155-546: Download coordinates as: The Alaskan Air Command (AAC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command originally established in 1942 under the United States Army Air Forces . Its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise direct control of all active measures, and coordinate all passive means of air defense. In addition, the command also supported Strategic Air Command elements operating through and around Alaska. It
310-666: A 38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron RB-50 returned fire on a Soviet MiG-15, while a 343d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron RB-50 was shot down over the Sea of Japan 2 days after the Korean Armistice, while on 7 November 1954, an RB-29 was shot down near Hokkaido Island in northern Japan. By the time of 27 July 1953 Korean War cease-fire, SAC B-29s had flown over 21,000 sorties and dropped nearly 167,000 tons of bombs, with thirty-four B-29s lost in combat and forty-eight B-29s were lost to damage or crashes. SAC's first jet strategic bomber
465-641: A bomber gap grew after the 1955 Soviet Aviation Day and the Soviets rejected the " Open Skies " Treaty proposed at the Geneva Summit on 21 July 1955. US bomber strength peaked with "over 2,500 bombers" after production "of over 2,000 B-47s and almost 750 B-52s" (circa 1956, 50% of SAC aircraft & 80% of SAC bombers were B-47s). In an effort to concurrently enhance its reconnaissance capabilities, SAC also received several RB-57D Canberra aircraft in April 1956 , with
620-579: A "scathing" 1948 Lindbergh review of SAC operations in the air and at six SAC bases, General Kenney was removed as Commanding General on 15 October 1948 and replaced on 19 October 1948 by 8AF's commander, Lieutenant General Curtis LeMay . Upon LeMay's assumption of command, SAC had only 60 nuclear-capable aircraft, none of which possessed a realistic long range capability against the Soviet Union. LeMay proposed that SAC should be able to deliver 80% of its weapons in one mission. The B-29D, which had become
775-553: A "systemic problem" in the USAF's management of the nuclear mission. Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile components of the United States military's strategic nuclear forces from 1946 to 1992. SAC
930-546: A $ 179.7 billion budget and is the second largest service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, with 321,848 active duty airmen , 147,879 civilian personnel, 68,927 reserve airmen, 105,104 Air National Guard airmen, and approximately 65,000 Civil Air Patrol auxiliarists . According to the National Security Act of 1947 (61 Stat . 502), which created the USAF: Section 9062 of Title 10 US Code defines
1085-749: A SAC numbered air force permanently stationed in Europe, having tactical and administrative control of the forward-deployed aircraft and units. Beginning in 1955, SAC also moved a portion of its bomber and aerial refueling aircraft to 24-hour alert status, either on the ground or airborne. By 1960, fully one third of SAC's bombers and aerial refueling aircraft were on 24-hour alert, with those crews and aircraft not already airborne ready to take off from designated alert sites at their respective bases within fifteen minutes. Bomber aircraft on ground alert were armed with nuclear weapons while aerial tanker aircraft were sufficiently fueled to provide maximum combat fuel offload to
1240-493: A SAC Liaison Team was also located at the NORAD Command Post at Ent AFB , Colorado, and the two commands agreed that direct land line communications should connect SAC bases with NORAD's Air Defense Direction Centers . Also in the late 1950s, SAC continued to enhance its intelligence collection activities and develop innovative means of improving the survivability of its forces to surprise attack. From 1958 to about 1967,
1395-596: A badly corroded condition and required much effort to keep them operational. About 100 F-94A and B models arrived at Ladd, enough to equip all three interceptor squadrons. Of the 10 remaining Twin Mustangs, only one or two were operational at any one time. Another useful use of the Twin Mustangs was their ability to perform reconnaissance along the Siberian border and monitor Soviet use of former Lend-Lease auxiliary airfields near
1550-616: A bomber force to an intercontinental missiles as its major offensive weapon. The introduction of the F-102 Delta Dagger in 1958 to upgrade AAC's interceptor force meant a reduction of the number of squadrons from six to three. Reductions in Alaskan Air Command forces continued in 1959. In September the Air Force informed AAC that Ladd AFB had been selected along with other bases in the United States for closure. The closure would mean
1705-426: A broader dimension of time or space than do tactics; they provide the means by which tactical successes are exploited to achieve strategic and operational objectives. Tactical Level Command and Control is where individual battles and engagements are fought. The tactical level of war deals with how forces are employed, and the specifics of how engagements are conducted and targets attacked. The goal of tactical level C2
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#17328447871851860-438: A cleanup plan for drinking water around Tucson, Arizona after the region's groundwater was contaminated by PFAS runoff from nearby Air Force bases. The United States Air Force has been involved in many wars, conflicts and operations using military air operations. The USAF possesses the lineage and heritage of its predecessor organizations, which played a pivotal role in U.S. military operations since 1907: In addition since
2015-713: A command and morale plummeted. As a result, by the end of 1947, only two of SAC's eleven groups were combat ready. After the 1948 Bikini Atoll nuclear tests, the "Half Moon" Joint Emergency War Plan developed in May 1948 proposed dropping 50 atomic bombs on twenty Soviet cities, with President Harry S. Truman approving "Half Moon" during the June 1948 Berlin Blockade , (Truman sent B-29s to Europe in July). SAC also ordered special ELINT RB-29s to detect improved Soviet radars and, in cooperation with
2170-452: A commander in planning, directing, coordinating, and controlling forces and operations in the accomplishment of the mission" (JP 1-02). This core function includes all of the C2-related capabilities and activities associated with air, cyberspace, nuclear, and agile combat support operations to achieve strategic, operational, and tactical objectives. At the strategic level command and control,
2325-894: A force multiplier. It allows air assets to more rapidly reach any trouble spot around the world with less dependence on forward staging bases or overflight/landing clearances. Air refueling significantly expands the options available to a commander by increasing the range, payload, persistence, and flexibility of receiver aircraft. Aeromedical evacuation is "the movement of patients under medical supervision to and between medical treatment facilities by air transportation" (JP 1-02). JP 4-02, Health Service Support, further defines it as "the fixed wing movement of regulated casualties to and between medical treatment facilities, using organic and/or contracted mobility airframes, with aircrew trained explicitly for this mission." Aeromedical evacuation forces can operate as far forward as fixed-wing aircraft are able to conduct airland operations. Global precision attack
2480-611: A higher operational ceiling. Additionally, fewer F-102s could be utilized than the F-89, which meant a reduction in the number of interceptor squadrons without the loss of capability. Plans were made to reduce the number of interceptor squadrons from six to four, with two each at Ladd and Elmendorf. This was a complex operation which involved the reassignment of units between AAC and Air Defense Command. The F-102s began arriving in Alaska in August 1957 when
2635-647: A lower echelon, SAC headquarters divisions included Aircraft Engineering, Missile Concept, and Strategic Communications. In 1992, as part of an overall post-Cold War reorganization of the U.S. Air Force, SAC was disestablished as both a Specified Command and as a MAJCOM , and its personnel and equipment redistributed among the Air Combat Command (ACC), Air Mobility Command (AMC), Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), and Air Education and Training Command (AETC), while SAC's central headquarters complex at Offutt AFB , Nebraska
2790-848: A moment's notice. These deployments lasted until 1963. Eielson also hosted deployed KC-97s, and later KC-135s tanker aircraft. SAC activated its provisional 4157th Combat Support Group (later Strategic Wing) at Eielson in July 1956 to support additional B-47 Wing deployments to Alaska in addition to 4158th Strategic Wing to support RC-135 electronic intelligence (ELINT) operations from Elmendorf on 1 July 1960. The 4158th SW provided host station support functions for SAC wing and support elements deployed to Elmendorf during deployments from United States bases, primarily weather reconnaissance flights used for long range detection of Soviet Soviet atomic explosions with RC-135 operations. The 4158th SW inactivated in 1966 when SAC moved out of Elmendorf. The 4157th Strategic Wing
