I have been a KC-10 flight engineer since 1985 and am currently the AMC
command flight engineer.
Sorry, but the KC-10 fleet has always belonged to the active duty. From the
very beginning of the program each active duty wing had an associate reserve
wing along side it. They were originally at Barksdale, March and Seymour
Johnson. Each base had two active and one reserve flying squadron. In the
early-mid nineties all were moved to Travis and McGuire. Each base now has
two active and two (smaller) reserve squadrons. The reserves provide both
aircrews (about half as many as the active duty) and maintenance personnel.
Both the reserve and active wing patches are painted on the side of the
airplane, but the active duty wing commander owns the aircraft. There have
never been any stand-alone reserve units with KC-10s.

I have read occasional references (usually in photo captions) to airplanes
being "assigned" to the reserves but they are incorrect. In practice
however, it doesn't make a lot of difference. Mission taskings are handed
out based on personnel availability, training requirements and sometimes
qualifications for a particular mission. Based on the statement above,
reserve aircrews fly about one third of all KC-10 missions. We frequently
fly mixed aircrews from different units, plus active & reserve crews train &
deploy together.

CMSgt Curtiss Knowles


No KC-10s are assigned to the reserves. Both bases (McGuire & Travis)
have
an associate reserve unit but I can assure you the active duty units
"own"
the airplanes.

That is just one place. But I can only speak from over 10 years ago and
things change. But 10 years ago, the primary 10 was with the Reserves.