First Air Force

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"1AF" redirects here. Not to be confused with AF1 (disambiguation).

First Air Force (Air Forces Northern and Air Forces Space)
CMSgt
Denny L. Richardson

The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern & Air Forces Space; 1 AF-AFNORTH & AFSPACE) is a

numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission is the air defense of the Contiguous United States (CONUS), United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Since May 2022, it also provides the Air Force contribution to United States Space Command, as Air Forces Space (AFSPACE), including support functions for NASA human space flight.[5]

It was one of the four original pre-

Great Lakes
regions. Its primary mission was the organization and training of new combat units prior to their deployment overseas. It was active in 1941–42; 1942–58; 1966–69; and with minor name and function changes from 1985 to the present.

First Air Force is commanded by Lieutenant General Steven S. Nordhaus. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sgt. Denny L. Richardson.

It has the responsibility for ensuring the air sovereignty and air defense of the

North American Aerospace Defense Command, CONR provides air defense in the form of airspace surveillance and airspace control. 1AF (AFNORTH) is also the designated air component for the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). USNORTHCOM's area of responsibility includes the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico
, and its air, land and maritime approaches.

With the transfer of responsibility for continental air defense from the active duty component of the Air Force to the

operational control (OPCON) of the Civil Air Patrol
.

History

One of the four original numbered air forces, First Air Force was activated as the Northeast Air District of the

Mitchel Field, Long Island
, New York. It was redesignated First Air Force on 9 April 1941 with a mission for the defense of the Northeast and Great Lakes regions of the United States.

World War II

First Air Force region of the United States, World War II

During the initial months after the

Pearl Harbor Attack, First Air Force organized what would eventually become the core of the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command (AAFSC), obtaining most of its forces from I Bomber Command to combat the German U-boat threat along the Atlantic Coast. AAFSC would eventually expand that mission to the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean
until the antisubmarine mission was taken over completely by the Navy in mid-1943.

Beginning in May 1942, the mission of First Air Force became operational training of units and crews, and the replacement training of individuals for bombardment, fighter, and reconnaissance operations. It received graduates of

C-46 Commando groups by I Troop Carrier Command
. By 1944, most of the Operational Training of groups ended, with the command concentrating on the training of individual replacements using Army Air Force Base Units (AAFBU) as training organizations at the airfields controlled by First Air Force.

Air Defense Wings were also organized for the major metropolitan areas along the northeast coast, using training units attached to the Wings. By 1944 the likelihood of an air attack along the eastern seaboard was remote, and these air defense wings were reduced to paper units.

By 1944, the vast majority of the USAAF was engaged in combat operations in various parts of the world, such as the

Zone of the Interior, or "ZI".) under First, Second, Third and Fourth Air Force were all placed under the unified command of the Continental Air Forces
(CAF) on 13 December 1944, with the Numbered Air Forces becoming subordinate commands of CAF.

Air Defense Command

In March 1946, USAAF Chief General

Air Defense Command in March 1946 and subsequently to Continental Air Command (ConAC) in December 1948 being primarily concerned with air defense. First Air Force Headquarters was located at Fort Slocum
, New York, from 1946 to 1949.

The command was originally assigned the region of the New England states, along with New York and New Jersey. With the inactivation of the ADC Eleventh Air Force on 1 July 1948 due to budget restrictions, command's region of responsibility was increased to include the upper Midwest states of Michigan and Ohio, along with the Mid-Atlantic region south to the North Carolina/Virginia Border.

In 1949

Air Force Reserve
units were placed under First Air Force command, with its active-duty units being reassigned to Eastern Air Defense Force (EADF) or to the 30th, 32d or 26th Air Divisions. The command was inactivated on 23 June 1958 for budgetary reasons, its assigned units being placed under ConAC.

First Air Force was reactivated at

Stewart Air Force Base, Newburgh, N.Y., on 20 January 1966 due to the inactivation of the ADC Air Defense Sectors. First Air Force assumed responsibility for the ADC 21st, 33d, 34th, 35th, and 36th Air Divisions, primarily located in the northeast and upper Midwest regions of the United States. It also was responsible for the air defense of 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.

On 16 January 1968 Air Defense Command was re-designated Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM) as part of a restructuring of USAF air defense forces. First Air Force's second period of service was short lived, however, and the command was again inactivated as the result of a major ADCOM reorganization on 31 December 1969 of the First, Fourth, Tenth Air Forces and several Air Divisions. This reorganization was the result of the need to eliminate intermediate levels of command in ADCOM driven by budget reductions and a perceived lessening of the need for continental air defense against attacking Soviet aircraft.

ADCOM reassigned the units under the inactivated First Air Force were reassigned primarily to the 20th, 21st or 23d Air Divisions.

Tactical Air Command

ADCOM was reorganized on 1 October 1979. The interceptors and warning radars were reassigned to Tactical Air Command (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), at the level of a numbered air force.

On 6 December 1985 HQ USAF reactivated First Air Force at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, and assigned it to Tactical Air Command (TAC), replacing ADTAC. First Air Force was given the mission to provide, train and equip combat ready air defence 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

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).[6]
The Continental NORAD Region, along with the Alaskan and Canadian regions, commanded North American air defense forces.