2945-515: A much faster rate of climb than their World War II propeller-driven predecessors, but lacked radar to find the bombers it was being used to intercept. However, it served its purpose by introducing AAC to the jet age. Its successor, the F-94 Starfire in 1951 was essentially an upgraded F-80 with a radar operator and was better equipped for all-weather operations. It also was afterburner-equipped for higher interceptor speeds. The F-94s replaced most of
3100-520: A nation state, or non-state/transnational actor. The Air Force maintains and presents credible deterrent capabilities through successful visible demonstrations and exercises that assure allies, dissuade proliferation, deter potential adversaries from actions that threaten US national security or the populations, and deploy military forces of the US, its allies, and friends. Nuclear strike is the ability of nuclear forces to rapidly and accurately strike targets which
3255-513: A new SAC installation specifically designed to accommodate the B-36 Peacemaker . Fort Dix AAF , New Jersey (later McGuire AFB ); Spokane AAF , Washington (later Fairchild AFB ); and Wendover Field , Utah (later Wendover AFB ) were also transferred to SAC between 30 April and 1 September 1947. Following the establishment of the USAF as a separate service, SAC bases in the United States consisted of: Those bases subsequently added to SAC in
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#17328447871853410-619: A permanent Aircraft Control and Warning system. Five early-warning surveillance sites were located on the western Alaskan coast: Cape Lisburne ; Cape Newenham ; Cape Romanzof ; Tin City and Northeast Cape on St. Lawrence Island. Those coastal sites were supplemented by three interior intermediate ground control intercept (GGI) sites, Campion , Tatalina , and King Salmon . Finally two master GCI sites at Murphy Dome and Fire Island . An additional two internal early-warning sites were added in 1951 at Indian Mountain and Sparrevohn to fill gaps in
3565-498: A plan was agreed on and funded by Congress in 1949 for ten radar sites for Alaska. Early-warning radars would be located at Elmendorf AFB , Ladd AFB , King Salmon and Gambrell on St. Lawrence Island . These radars would alert the interceptors of the 57th Fighter Group at Elmendorf, with radars north of the Alaska Range alerting the 449th Fighter Squadron at Ladd AFB. By 1950, planners had made their final site selections for
3720-405: A precondition" (Annex 3–70, Strategic Attack). Air Interdiction is defined as "air operations conducted to divert, disrupt, delay, or destroy the enemy's military potential before it can be brought to bear effectively against friendly forces, or to otherwise achieve JFC objectives. Air Interdiction is conducted at such distance from friendly forces that detailed integration of each air mission with
3875-483: A rapid cessation of hostilities. Post-conflict, regeneration of a credible nuclear deterrent capability will deter further aggression. The Air Force may present a credible force posture in either the Continental United States , within a theater of operations, or both to effectively deter the range of potential adversaries envisioned in the 21st century. This requires the ability to engage targets globally using
4030-482: A satellite of Ladd Field, and was in a standby status. Mile 26, later known as Eielson AFB had its runway lengthened to 14,500 feet and a major construction project was undertaken to expand and build new support facilities at the base in the late 1940s. The new runway at Eielson was the longest runway in North America at the time. Its planned usage was to support SAC deployments of its intercontinental bombers closer to
4185-695: A sharp reduction in flight hours for crew training since 2005 and the Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Personnel directing Airmen's Time Assessments. On 5 June 2008, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates accepted the resignations of both the Secretary of the Air Force , Michael Wynne , and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force , General T. Michael Moseley . In his decision to fire both men Gates cited "systemic issues associated with... declining Air Force nuclear mission focus and performance". Left unmentioned by Gates
4340-448: A strong focus on the improvement of Basic Military Training (BMT) for enlisted personnel. While the intense training has become longer, it also has shifted to include a deployment phase. This deployment phase, now called the BEAST, places the trainees in a simulated combat environment that they may experience once they deploy. While the trainees do tackle the massive obstacle courses along with
4495-550: A tenant activity until assuming control of Andrews Field in October 1946. SAC initially totaled 37,000 USAAF personnel. In addition to Bolling Field and, seven months later, Andrews Field, SAC also assumed responsibility for: SAC also had seven additional CAF bases transferred on 21 March 1946 which remained in SAC through the 1947 establishment of the U.S. Air Force as an independent service. Those installations included: On 31 March 1946,
4650-510: A variety of methods; therefore, the Air Force should possess the ability to induct, train, assign, educate and exercise individuals and units to rapidly and effectively execute missions that support US NDO objectives. Finally, the Air Force regularly exercises and evaluates all aspects of nuclear operations to ensure high levels of performance. Nuclear surety ensures the safety, security and effectiveness of nuclear operations. Because of their political and military importance, destructive power, and
4805-455: Is "the acquisition of information and the provision of this information to processing elements" (JP 2-01). It provides the ability to obtain required information to satisfy intelligence needs (via use of sources and methods in all domains). Collection activities span the Range of Military Operations (ROMO). Processing and exploitation is "the conversion of collected information into forms suitable to
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4960-417: Is "the employment of limited offensive action and counterattacks to deny a contested area or position to the enemy" (JP 1-02). It includes both ballistic missile defense and airborne threat defense and encompasses point defense, area defense, and high-value airborne asset defense. Passive defense is "measures taken to reduce the probability of and to minimize the effects of damage caused by hostile action without
5115-563: Is a military service branch organized within the Department of the Air Force , one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense . The Air Force through the Department of the Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force , who reports to the Secretary of Defense and is appointed by the President with Senate confirmation . The highest-ranking military officer in
5270-425: Is defined as "all the defensive measures designed to detect, identify, intercept, and destroy or negate enemy forces attempting to penetrate or attack through friendly airspace" (JP 1-02). In concert with OCA operations, a major goal of DCA operations is to provide an area from which forces can operate, secure from air and missile threats. The DCA mission comprises both active and passive defense measures. Active defense
5425-534: Is defined as "offensive operations to destroy, disrupt, or neutralize enemy aircraft, missiles, launch platforms, and their supporting structures and systems both before and after launch, but as close to their source as possible" (JP 1-02). OCA is the preferred method of countering air and missile threats since it attempts to defeat the enemy closer to its source and typically enjoys the initiative. OCA comprises attack operations, sweep, escort, and suppression/destruction of enemy air defense. Defensive Counter-Air (DCA)
5580-486: Is the ability to hold at risk or strike rapidly and persistently, with a wide range of munitions, any target and to create swift, decisive, and precise effects across multiple domains. Strategic attack is defined as "offensive action specifically selected to achieve national strategic objectives. These attacks seek to weaken the adversary's ability or will to engage in conflict, and may achieve strategic objectives without necessarily having to achieve operational objectives as
5735-580: Is the cornerstone of the credibility of the NDO mission. Positive nuclear command, control, communications; effective nuclear weapons security; and robust combat support are essential to the overall NDO function. Command and control is "the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission. Command and control functions are performed through an arrangement of personnel, equipment, communications, facilities, and procedures employed by
5890-650: Is to achieve commander's intent and desired effects by gaining and keeping offensive initiative. The origins of the United States Air Force can be traced back to the Union Army Balloon Corps of the American Civil War . The Union Balloon Corps, established by aeronaut Thaddeus S. C. Lowe , provided aerial reconnaissance for the Union Army . This early use of balloons for military purposes marked
