United States Air Forces Central (USAFCENT/AFCENT) is a unit of the United States Air Force headquartered at Al Udeid AB, Qatar. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint Department of Defense combatant command responsible for U.S. security interests in 27 nations that stretch from the Horn of Africa through the Persian Gulf region, into Central Asia. The commander was formerly dual-hatted as commander of Ninth Air Force. USAFCENT is responsible for air operations (either unilaterally or in concert with coalition partners) and developing contingency plans in support of national objectives for USCENTCOM's 20-nation area of responsibility in Southwest Asia.