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| First Air Force | |
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 First Air Force emblem |
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| Active | 18 December 1940 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Part of | Air Combat Command United States Northern Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Tyndall Air Force Base |
First Air Force (1 AF) / Air Forces North (AFNORTH) is a numbered air force (NAF) in Air Combat Command (ACC) and the headquarters for the Air Force component of United States Northern Command. It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida.
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Mission
First Air Force is an intermediate echelon responsible for air defense units in the contiguous United States (CONUS). The First Air Force also serves as the Air Force component of the United States Northern Command, and Air Forces Northern (AFNORTH), the Air Force warfighting headquarters supporting United States Northern Command.
First Air Force also serves as the CONUS geographical component of the binational North American Aerospace Defense Command.
The command is unique in both its mission and composition. With the transfer of responsibility for continental air defense from the active duty component of the Air Force to the Air National Guard, First Air Force became the first numbered air force to be made up primarily of citizen airmen.
Units aligned under First Air Force/AFNORTH include:
- Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS), Rome, New York
- Western Air Defense Sector (WADS), McChord AFB Washington
- 601st Air and Space Operations Center
- Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC), Langley AFB Virginia
- Air Force National Security Emergency Preparedness Agency (AFNSEP), Fort McPherson Georgia
- Detachment 1, First Air Force, Winnipeg
- 702 NORAD System Support Facility, Tyndall AFB FL
Additionally, First Air Force provides operational control of alert Air National Guard air defense fighter units:
- 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes MAP, MA
- 119th Fighter Wing, Fargo AP, ND
- 120th Fighter Wing, Great Falls IAP, MT
- 125th Fighter Wing, Jacksonville IAP, FL
- 142d Fighter Wing, Portland IAP, OR
- 144th Fighter Wing, Fresno, AP CA
- 148th Fighter Wing Duluth IAP, MN
- 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington AP, VT
- 177th Fighter Wing, Atlantic City AP, NJ
History
Lineage
- Established as Northeast Air District on 19 Oct 1940
- Activated on 18 Dec 1940.
- Redesignated: 1 Air Force on 26 Mar 1941
- Redesignated: First Air Force on 18 Sep 1942
- Discontinued on 23 Jun 1958
- Activated on 20 Jan 1966
- Organized on 1 Apr 1966
- Inactivated on 31 Dec 1969
- Activated on 6 Dec 1985.
- Redesignated First Air Force (ANG) on 1 Oct 1995
Assignments
- General Headquarters Air Force
- (later, Air Force Combat Command), 18 Dec 1940
- Eastern Theater of Operations
- (later, Eastern Defense Command), 24 Dec 1941
- Headquarters, United States Army Air Forces, 17 Sep 1943
- Continental Air Forces, 13 Dec 1944
- Air Defense Command, 21 Mar 1946
- Continental Air Command, 1 Dec 1948-23 Jun 1958
- Air (later, Aerospace) Defense Command, 20 Jan 1966-31 Dec 1969.
- Tactical Air Command, 6 Dec 1985
- Air Combat Command, 1 Jun 1992-.
Stations
- Mitchel Field, New York, 18 Dec 1940
- Fort Slocum (later, Slocum AFB), New York, 3 Jun 1946
- Mitchel AFB, New York, 17 Oct 1949-23 Jun 1958
- Stewart AFB, New York, 1 Apr 1966-31 Dec 1969
- Langley AFB, Virginia, 6 Dec 1985
- Tyndall AFB, Florida, 12 Sep 1991-.
Major Components
Commands
- 1 Air Force Service (later, 1 Air Force Base; 1 Base): 1 Oct 1941-13 May 1942
- 1 Air Support (later, I Air Support; I Ground Air Support): 1 Sep 1941-17 Aug 1942
- 1 Bomber: 5 Sep 1941-15 Oct 1942
- Redesignated: I Bomber: 24 Aug 1943-21 Mar 1946
- 1 Interceptor (later, I Interceptor; I Fighter): 5 Jun 1941-21 Mar 1946
- XVI Air Force Service: 27 Dec 1946-1 Apr 1949
- XVII Air Force Service: 1 Jul 1948-23 Feb 1949
- XIX Air Force Service: 13 Aug 1948-23 Feb 1949.