6045-534: The 10th Air Division (10th AD) at Elmendorf AFB, replacing the Aleutian Sector. The 10th AD was responsible for the Aircraft Control and Warning (Radar) stations in southern Alaska and for the 64th, 65th and 66th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons which were assigned directly to the division after the 57th FIG was inactivated in April 1953. King Salmon Airport (AFB) was used as a Forward Operating Base (FOB) for
6200-507: The 317th Fighter Interceptor Squadron arrived at Elmendorf from McChord AFB , Washington. The 31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron arrived later that month from Wurtsmith AFB , Michigan. The three F-89 squadrons were taken off operational status and prepared for reassignment back to the CONUS. The 64th FIS departed for McChord AFB in August; the 65th to Richards-Gebaur AFB , Missouri in November, and
6355-796: The Air University , and the Air Force Center . Strategic Air Command was originally established in the U.S. Army Air Forces on 21 March 1946 upon the redesignation of Continental Air Forces (CAF), the World War II command tasked with the air defense of the continental United States (CONUS). At the time, CAF headquarters was located at Bolling Field (later Bolling AFB ) in the District of Columbia and SAC assumed occupancy of its headquarters facilities until relocating SAC headquarters (HQ SAC) to nearby Andrews Field (later Andrews AFB ), Maryland as
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6510-586: The B-50 in December 1945, was first delivered to SAC in June 1948. This was followed by SAC's first Convair B-36 Peacemaker bomber arriving at Kirtland AFB , New Mexico in September 1948. In November 1948, LeMay had SAC's headquarters and its command post moved from Andrews AFB , Maryland to Offutt AFB , Nebraska. At Offutt, the command moved into the "A Building", a three-story facility that had previously been used by
6665-614: The Bomber Mafia ), followed by fighters ( Fighter Mafia ). In response to a 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident , Secretary of Defense Robert Gates accepted in June 2009 the resignations of Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force General T. Michael Moseley . Moseley's successor, General Norton A. Schwartz , a former airlift and special operations pilot,
6820-874: The C-45 Expeditor support aircraft, but by 1947 SAC had acquired an F-9C squadron consisting of twelve photo-reconnaissance variants of the B-17G Flying Fortress . An F-13 squadron, the F-13 later re-designated as the RB-29 Superfortress , was also established. SAC conducted routine aerial reconnaissance missions near the Soviet borders or near the 12-mile international waters limit, although some missions actually penetrated into Soviet airspace. The flight profiles of these missions—above 30,000 feet and in excess of 300 knots—made interception by Soviet air forces difficult until
6975-644: The Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line) was built, and later the DEW Line was extended to the Aleutian Islands. The White Alice Communications System tied the network together. By 1957, Alaskan Air Command had reached its peak strength with over 200 fighter interceptors assigned to six Air Defense squadrons in addition to Strategic Air Command elements operating through and around Alaska, and performing other operational support missions as directed by
7130-531: The F-4E Phantom II arrived at Elmendorf. Under Eleventh Air Force, a radar system was set up to warn of Japanese attacks which stretched from Point Barrow to Shemya , however it was dismantled after the end of the war. With the breakout of the Cold War , plans were made by Alaskan Air Command to establish a new system for air defense. Discussions ensued and several plans were proposed and modified, until in 1948
7285-639: The F-82 Twin Mustang (1948) (449th FIS), these World War II-designed aircraft were equally unsuited for modern air defense operations. Although the Black Widow and Twin Mustang were radar-equipped, they did not perform well in adverse weather and suffered from the speed and altitude deficiencies as the F-51H. The first-generation jet aircraft assigned to AAC were F-80 Shooting Stars which arrived in 1948. The jets had
7440-687: The Glenn L. Martin Company during World War II. Concurrent with the establishment of this new headquarters facility, Lemay also increased SAC Radar Bomb Scoring (RBS) runs the same year to 12,084. SAC also enhanced its organic fighter escort capability by initiating replacement of its World War II vintage piston-engine F-51D Mustang and F-82E Twin Mustang fighter aircraft with F-84G Thunderjets . In January 1949, SAC conducted simulated raids on Wright-Patterson AFB , Ohio. Assessments of these simulated raids by "...LeMay's entire command...were appalling", despite
7595-600: The Great Circle Route from Japan. It was believed that Alaska was threatened more by Soviet bomber attacks across the polar regions. Shortly after the Japanese Capitulation, most airfields in the Aleutians were placed in a standby status. Headquarters, Alaskan Air Command was moved to Elmendorf Field on 1 October 1946. The Aleutian Sector was inactivated on 1 July 1947. Following the National Security Act of 1947 ,
7750-582: The United States Air Force assumed control of the original Army Fort Richardson and Elmendorf Field, gaining full ownership of its facilities in 1951. The Alaskan Command, established 1 January 1947, and headquartered at Elmendorf, was a unified command under the Joint Chiefs of Staff , based on lessons learned during the war when a lack of coordinated effort hampered operations to drive the Japanese from
7905-695: The VIII Bomber Command , which conducted the first European "heavy bomber" attack by the USAAF on 17 August 1942 ; the Ninth Air Force , which conducted the first Operation Crossbow "No-Ball" missions on 5 December 1943; the Twelfth Air Force ; and the Fifteenth Air Force , which executed bombing operations on 2 November 1943 during Operation Pointblank . The Operation Overlord air plan for
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#17328447871858060-573: The "Front Line" in case of an armed conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union for the North American continent. Alaskan Air Command was initially divided into two air defense sectors – Aleutian and Yukon. The defense of the Yukon sector was initially directed from Ladd AFB , near Fairbanks , Alaska. In 1950, the 11th Air Division (11th AD) was activated at Ladd, replacing the Yukon Sector;
8215-667: The 1957 Gaither Commission identified, "...little likelihood of SAC's bombers surviving [a Soviet first strike] since there was no way to detect an incoming attack until the first [Soviet nuclear weapon] warhead landed." As a result, SAC's bombers and tankers began sitting armed ground alert at their respective bases on 1 Oct 57. In another organizational change during this time period, SAC's fighter escort wings were transferred to Tactical Air Command (TAC) during 1957 and 1958. Finally, during January 1958's Exercise Fir Fly , SAC "faker" aircraft (twelve B-47s) simulated bombing strikes against metropolitan areas and military installations in
8370-402: The 449th had used Marks AFB at Nome, but Nome was deemed too close to the Soviet border and the interceptors were pulled back in order for them to have more reaction time on intercept alerts. Alaska's air defenses greatly expanded during 1945–1955 period. The United States built an extensive aircraft control and warning (AC&W) system along Alaska's coast and interior. The Alaskan segment of
8525-427: The 51st Air Force Base Unit, SAC also monitored radioactive fallout from Soviet atomic testing on Novaya Zemlya . In terms of overall Air Force basing and infrastructure, SAC continued to acquire an ever-increasing share of USAF infrastructure and the USAF associated budget. In 1947, before the USAF was established as an independent service, construction commenced on Limestone AAF , Maine (later renamed Loring AFB ),
8680-516: The 66th FIS was reassigned to Oxnard AFB, California in November. Instead of receiving two F-102 squadrons, HQ USAF decided to reduce the number of squadrons at Ladd to one. The 449th FIS was re-equipped with the AIM-4 Falcon missile capable F-89J Scorpion . The 18th FIS was reassigned to Wurtsmith AFB and the 433d was reassigned to Minot AFB , North Dakota. This left AAC with three interceptor squadrons in Alaska, two F-102 squadrons at Elmendorf and
8835-436: The A Building at Offutt AFB to Building 500 in 1957. The underground nuclear bunker had 24-inch thick walls and base floor, 10-inch thick intermediate floors, and 24-to-42-inch thick roof. It also contained a war room with six 16-foot data display screens and the capacity to sustain up to 800 people underground for two weeks. The below ground bunker portion of the headquarters complex also contained an IBM 704 computer, which
8990-476: The Air Force and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force retain administrative authority over their members. Along with conducting independent air operations, the United States Air Force provides air support for land and naval forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field. As of 2020 , the service operates approximately 5,500 military aircraft and approximately 400 ICBMs . The world's largest air force, it has
