RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- Twenty-five years ago, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks changed the U.S. and fundamentally altered the way its military operated at home and abroad.
For U.S. Air Forces in Europe, the attacks marked the beginning of an immediate shift in force protection, readiness and operational focus — one that would shape the command’s mission for decades to come.
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners along the East Coast of the United States. Two aircraft struck the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, while a third struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Passengers and crew aboard the fourth aircraft, United Airlines Flight 93, fought back against the hijackers before the aircraft crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, preventing it from reaching its intended target.
The attacks killed 2,977 people, while many others have since died from illnesses and injuries related to the attacks and their aftermath.
For a generation of Americans, Sept. 11 became a defining moment, an event remembered not only for what happened, but for where they were when they first learned the nation was under attack.
Across USAFE, that moment unfolded differently than it did for Americans at home.
With Europe several hours ahead of the United States, the attacks occurred during the afternoon, as many USAFE Airmen and civilians were approaching the end of their normal duty day. As the scale of the attacks became clear, installations across the command rapidly increased force protection measures.
At the time, no one knew whether the hijackings were isolated attacks or the beginning of a broader campaign against the U.S. and its interests overseas. Security tightened dramatically as military leaders worked to protect personnel, installations and resources while preparing for what might come next.
The response soon extended beyond American installations.
In the days following the attacks, the U.S. invoked Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that an armed attack against one NATO Ally is considered an attack against them all. It remains the first and only time in NATO's history that Article 5 has been invoked.
America's NATO Allies responded with solidarity and action, supporting the defense of the U.S. while joining Americans in mourning and commemorating those killed.
Within USAFE, then-commanded by U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory Martin, leaders worked to normalize heightened security measures that had quickly become part of daily life across the command. At the same time, Martin directed USAFE to begin planning and preparing to support potential U.S. military operations in response to the attacks.
Those preparations soon became part of a much larger transformation.
The U.S. response evolved into what became known as the Global War on Terror. For a military that had spent much of the post-Cold War period focused on peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and regional stability operations, the new mission represented a significant change in operational focus.
USAFE adapted to that shift while continuing a role it had performed for decades: providing strategic access, infrastructure and support from Europe to operations beyond the continent.
As U.S. forces deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and later Operation Iraqi Freedom, USAFE contributed Airmen and aircraft while enabling operations across multiple theaters. European installations provided beddown locations for tanker forces, supported air mobility missions and served as critical nodes connecting forces, equipment and capabilities with operations farther east.
Many of those responsibilities remain familiar to Airmen serving in Europe today.
The missions, threats and security environment have evolved during the past 25 years, but USAFE-AFAFRICA continues to provide forward-based forces, access and partnerships that allow the U.S. and its Allies to project combat-ready airpower in Europe, Africa and beyond.
The command also continues efforts to deter and counter regional threats, helping defend the U.S., its Allies and partners.
The legacy of Sept. 11, however, extends beyond the military operations that followed.
It is carried in the memory of the 2,977 people killed that day, the courage of first responders and ordinary citizens who acted amid extraordinary circumstances, and the service members who answered the nation's call in the years that followed.
Twenty-five years later, USAFE-AFAFRICA remembers those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the operations that followed.
Their legacy remains part of the command's history, and part of its continuing commitment to defend the U.S., its Allies and partners.