Mission: Maintain a highly trained and resilient Total Force team of professionals capable of fulfilling our nation’s sacred commitment of ensuring Dignity, Honor, and Respect to our fallen while providing Care, Service, and Support to their families across the DoD enterprise.
Vision: To be the benchmark by which all Mortuary Affairs and Honor Guard procedures, programs, readiness, resiliency, and training are measured while providing the upmost honors to those who have fallen while in service to our Nation.
Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations is a Field Operating Agency under the Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower, Personnel and Services, Headquarters Air Force. AFMAO provides global contingency mortuary response teams in support of Air Force and combatant command requirements, supporting both an Air Force and joint role. It is AFMAO's mission and privilege to fulfill our nation's sacred commitment of ensuring dignity, honor and respect to the fallen, and care, service and support to their families.
AFMAO combines the missions of the previous Dover Port Mortuary and Air Force Mortuary Affairs. AFMAO not only serves as our nation's sole port mortuary in the continental U.S., but is the largest mortuary in the Department of Defense.
AFMAO is responsible for the dignified return of all DoD personnel and dependents from overseas locations and processing the remains of all deceased service members or DoD civilians supporting overseas contingency operations. AFMAO also processes remains which come to Dover Air Force Base at the direction of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System. When requested, AFMAO maintains contingency response capabilities in the event of homeland mass fatalities.
Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations provides centralized mortuary affairs support for the Air Force, which includes current and past conflicts mortuary operations, mortuary education and training curriculum development, functional manager support for all installation honor guards and family assistance representative program management.
In addition, AFMAO supports joint operations worldwide by operating the nation's sole port mortuary and is the lead component with operational oversight for all dignified transfer missions and enforcement of the media access policy. AFMAO leadership also serves as voting members on the Central Joint Mortuary Affairs Board and the Cemetery Management Board.
AFMAO is comprised of several sections: Mortuary Affairs, Operations Support, Resources, Readiness and Plans, and the Leadership and Staff Agencies. Details on how each section supports the mortuary community are available here.
In addition, there are three Operating Locations. In 2010, Operating Location Europe was established at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. In June 2019, Operating Location Pacific was established at Hickam Field, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Oahu, Hawaii. In January 2020, AFMAO assumed administrative and operational control of OLP-Yokota, located at Yokota Air Base, Japan.
AFMAO has a total force support consisting of more than 85 civilian staff and active duty Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, as well as Guard and Reserve personnel. AFMAO has many community partners, which routinely include support from the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, Joint Personal Effects Depot, Fisher House, USO and Friends of the Fallen.
Learn More about AFMAO
AFMAO Staff Agencies and Divisions
AFMAO History
AFMAO Facilities
The Campus for the Families of the Fallen
Dignified Transfer Mission