9145-463: The Air Force is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force , who exercises supervision over Air Force units and serves as one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . As directed by the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Air Force, certain Air Force components are assigned to unified combatant commands . Combatant commanders are delegated operational authority of the forces assigned to them, while the Secretary of
9300-410: The Air Force states as global vigilance, global reach, and global power. Air superiority is "that degree of dominance in the air battle of one force over another which permits the conduct of operations by the former and its related land, sea, air, and special operations forces at a given time and place without prohibitive interference by the opposing force" (JP 1-02). Offensive Counter-Air (OCA)
9455-422: The Air Force's readiness to carry out the nuclear strike operations mission as well as from specific actions taken to assure allies as a part of extended deterrence. Dissuading others from acquiring or proliferating WMD and delivering them contributes to promoting security and is also an integral part of this mission. Moreover, different deterrence strategies are required to deter various adversaries, whether they are
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#17328447871859610-559: The Air Forces policy of retaining low-numbered units on active duty following the war. The 57th FG was equipped with 3 squadrons of very-long range P-51H Mustangs , originally designed for escort missions of B-29 Superfortresses during the war from the Mariana Islands to Japan and back. Two of its squadrons the 64th and 66th were located at Shemya; the 65th at Ladd Field , near Fairbanks. The 449th Fighter Squadron (All Weather)
9765-791: The Air Staff to allow SAC to approve nuclear targets, and he continued refusing to submit war plans for JCS review, which the JCS eventually came to accept (of 20,000 candidates in 1960, SAC designated 3,560 as bombing targets—mostly Soviet air defense: airfields and suspected missile sites.) Although experimented with prior to World War II, SAC refined aerial refueling to a fine art. SAC's in-flight refueling mission began in July 1952 when its 31st Fighter-Escort Wing refueled sixty F-84G Thunderjets from Turner AFB , Georgia to Travis AFB , California non-stop with fuel from twenty-four KB-29P Superfortresses modified into aerial tankers. Exercise FOX PETER ONE followed with 31st FEW fighters being refueled Hickam AFB en route to Hawaii. On 15 March 1953,
9920-474: The Army's decision to station a new battle group at Ladd and increase the number of personnel assigned there settled the matter. On 1 January 1961 jurisdiction of Ladd Air Force Base was transferred from the Department of the Air Force to the Department of the Army. The army renamed the facility Fort Wainwright , in honor of Lieutenant General Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV . The airfield, was re-designated as "Ladd Field", in honor of its long Air Force service. With
10075-463: The BEAST, the other portions include defending and protecting their base of operations, forming a structure of leadership, directing search and recovery, and basic self aid buddy care. During this event, the Military Training Instructors (MTI) act as mentors and opposing forces in a deployment exercise. In November 2022, the USAF announced that it will discontinue BEAST and replace it with another deployment training program called PACER FORGE. In 2007,
10230-445: The Baltic. Since it was designed as a medium bomber, SAC's B-47 Stratojet traded speed for range. Because of this shorter range, and in order to better enable the B-47 fleet to reach its target sets in the Soviet Union, SAC routinely deployed its US-based B-47 wings to overseas forward operating bases in North Africa, Spain and Turkey. This program, in effect from 1957 to 1966, was known as "Reflex" with Sixteenth Air Force (16AF),
10385-472: The CONUS to Alaska instead. The 21st Fighter-Bomber Wing , based at George AFB , California began two-week rotational TDY F-86 deployments to Eielson AFB until November 1954 when it was reassigned to France. Air Defense Command F-89C Scorpions , replacing the F-94s, began to be received in September 1953. They were initially assigned to the 65th FIS. Two more F-89 squadrons, the 18th and 433d , were assigned to Ladd in 1954. The F-89s were an improvement of
10540-505: The Canada–US border westward and in the Aleutian Islands. Cape Lisburne AFS doubled as a DEW line site and an AAC radar surveillance site. All sites were equipped with the AN/FPS-23 continuous wave "fluttar" (Doppler Effect) radar. AN/FPS-19 search radars consisting of two identical radar sets feeding a dual (back to back) antenna were installed at Point Lay, Wainwright, Point Barrow (main station), Lonely, Oliktok, Barter Island (main station), and Flaxman Island. Construction started in 1955 and
10695-419: The Commander-in-Chief, Alaskan Command HQ and Headquarters USAF. AAC maintained Fifteen major air force bases, Eighteen aircraft control and warning sites and 12 DEW Line locations provided early warning and fighter direction. AAC's assigned strength was 20,687. Defense Department budget reductions in the second half of the Eisenhower Administration began a steady decline in AAC, along with the Soviet switch from
10850-573: The Department of the Navy. With the exception of Shemya AFB , the Air Force had no active bases in the Aleutian Islands. Following the Armistice in Korea, Shimeya was declared surplus and inactivated on 1 July 1954. Strategic Air Command established a significant presence in Alaska in the late 1940s, initially as a result of its strategic reconnaissance mission. The first efforts were in photo-reconnaissance and mapping, with very long-range B-29 Superfortress reconnaissance aircraft based at Ladd AFB. With growing tensions in US-Soviet relations, SAC explored
11005-439: The F-106 production line to build another 36 aircraft. However, ADC had heard so much about the capabilities of the Navy's F4H-1 Phantom two-seat interceptor that it thought that it might be a better idea to purchase some F4H-1s rather than buy additional F-106s. Instead, ADC chose to begin rotational deployments of the F-106 to Elmendorf AFB and onto Galena and King Salmon for alert duty. That arrangement continued until 1970, when
11160-770: The Navy , and the newly created Department of the Air Force. Prior to 1947, the responsibility for military aviation was shared between the Army Air Forces and its predecessor organizations (for land-based operations), the Navy (for sea-based operations from aircraft carriers and amphibious aircraft), and the Marine Corps (for close air support of Marine Corps operations). The 1940s proved to be important for military aviation in other ways as well. In 1947, Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager broke
11315-457: The ROMO. The purpose of nuclear deterrence operations (NDO) is to operate, maintain, and secure nuclear forces to achieve an assured capability to deter an adversary from taking action against vital US interests. In the event deterrence fails, the US should be able to appropriately respond with nuclear options. The sub-elements of this function are: Assure/Dissuade/Deter is a mission set derived from
11470-602: The SAC deputy commander, Major General McMullen, having instructed all bomber units to improve their effectiveness. To motivate crews and improve operational effectiveness command-wide, SAC established a competition, the first so-called "Bomb Comp" in 1948. Winners of this inaugural event were the 43rd Bombardment Group (unit) and, for aircrew award, a B-29 team from the 509th Bombardment Group . Given its global operating environment, SAC also opened its own survival school at Camp Carson , Colorado in 1949, later moving this school to Stead AFB , Nevada in 1952 before transferring
11625-580: The Soviet Union for possible attacks over the Arctic. The first use of Eielson was by the SAC 97th Bombardment Group , deployed from Smoky Hill AAB , Kansas in November 1947. The group departed in March 1948, with the 5010th Air Base Wing being activated by AAC as a permanent host unit for Eielson, supporting deployed SAC units from the CONUS. Other SAC units followed and Eielson hosted B-29, B-36, B-47 and B-50 wings, which were placed on alert there and ready to strike on
11780-824: The Soviet aircraft. This led to a serious debate about AAC's capabilities and the decision to replace the F-102s with the Convair F-106 Delta Dart from Air Defense Command. The first eight F-106s temporarily deployed from ADC arrived at King Salmon and Galena Airports in July 1963. In September, the F-106s succeeded in intercepting two TU-16s over the Bering Sea. Production, however, of the F-106 had ended in 1961, and Air Defense Command had none to send to Alaska. In late 1961, Kennedy's Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara spoke of reopening
