Strike Command, with its headquarters at High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, was formed in 1968 by merging Fighter and Bomber Commands. Later,
Transport and Coastal Commands were amalgamated to form a single multi-role
organisation. Strike Command's role is to provide a fully operational combat air
force, and to this end it controls all the United Kingdom's front-line aircraft
world-wide. With an annual budget of £1.7 billion and around 45,000 personnel (of which
over 4,000 are civilian), Strike Command is responsible for about 200 units, at
home and abroad, and operates nearly 700 aircraft.
Day-to-day responsibility for operations is delegated to three Groups. No 1 Group, co-located at High Wycombe, is responsible for strike/attack operations, support of the Army in the field, and all RAF forces based in Germany. No 11/18 Group, with its staff split between RAF Bentley Priory and Fleet Headquarters, Northwood, is responsible for air defence, maritime, electronic warfare, and search and rescue operations. No 38 Group, also at High Wycombe, manages the RAF's transport and air-to-air refuelling activities.