On 1 October 1996, the wing returned to a flying mission when the 91st Air Refueling Squadron and its KC-135R aircraft moved from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana to MacDill. The 6th Bombardment Group was reactivated as the 6th Operations Group to be the headquarters for the 91st Squadron and the wing was renamed the 6th Air Refueling Wing. The following year, the wing also assumed support responsibility for Boeing EC-135 command post aircraft at MacDill supporting USCENTCOM and USSOCOM commanders and a Boeing T-43 Bobcat supporting the United States Southern Command commander in Miami, Florida. The wing provided refueling support for global air mobility missions. In 1998, it deployed crews and aircraft to support Operation Northern Watch