11935-673: The Soviet's 1948 introduction of the MiG-15 jet fighter. Project Nanook , the Cold War's first Top Secret reconnaissance effort, used the first RB-29 missions for mapping and visual reconnaissance in the Arctic and along the northern Soviet coast. Later missions were Project LEOPARD along the Chukchi Peninsula , followed by Projects RICKRACK, STONEWORK, and COVERALLS. In 1946, the US possessed only nine atomic bombs and twenty-seven B-29s capable at any one time of delivering them. Furthermore, it
12090-606: The Starfires, and functioned well in the extreme arctic conditions of central Alaska. The F-89s eventually replaced all other interceptors in AAC, which by 1957 consisted of six squadrons and about 200 aircraft. They were maintained on constant alert at the two main bases at Ladd and Elmendorf, and the two forward operating airfields at King Salmon and Galena. Directed by the AC&;W Control Centers at Fire Island AFS and Murphy Dome AFS , along with
12245-451: The Twin Mustangs of the 449th FIS at Ladd, however about a dozen F-82s (of various types) were retained due to their longer flight endurance and their ground support capability that the F-94 lacked. Army ground units in Alaska were very limited in their movements due to the geography of the land. Most movements were up and down roads and paths and railroad rights-of-way. The F-82s would fly low along
12400-543: The US determines national or multinational security objectives and guidance, and develops and uses national resources to accomplish these objectives. These national objectives in turn provide the direction for developing overall military objectives, which are used to develop the objectives and strategy for each theater. At the operational level command and control, campaigns and major operations are planned, conducted, sustained, and assessed to accomplish strategic goals within theaters or areas of operations. These activities imply
12555-510: The USAF dwarfs all other U.S. and allied air components, it often provides support for allied forces in conflicts to which the United States is otherwise not involved, such as the 2013 French campaign in Mali . The USAF has also taken part in numerous humanitarian operations. Some of the more major ones include the following: The culture of the United States Air Force is primarily driven by pilots, at first those piloting bombers (driven originally by
12710-464: The USAF established the nuclear-focused Air Force Global Strike Command on 24 October 2008, which later assumed control of all USAF bomber aircraft. On 26 June 2009, the USAF released a force structure plan that cut fighter aircraft and shifted resources to better support nuclear, irregular and information warfare. On 23 July 2009, The USAF released their Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Flight Plan, detailing Air Force UAS plans through 2047. One third of
12865-509: The USAF undertook a Reduction-in-Force (RIF). Because of budget constraints, the USAF planned to reduce the service's size from 360,000 active duty personnel to 316,000. The size of the active duty force in 2007 was roughly 64% of that of what the USAF was at the end of the first Gulf War in 1991. However, the reduction was ended at approximately 330,000 personnel in 2008 in order to meet the demand signal of combatant commanders and associated mission requirements. These same constraints have seen
13020-568: The USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947 . It is the second youngest branch of the United States Armed Forces and the fourth in order of precedence . The United States Air Force articulates its core missions as air supremacy , global integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance , rapid global mobility , global strike , and command and control . The United States Air Force
13175-417: The United States included: In addition to bases under its operational control, SAC also maintained tenant wings at several bases under the control of other USAF MAJCOMs. These non-SAC bases with SAC tenants included: SAC also often maintained a tenant presence at former SAC bases that the command subsequently transferred and relinquished to other MAJCOMs, to include but not limited to: SAC transferred to
13330-403: The United States Air Force on 26 September 1947, concurrent with the latter's establishment as a separate military service. Units directly under SAC HQ included the 8AF and 15AF, as well as the 311th Air Division , 4th Fighter Wing , 82nd Fighter Wing , 307th Bomb Wing , and two reconnaissance units, the 311th Reconnaissance Wing and the 46th Reconnaissance Squadron . The 56th Fighter Wing
13485-658: The United States defended by Air Defense Command's 28th Air Division . After SAC's 1st Missile Division was activated on 18 March 1957, SAC HQ established the Office of Assistant CINCSAC (SAC MIKE) at the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division in California on 1 January 1958. SAC MIKE was responsible for missile development liaison, the intermediate range Jupiter and Thor missiles having been transferred to SAC for alert in 1958. Beginning on 1 February 1958,
13640-677: The United States during World War II included General Carl Spaatz 's European command, United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF), consisting of the 8AF and 15AF, and the United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific (USASTAF) and its Twentieth Air Force (20AF). The U.S. Army Air Forces ' first mission in the Strategic Bombing Campaign in the European Theater during World War II included
13795-552: The United States. This format would continue through successive SAC Bombing and Navigation Competitions through the remainder of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Commencing in the late 1950s, in addition to representation from every SAC wing with a bombing and/or air refueling mission, later SAC competitions would also include participating bomber and aerial refueling units from the Royal Air Force 's Bomber Command and (after 30 April 1968) its successor, RAF Strike Command . It
13950-646: The [deterrence] stick". Initial SAC B-29 successes against North Korea in the summer of 1950 were countered by subsequent Soviet MiG-15 fighter-interceptors, and SAC's 27th Fighter Escort Wing began escorting the bombers with F–84 Thunderjets. Ground-directed bombing (GDB) was subsequently used for close air support (CAS) missions after three SAC radar bomb scoring (RBS) squadron detachments (Dets C, K, & N) arrived at Pusan in September 1950. In 1951, SAC "began to eliminate its combat groups", transferring medium bombardment groups "to Far East Air Forces (FEAF) Bomber Command for combat." In 1951, LeMay convinced
14105-526: The ability to fulfill their primary mission. Rapid Global Mobility is essential to virtually every military operation, allowing forces to reach foreign or domestic destinations quickly, thus seizing the initiative through speed and surprise. Airlift is "operations to transport and deliver forces and materiel through the air in support of strategic, operational, or tactical objectives" (Annex 3–17, Air Mobility Operations). The rapid and flexible options afforded by airlift allow military forces and national leaders
14260-407: The ability to integrate, evaluate, and interpret information from available sources to create a finished intelligence product for presentation or dissemination to enable increased situational awareness. Dissemination and integration is "the delivery of intelligence to users in a suitable form and the application of the intelligence to appropriate missions, tasks, and functions" (JP 2-01). It provides
14415-425: The ability to present information and intelligence products across the ROMO enabling understanding of the operational environment to military and national decision-makers. Rapid global mobility is the timely deployment, employment, sustainment, augmentation, and redeployment of military forces and capabilities across the ROMO. It provides joint military forces the capability to move from place to place while retaining
14570-455: The ability to respond and operate in a variety of situations and time frames. The global reach capability of airlift provides the ability to apply US power worldwide by delivering forces to crisis locations. It serves as a US presence that demonstrates resolve and compassion in humanitarian crisis. Air refueling is "the refueling of an aircraft in flight by another aircraft" (JP 1-02). Air refueling extends presence, increases range, and serves as
14725-675: The aircraft initially based at Turner AFB , Georgia. In 1957, these aircraft were forward deployed to Rhein-Main Air Base , West Germany, in order to conduct reconnaissance missions along the borders of the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations. However, an unintended consequence of this deployment was that Hawker Hunter fighters of the Royal Air Force stationed in the United Kingdom and in continental Europe often intercepted these classified RB-57 missions as they returned to Rhein-Main AB from over
14880-430: The beginning of modern aerial warfare and set the stage for the development of the United States Air Force. The U.S. War Department created the first antecedent of the U.S. Air Force, as a part of the U.S. Army, on 1 August 1907, which through a succession of changes of organization, titles, and missions advanced toward eventual independence 40 years later. In World War II , almost 68,000 U.S. airmen died helping to win