Forces
- Air Forces Iceland: 6 Dec 1985 - 31 May 1993.
Divisions
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Operational History
World War II
During World War II First Air Force initially provided air defense for the eastern Atlantic Ocean coastline of the United States (1940-1941) and flew antisubmarine patrols along coastal areas from after Pearl Harbor until October 1942 flying non-combat capable Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" from Langley AAF Virginia. In addition, the command performed training through Army Air Forces Training Command of units, crews, and individuals for bombardment, fighter, and reconnaissance operations.
After October 1942, the antisubmarine patrols were turned over to the Coast Guard and other agencies and the command was engaged primarily in training replacements for combat units.
In 1944, the majority of the Numbered Air Forces of the USAAF were fighting in various parts of the world, such as the Eighth Air Force in Europe and the Twentieth Air Force in the Pacific. They were supported by four numbered air forces located within the United States (known as the Zone of the Interior, or "ZI".) On 13 December 1944, First, Second, Third and Fourth Air Force were all were placed under the unified command of the Continental Air Forces, the predecessor of the later established Strategic Air Command, Tactical Air Command, and Air Defense Command, which were all established in 1946.
Postwar Era
At the end of the war, First Air Force was assigned to Air Defense Command in March 1946 and to Continental Air Command in December 1948 being primarily concerned with air defense. In 1949 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units were placed under its command.
The command was inactivated on 23 June 1958.
1960s
First Air Force was reactivated at Stewart Air Force Base, Newburgh, N.Y., on 20 January 1966. During this period, the command was again charged with the air defense of the northeastern United States, Greenland, Iceland and parts of Canada. By July 1968, First Air Force had again assumed total responsibility for the air defense of the eastern seaboard, just as it had during World War II.
Its second period of service was short lived, however, and the command was again inactivated as the result of an air defense reorganization on 31 December 1969.
ADTAC
As part of realignment of military assets. the Aerospace Defense Command was deactivated in the summer of 1979. The air assets of ADC were assigned to TAC. With this move many Air National Guard units that had an air defense mission also came under the control of TAC, which established a component called Air Defense, Tactical Air Command (ADTAC).
On 6 December 1985 HQ USAF reactivated First Air Force at Langley Air Force Base, Va., and assigned it to Tactical Air Command (TAC). First Air Force was given the mission to provide, train and equip ADTAC combat ready forces for the air defense of the North American continent.
Upon its reactivation, First Air Force was composed of units of the active Air Force and the Air National Guard. Because of its unique mission and its binational responsibilities, First Air Force works closely with the Canadian Forces. Canadian personnel are stationed at First Air Force Headquarters at Tyndall Air Force Base Florida, and at the various regional air defense sectors located throughout the United States.
Activation of the Continental United States North American Aerospace Defense Regions on 1 October 1986, resulted in a new structure for the 30-year-old, binational North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Although the U.S. Air Force had already deactivated Aerospace Defense Command, the continental U.S. region, along with Alaskan and Canadian regions provided an improved command and operational system for North American air defense.
Air National Guard
In the years since its third activation, more of the responsibility for the defense of American air sovereignty has shifted to the Air National Guard. Also, reorganization of the command structure of the U.S. Air Force saw the assignment of air defense to Tactical Air Command and later, its successor, Air Combat Command.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the role of the Air National Guard in the defense of North America increased. As this role changed, discussions between the active Air Force and the Air National Guard commenced concerning roles and responsibilities.
As the Cold War began to wind down and budgetary constraints became realities, more and more of the missions previously carried out by active duty forces began to be transferred into the reserve components. By the 1990s, 90 percent of the air defense mission was being handled by the Air National Guard.
In October 1997, First Air Force became a primarily Air National Guard numbered air force charged with the air defense of the North American continent. Today, First Air Force consists primarily of members of the Air National Guard. Its headquarters is located at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. It comprises 10 Air National Guard fighter wings and three air defense sectors for the Northeast, Western and Southeast regions of the country.
See also
References
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This article incorporates text from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website which, as a United States government publication, is in the public domain. |
Much of this text in an early version of this article was taken from pages on the First Air Force website, which as a work of the U.S. Government is presumed to be a public domain resource.
External links
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- This page was last modified on 6 October 2008, at 17:52.
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