater airlift support of "no fly" zone enforcement operations in Southwest Asia; aerial fire fighting; aerial spray; hurricane hunter missions; military air/sea rescue support of NASA Space Shuttle operations; or providing highly skilled medical and aeromedical personnel.

[19] When terrorists attacked the United States on 11 September 2001, Air Force Reservists responded in full measure.

In October 2001, the United States initiated the Global War on Terrorism as military forces entered Afghanistan to combat the Taliban in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

Air Force Reserve special operations MC-130 Combat Talon aircraft became the first fixed-wing aircraft to penetrate Afghan airspace while Air Force Reserve F-16 crews, already deployed in theater for Operation Southern Watch, performed the first combat missions.

In late March 2003, fifteen C-17 Globemaster III Reserve associate crews supported the C-17 airdrop, which opened up the Northern Front in Iraq.

[20] Additionally, Reservists supported Air Force Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) missions and space-based operations in Southwest Asia, providing essential data to battlefield commanders.

During the combat phase (19 March-1 May) of OIF, Air Force Reserve aircraft and crews flew nearly 162,000 hours and deployed 70 unit-equipped aircraft in theater while aeromedical personnel provided 45 percent of the Air Force's aeromedical crews that performed 3,108 patient movements.

On the horizon, associate units will include future weapon systems such as the F-35 Lightning II and the Next-Generation Bomber in the 2020s.

[20] Air Force Reserve's entire intermediate management structure was realigned effective 8 October 1976.