15035-612: The bombers. Concurrent with this increased alert posture and in order to better hone strategic bombing skillsets, the 1955 SAC Bombing and Navigation Competition was characterized by radar bomb scoring (RBS) runs on Amarillo, Denver , Salt Lake City, Kansas City, San Antonio and Phoenix; and the 1957 competition (nicknamed "Operation Longshot") had three targets: Atlanta , Kansas City, and St. Louis. This use of RBS with simulated target areas utilizing mobile and fixed bomb scoring sites adjacent to major cities, industrial areas, military installations and dedicated bombing ranges throughout
15190-459: The closure of Ladd, the 449th FIS was inactivated on 25 August 1960, its F-89Js being reassigned to Air Defense Command. Along with the closure of Ladd AFB, AAC inactivated the 10th and 11th Air Divisions in August 1960. They were replaced by the provisional 5070th Air Defense Wing, based at Elmendorf. The 5070th, was quickly inactivated in October 1961, its assets being assigned directly to AAC. AAC interceptor squadrons were initially equipped with
15345-558: The coast. Eventually the lack of logistical support for the F-82 made them simply unserviceable, the last Twin Mustang being grounded in October 1953 and was dropped from the inventory rolls. The F-86H Sabre -equipped 720th Fighter-Bomber Squadron was activated in December 1953 to evaluate the use of the Sabre as an interceptor. However, it was determined that the same mission could be performed by rotating existing Tactical Air Command squadrons from
15500-455: The command and control, as well as the fighter defense of Alaska in the late 1950s, the Aircraft Control and Warning System was not immune. In 1963, AAC reviewed the radar system and made recommendations that the Bethel, Middleton Island and Ohlson Mountain sited be closed. The Air Force concurred with this study, and the three sites were inactivated in May 1963. In addition, the manual AC&W system
15655-476: The control of the Air Force Communications Service , although a few USAF-manned sites operated along the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line). It operated until the late 1970s, replaced by satellite communications technology. The White Alice sites and their antennas are now being torn down, nothing remaining but flattened mountain tops Alaskan Air Command's interest in the DEW Line started in
15810-454: The edge of their effective range. It was also found that the F-102 proved unequal to the task of intercepting other Soviet reconnaissance aircraft due to their limited range. In March 1963, a Soviet reconnaissance bomber overflew Nunivak Island and the west coast of Alaska. Two F-102s were scrambled from King Salmon but the pilots had to be recalled because of low fuel when they were within 20 miles of
15965-422: The enemy holds dear in a devastating manner. If a crisis occurs, rapid generation and, if necessary, deployment of nuclear strike capabilities will demonstrate US resolve and may prompt an adversary to alter the course of action deemed threatening to our national interest. Should deterrence fail, the President may authorize a precise, tailored response to terminate the conflict at the lowest possible level and lead to
16120-755: The fall of 1945, with the Simpson Board tasked to plan, "...the reorganization of the Army and the Air Force...". In January 1946, Generals Eisenhower and Spaatz agreed on an Air Force organization composed of the Strategic Air Command, the Air Defense Command , the Tactical Air Command , the Air Transport Command and the supporting Air Technical Service Command , Air Training Command ,
16275-483: The fire and movement of friendly forces is not required" (Annex 3-03, Counterland Operations). Close Air Support is defined as "air action by fixed- and rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets that are in close proximity to friendly forces and which require detailed integration of each air mission with the fire and movement of those forces" (JP 1-02). This can be as a pre-planned event or on demand from an alert posture (ground or airborne). It can be conducted across
16430-491: The focus of the nation's nuclear strike capability, to the extent that Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Publication 1259/27 on 12 December 1946 identified that, "...the 'air atomic' strategic air force should only come under the orders of the JCS." In addition to the strategic bombing mission, SAC also devoted significant resources to aerial reconnaissance. In 1946, SAC's reconnaissance aircraft inventory consisted of F-2 photo variants of
16585-577: The following additional installation was also assigned to SAC: Under the first SAC Commander in Chief , General George C. Kenney , initial units reporting to the Strategic Air Command headquarters on 21 March 1946 included the Second Air Force , the IX Troop Carrier Command and the 73d Air Division . Fifteenth Air Force was assigned to SAC on 31 March (15th AF's 263rd Army Air Force Base Unit —with SAC's radar detachments —transferred
16740-603: The globe to conduct current and future operations. Planning and directing is "the determination of intelligence requirements, development of appropriate intelligence architecture, preparation of a collection plan, and issuance of orders and requests to information collection agencies" (JP 2-01, Joint and National Intelligence Support to Military Operations). These activities enable the synchronization and integration of collection, processing, exploitation, analysis, and dissemination activities/resources to meet information requirements of national and military decision-makers. Collection
16895-456: The high latitudes. AAC, after investigating various options, decided to build a system of Air Force-owned tropospheric scatter transmitters that bounced radio signals off the Troposphere, and microwave radio relay sites over short ranges of about 50 miles. The WACS provided these stations with reliable, quality telecommunications. The White Alice system was operated by civilian contractors, under
17050-442: The intention of taking the initiative" (JP 1-02). It includes detection and warning; chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense; camouflage, concealment, and deception; hardening; reconstitution; dispersion; redundancy; and mobility, counter-measures, and stealth. Airspace control is "a process used to increase operational effectiveness by promoting the safe, efficient, and flexible use of airspace" (JP 1-02). It promotes
17205-611: The interceptors of the 66th FIS. King Salmon (formerly the Eleventh Air Force Naknek AAF) began being used as a FOB in 1948 The 11th AD was responsible for the Radar stations north of the Alaska Range to the northern coast along the Arctic Ocean and for the 449th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron based at Ladd AFB. Galena Airport (AFB) was also used as a forward operating base for the interceptors beginning in 1951. Prior to that
17360-727: The mid-2030s. On 22 October 2023, the USAF conducted its first-ever trilateral exercise with the South Korean and Japanese air forces near the Korean Peninsula. On 29 November 2023, a USAF Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey crashed in the Japan island of Yakushima killing 1 airman. In 2024, citing the Supreme Court 's ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo , the Air Force refused to comply with an EPA order that they develop
17515-580: The one F-89 squadron at Ladd. However, in October 1958, the 31st FIS was inactivated at Elmendorf, its aircraft and personnel transferred to the 317th FIS, making it a double-sized squadron. In March 1959, Air Force planners received a nasty surprise when radar operators along Alaska's western coast spotted on their screens a Soviet reconnaissance aircraft flying close to the Alaskan coast, but in international airspace. Two F-102s, dispatched from Galena, intercepted two Tupolev Tu-16 E or F "Badger" jet bombers just at
17670-415: The planes that the USAF planned to buy in the future were to be unmanned. According to Air Force Chief Scientist, Greg Zacharias , the USAF anticipates having hypersonic weapons by the 2020s, hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as remotely-piloted vehicles, or RPAs) by the 2030s and recoverable hypersonic RPAs aircraft by the 2040s. The USAF intends to deploy a Sixth-generation jet fighter by
17825-773: The possibility of attacking Soviet targets via great circle routes over the North Pole as part of "Project Nanook". Ladd AFB, however, due to the geography of its location, was unsuitable for SAC's postwar B-36 Peacemaker bomber as well as the new jet B-47 Stratojet . Ladd, being sited next to the Chena River, could not have its runway expanded to meet the requirements for these new aircraft. SAC chose to expand Ladd's former World War II Air Transport Command satellite field, known as "Mile 26" due to its distance from Fairbanks. The airfield's jurisdiction had been transferred from ATC to Eleventh Air Force on 1 November 1945, but had remained
