The USAF Band of the West is a musical organization with an outstanding record of achievement. The Airmen assigned to the band are highly-trained professional musicians who have dedicated themselves to serving their country through music.

The USAF Band of the West travels more than 125,000 miles annually and provides hundreds of performances to military and civilian audiences throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico. The organization is made up of the large ensembles Concert Band, Ceremonial Marching Band, Dimensions in Blue, and three popular music groups, Warhawk, Top Flight, and Velocity.  Small ensembles within the unit include Freedom Brass, Gateway Brass, Spectrum Winds, Nightwatch, Mission Winds, and protocol combos. This diversity enables the USAF Band of the West to perform practically any style of music from classical and country to marches and mambos.

The USAF Band of the West has performed for presidents, heads of state, and dignitaries from around the world earning an outstanding reputation among America's military bands.

The USAF Band of the West has a long lineage in the United States Air Force. The band was created on October 1st, 1941 at Moffett Field, California and moved to Enid Army Airfield soon after. With the birth of the United States Air Force in 1947, the band moved to what eventually became Lackland Air Force Base. The band was inactivated in 1955 but reactivated in 1959. The title "Band of the West" was used for years until May 1st, 1997 when it was granted official status.

In 2011, the USAF Band of the West was awarded its sixth Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands. The band received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the ninth time in 2012 due to its exemplary contributions to Air Force recruiting and community relations programs.

Air Force bands inspire immediate, positive, and long-lasting impressions of the United States Air Force and the United States of America in the hearts and minds of our audiences. Performing worldwide, our musicians honor, inspire and connect, reaching over six million listeners at over five thousand live and televised events each year.

Objectives

• Foster, enhance and lift the morale and esprit de corps of Airmen in the United States, outside the United States, and forward deployed locations.

• Increase public understanding of the importance of airpower, the mission, policies, and programs of the Air Force and the bravery, sacrifice and dedication of Airmen.

• Inspire patriotism and encourage young men and women to serve in the Air Force or other branches of the military. 

• Foster a deep appreciation of the rich history and legacy of the Air Force. 

• Strengthen relationships with a variety of publics to enhance the reputation of the Air Force as a respected professional organization charged with an integral role in maintaining U.S. national security.

• Advance international relationships, using music to bridge language, cultural, societal, and socio-economic differences.