17980-421: The postwar Army Air Forces. Radar Bomb Scoring became the preferred method of evaluating bomber crews, with the last of 888 simulated bomb runs scored against a bombing site near San Diego , California during 1946, subsequently increasing to 2,449 bomb runs by 1947. In the wake of the successful employment of air-dropped nuclear weapons against Hiroshima and Nagasaki to effectively end World War II, SAC became
18135-540: The potential consequences of an accident or unauthorized act, nuclear weapons and nuclear weapon systems require special consideration and protection against risks and threats inherent in their peacetime and wartime environments. In conjunction with other entities within the Departments of Defense or Energy, the Air Force achieves a high standard of protection through a stringent nuclear surety program. This program applies to materiel, personnel, and procedures that contribute to
18290-483: The production of intelligence" (JP 2-01). It provides the ability to transform, extract, and make available collected information suitable for further analysis or action across the ROMO. Analysis and production is "the conversion of processed information into intelligence through the integration, evaluation, analysis, and interpretation of all source data and the preparation of intelligence products in support of known or anticipated user requirements" (JP 2-01). It provides
18445-409: The purpose of the USAF as: The five core missions of the Air Force have not changed dramatically since the Air Force became independent in 1947, but they have evolved and are now articulated as air superiority, global integrated ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control. The purpose of all of these core missions is to provide what
18600-671: The radar coverage were identified and six more sites were funded, with construction beginning in 1955 for Middleton Island AFS , Ohlson Mountain AFS , Bethel AFS , Fort Yukon AFS , Unalakleet AFS and Kotzebue AFS . The additional sites were all operational by July 1958. In addition to the radar sites, landing strips, approximately 4,000' in length were constructed at the radar sites to accommodate medium transports, such as C-123 Provider and later C-130 Hercules capable of landing on rough runways. Also light observation aircraft were used for transport of emergency light cargo and personnel to and from
18755-879: The radar coverage. Construction began in 1950 and was plagued by unexpected issues, the remoteness of the sites and weather conditions being compounded by labor issues and logistical problems. Murphy Dome AFS, near Fairbanks and Fire Island AFS near Anchorage were completed first and became operational in September 1951. King Salmon AFS came online in October 1951; Tatalina AFS and Campion AFS activated in April 1952. The remote sites took much longer. Cape Lisburne AFS activated in February 1953; Cape Romanzof AFS, Tin City AFS and Northeast Cape AFS activated in April 1953. Lastly, Cape Newenham AFS activated in April 1954. Sparrevohn AFS, begun in June 1951 activated in March 1954 and Indian Mountain AFS became operational in November 1953. Additional gaps in
18910-486: The reassignment of forces at Ladd to nearby Eielson AFB and also some to Elmendorf due to economic necessities. In addition, it was justified that the short runway at Ladd would be compensated by the 14,000 foot runway at Eielson built by SAC. It was also planned that the Army, which maintained units at both Ladd and Eielson, would consolidate its forces, and its northern headquarters, Yukon Command , at Ladd. Discussions and political disagreement ensued throughout 1960, however
19065-521: The regional control center at Elmendorf, the interceptors were ready to intercept any unknown aircraft penetrating Alaskan airspace. AAC planners had pushed both the Air Force and Air Defense Command for the assignment of the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger to Alaska as a replacement for the F-89. The guided-missile-equipped Delta Dart interceptor was far superior to the machine-gun-equipped Scorpion, along with increased speed and range and having
19220-491: The safe, efficient, and flexible use of airspace, mitigates the risk of fratricide, enhances both offensive and defensive operations, and permits greater agility of air operations as a whole. It both deconflicts and facilitates the integration of joint air operations. Global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) is the synchronization and integration of the planning and operation of sensors, assets, and processing, exploitation, dissemination systems across
19375-597: The safety, security, and control of nuclear weapons, thus assuring no nuclear accidents, incidents, loss, or unauthorized or accidental use (a Broken Arrow incident ). The Air Force continues to pursue safe, secure and effective nuclear weapons consistent with operational requirements. Adversaries, allies, and the American people must be highly confident of the Air Force's ability to secure nuclear weapons from accidents, theft, loss, and accidental or unauthorized use. This day-to-day commitment to precise and reliable nuclear operations
19530-573: The same date directly under HQ SAC ), while the IX Troop Carrier Command was inactivated the same date and its assets redistributed within SAC. With postwar demobilization still underway, eight of the ten assigned bomb groups were inactivated before the Eighth Air Force was assigned to SAC on 7 June 1946. Despite the pressures of demobilization, SAC continued the training and evaluation of bomber crews and units still on active duty in
19685-477: The school to the Air Training Command in 1954. SAC also created Emergency War Plan 1–49 (EWP 1–49), which outlined the means for delivering 133 atomic bombs, "...the entire stockpile...in a single massive attack..." on 70 Soviet cities over a 30-day period. The first Soviet atomic bomb test occurred on 29 August 1949 and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) subsequently identified SAC's primary objective
19840-610: The sites. Once the radar project were underway, AAC turned its attention to improving its air defense data processing and weapons control functions. In May 1955. AAC studied both the SAGE and Base Air Defense Ground Environment (BADGE) system and concluded that the BADGE system would best meet its needs. BADE linked the GCI and surveillance radar sites to Combined Operations Control (COC) centers at Murphy Dome and Fire Island. As budgetary reductions affected
19995-498: The sound barrier in his X-1 rocket-powered aircraft, beginning a new era of aeronautics in America. The predecessor organizations in the Army of today's Air Force are: During the early 2000s, two USAF aircraft procurement projects took longer than expected, the KC-X and F-35 programs. As a result, the USAF was setting new records for average aircraft age. Since 2005, the USAF has placed
20150-473: The spring of 1953 when it was asked to logistically support the installation of several experimental radars built between Barter Island and Point Barrow . In 1954, once the experimental line of radars (called project Counterchange, then project Corrode, then Project 572) was proven, the USAF proceeded to install the rest of the DEW line. AAC operated two complete and one partial segments along Alaskan north coast from
20305-619: The strategic bombing of both Germany and German military forces in continental Europe prior to the 1944 invasion of France used several Air Forces, primarily those of the USAAF and those of the Royal Air Force ( RAF ), with the command of air operations transferring to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force on 14 April 1944. Planning to reorganize for a separate and independent postwar U.S. Air Force had begun by
20460-617: The terrain then pop up and initiate simulated strafing runs against them, causing the troops to take cover by hitting the muddy tundra. On occasions, the Twin Mustangs would also drop tear gas canisters, simulating gas attacks on the units. The F-82s, however, had no logistical support available and were maintained by cannibalization of un-flyable aircraft, with the last few replacement aircraft coming from Japan when Far East Air Forces sent some lower-hour airframes to Ladd after being withdrawn from Korean War combat and weather reconnaissance operations. The ones received from FEAF, however, were in
20615-543: The two governments on 12 May 1958 (the date of the opening session of the 1958 Canadian Parliament). United States Air Force The United States Air Force ( USAF ) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces , and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States . Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps ,
20770-497: The very long-range P-51H Mustang , that was designed for B-29 escort duties for missions over Japan. The F-51 (post 1948 designation) was a fast, efficient fighter that could perform close air support missions, but was not an effective air defense interceptor because it lacked radar and did not have the speed and altitude capabilities needed to intercept high-altitude bombers. Replaced by the P-61 Black Widow (1947), and later by
20925-463: The war, with only the infantry suffering more casualties. In practice, the U.S. Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) was virtually independent of the Army during World War II, and in virtually every way functioned as an independent service branch, but airmen still pressed for formal independence. The National Security Act of 1947 was signed on 26 July 1947, which established the Department of the Air Force , but it
21080-453: The western Aleutian Islands of Attu and Kiska . Elmendorf officially became an Air Force base 28 March. With tight Air Force budgets in the late 1940s, Amchatka AFB was placed in caretaker status in February 1949 and the 449th Fighter Squadron (All Weather) was moved from Davis AFB to Ladd AFB . Cape and Thornborough AFB were inactivated in January 1950; avis AFB was transferred to
21235-455: Was a sub-post of nearby Westover AFB . A 3-story nuclear bunker located on Bare Mountain, Massachusetts , The Notch was built with three-foot thick walls, 1.5 foot thick steel blast doors, and 20 feet underground to protect 350 people for 35 days. The Notch was shut down as a SAC facility in 1970 when 8th Air Force was relocated to Barksdale AFB , Louisiana. Despite this investment in "hardened" headquarters and command and control facilities,
21390-461: Was activated at Davis AFB on 1 September 1947. It was equipped with P-61 Black Widows and assigned directly to Headquarters, AAC. The only other flying unit was the 54th Troop Carrier Squadron at Elmendorf Field . Despite the wartime military campaign carried out in the Aleutian Islands , the archipelago was viewed as having little military value, other than refueling transport aircraft on
21545-437: Was also responsible for strategic reconnaissance aircraft ; airborne command posts; and most of the USAF's aerial refueling aircraft. SAC primarily consisted of the Second Air Force (2AF), Eighth Air Force (8AF) and the Fifteenth Air Force (15AF), while SAC headquarters (HQ SAC) included Directorates for Operations & Plans, Intelligence, Command & Control, Maintenance, Training, Communications, and Personnel. At
21700-662: Was also tied into the White Alice communication network. Canada joined the United States to set up the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) on an interim basis on 7 August 1957 based on an agreement between the Canadian Minister of National Defence (under authority from the new Prime Minister) and the United States Secretary of Defense. Formal confirmation of the new agreement was provided by
21855-646: Was completed in 1957. It tied into the AAC Aircraft Control and Warning System though the White Alice network of 33 troposcatter and microwave sites. Unlike the AAC radars, the DEW line stations were manned by civilian contractors, who operated the stations on 18-month renewable contracts. In 1959, the Aleutian segment of the DEW line became operational. Six additional AN/FPS-19 search set sites were built at Cold Bay (main site), and Nikolski, Port Heiden, Port Moller, Cape Sarichef, and Driftwood Bay (auxiliary sites). It
22010-504: Was concurrently transferred to the newly created United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), which was established as a joint Unified Combatant Command to replace SAC's Specified Command role. In 2009, SAC was reactivated and redesignated as the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). AFGSC eventually acquired all USAF bomber aircraft and the intercontinental ballistic missile force. The Strategic Air Forces of
22165-408: Was described as the "Western Pentagon," specifically a, "...four-story, reinforced concrete and masonry office building..." above ground and a "...segregated, adjacent three-story below ground command post." This was the description of what would become Building 500 at Offutt AFB and the new headquarters complex built expressly for SAC, with construction commencing in 1955. SAC headquarters moved from
22320-554: Was later determined that an attack by the 509th Composite Bomb Group during the 1947 to 1948 time frame would have required at least five to six days just to transfer custody of the bombs from United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) sites to SAC and deploy the aircraft and weapons to forward operating bases before launching nuclear strikes. Postwar budget and personnel cuts had an insidious effect on SAC as its Deputy Commander, Major General Clements McMullen, implemented mandated force reductions. This continued to wear down SAC as
22475-487: Was not until 18 September 1947, when the first secretary of the Air Force, W. Stuart Symington , was sworn into office that the Air Force was officially formed as an independent service branch. The act created the National Military Establishment (renamed Department of Defense in 1949), which was composed of three subordinate Military Departments, namely the Department of the Army , the Department of
22630-477: Was redesignated Eleventh Air Force on 9 August 1990 and, concurrently, status changed from a major command of the United States Air Force to a subordinate organization of Pacific Air Forces . Established on 18 December 1945 the end of World War II , assuming jurisdiction of former Eleventh Air Force , assets in the Alaska Territory . Headquartered at Davis Army Airfield on Adak, the initial mission of AAC
22785-432: Was replaced at Eielson by the 6th Strategic Wing in March 1967. The 6th SW remained stationed at Eielson until being inactivated on 1 September 1992 as part of the reorganization of the USAF command structure after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The outbreak of the Cold War in 1948 caused a major buildup of air defense forces in Alaska, as the airspace over the Arctic and Alaska was believed by Air Force planners to be
22940-451: Was subsequently assigned to SAC on 1 October 1947. Following the establishment of the U.S. Air Force, most SAC installations on U.S. territory were renamed as "Air Force Base" during late 1947 and into 1948, while non-U.S. installations were renamed as "Air Base". In May 1948, in an exercise versus Air Defense Command 's "Blue" force, a SAC "Red" strike force simulated attacks on Eastern Seaboard targets as far south as Virginia. After
23095-429: Was that he had repeatedly clashed with Wynne and Moseley over other important non-nuclear related issues to the service. This followed an investigation into two incidents involving mishandling of nuclear weapons : specifically a nuclear weapons incident aboard a B-52 flight between Minot AFB and Barksdale AFB , and an accidental shipment of nuclear weapons components to Taiwan. To put more emphasis on nuclear assets,
23250-461: Was the swept-wing B-47 medium bomber, which first entered service in 1951 and became operational within SAC in 1953. The B-47 was a component of the October 1953 New Look strategy, which articulated, in part, that: " ...to minimize the threat ...the major purpose of air defense was not to shoot down enemy bombers—it was to allow SAC ...to get into the air [--and] not be destroyed on the ground [--to allow] massive retaliation ." Concern of
23405-417: Was the consolidation of wartime Army Air Forces in Alaska and training of those forces remaining after demobilization. Its headquarters was moved back to Anchorage, and was re-established at Elmendorf Field on 1 October 1946. As well as the reorganization of the command and control echelon in Alaska, the 343d Fighter Group at Shemya AAF was inactivated, replaced by the 57th Fighter Group in keeping with
23560-519: Was the first officer appointed to that position who did not have a background as a fighter or bomber pilot. The Washington Post reported in 2010 that General Schwartz began to dismantle the rigid class system of the USAF, particularly in the officer corps. In 2014, following morale and testing/cheating scandals in the Air Force's missile launch officer community, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James admitted that there remained
23715-656: Was to damage or destroy the Soviet Union's ability to deliver nuclear weapons. The JCS further defined SAC's secondary objective was to stop any Soviet advances into Western Europe, and its tertiary objective was the previous EWP 1–49 industrial mission. In July 1950, in response to combat operations on the Korean peninsula, SAC dispatched ten nuclear-capable bombers to Guam and deployed four B-29 bomber wings in Korea for tactical operations, although this action caused SAC commander LeMay to comment "...too many splinters were being whittled off
23870-587: Was upgraded to the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) automated system The White Alice Communications System (WACS) was built in the mid-1950s to provide improved communications for the United States Air Force Alaskan Aircraft Control and Warning (AC&W) radar stations. Communications were initially provided by a high frequency radio system which proved unreliable because of atmospheric disturbances in
24025-489: Was used to develop monthly weather forecasts at targets, as well as for computing fuel consumption and fallout cloud patterns for planning strike routes and egress routes (e.g., determining the timing as to which targets to bomb first). In 1957, SAC also constructed The Notch , a facility alternatively known as the 8th Air Force Combat Operations Center (COC) and the Westover Communications Annex , since it
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