  • On 1 July 1987, four of the previous
    Air Defense Command
    Air Defense sectors were reactivated, re-designated, assigned and co-located with the four remaining air divisions.
The Montgomery Air Defense Sector (MOADS, Inactivated 1966) was reactivated as the
23d Air Division
23d Air Division inactivated 4 July 1987; assets transferred to SEADS.
The Los Angeles Air Defense Sector (LAADS, Inactivated 1966) was reactivated as the Southwest Air Defense Sector (SWADS); assigned to 26th Air Division
26th Air Division inactivated 30 September 1990; assets transferred to SWADS.
The Seattle Air Defense Sector (SEADS, Inactivated 1966) was reactivated as the
Northwest Air Defense Sector (NWADS); assigned to 25th Air Division
25th Air Division inactivated 30 September 1990; assets transferred to NWADS.
The New York Air Defense Sector (NYADS, Inactivated 1966) was reactivated as the
Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS); assigned to 24th Air Division
.
24th Air Division inactivated 30 September 1990; assets transferred to NEADS.

The Air Defense Sectors were transferred by the Air Force to the National Guard Bureau and allotted to the Air National Guard on 1 October 1990. They were operationally gained by First Air Force, Tactical Air Command.

  • SEADS became part of the
    Tyndall AFB
  • SWADS became part of the
    March AFB
  • NWADS became part of the
    McChord AFB
  • NEADS became part of the
    Griffiss AFB

First Air Force was transferred to Air Combat Command along with the rest of TAC on 1 June 1992.

Air Combat Command

In the years since its third activation, more of the responsibility for the defense of American air sovereignty has primarily 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 primarily composed of Air National Guard units 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, Florida and it comprises 9 fighter wings, 1 composite wing with a fighter mission, and two air defense sectors for the Eastern and Western regions of the continental United States (CONUS).

Units circa 2022

First Air Force also has

operational control of the Civil Air Patrol, the USAF Auxiliary headquartered at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Administrative control of CAP, to include its Regular Air Force & Air Force Reserve CAP-USAF liaison support components, remains with Air University
at Maxwell AFB.

Additionally, First Air Force provides operational control of alert Air National Guard air defense fighter units and supporting non-flying units:

  • F-15 Eagle
Detachment 1, 104 FW,
Langley AFB
), Virginia
  • F-16 Fighting Falcon
  • F-15 Eagle
Detachment 1 (OL-A), 125 FW,
Homestead AFB
), Florida
  • F-16 Fighting Falcon
Detachment 1, 138 FW, Ellington Field JRB, Texas
  • F-15 Eagle
  • F-15 Eagle
Detachment 1, 144 FW,
March AFB
), California
  • F-16 Fighting Falcon
  • F-35 Lightning II
  • F-15 Eagle
  • F-16 Fighting Falcon

Non-flying units

  • 101st Air and Space Operations Group (101 AOG),
    Tyndall AFB
    , Florida
  • 101st Information Operations Flight (101 IOF),
    Salt Lake City IAP
    / Roland R. Wright ANGB, Utah
  • NAS Dallas), Garland, Texas

New space-related responsibilities, 2021

On July 15, 2021, First Air Force, now AFSPACE, assumed the operational command and control of the Human Space Flight Support (HSFS) mission, previously carried out by the Combined Force Space Component Command at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.[5] This mission is executed by its assigned Detachment 3, First Air Force, based at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida.

Detachment 3, formerly commanded by Space Launch Delta 45, came under First Air Force control during a redesignation and change of command ceremony held at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, that day. Air Force Lt. Gen. Kirk Pierce, commander, First Air Force, Continental U.S. NORAD Region, AFNORTH, and now AFSPACE, said First Air Force responsibilities now included '..to plan, train and execute worldwide rescue and recovery of NASA astronauts during contingency operations.'[5]

Lineage

  • Established as Northeast Air District on 19 October 1940[1]
Activated on 18 December 1940.
Re-designated: 1 Air Force on 26 March 1941
Re-designated: First Air Force on 18 September 1942
Discontinued on 23 June 1958
  • Activated on 20 January 1966
Organized on 1 April 1966
Inactivated on 31 December 1969
Re-designated First Air Force (ANG) on 1 October 1995
Re-designated First Air Force (Air Forces Northern) on 1 November 2007.

Assignments

Major components

  • 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
    : 3 February 1946.
  • 1st Sea-Search Attack Group
    (Medium): November 1943-10 April 1944.

Commands

Forces

  • Air Forces Iceland
    : 6 December 1985 – 31 May 1993

Air Divisions

Districts

  • 1 Air Reserve District: 1 Dec 1951 – 1 Apr 1954

Centers

  • 1 Airborne Engineer Aviation Unit Training Center: 1 Apr 1943 – 10 Apr 1944
  • Combined Air Defense Training Center: 4 Aug 1943 – 15 Jul 1944
  • Eastern Signal Aviation Unit Training Center: 12 Mar 1943 – 12 Feb 1944
  • USAF Air Defense Weapons Center: 6 Dec 1985 – 12 Sep 1991
  • 601st Air and Space Operations Center
    : 1 Nov 2007 – present
  • Air Force Rescue Coordination Center
    : 27 Apr 2007 – present
  • Civil Air Patrol: 26 June 2016 – present

Sectors

Wings and squadrons

Stations

  • Mitchel Field
    , New York, 18 December 1940
  • Fort Slocum (later, Slocum AFB)
    , New York, 3 June 1946
  • Mitchel AFB
    , New York, 17 October 1949 – 23 June 1958
  • Stewart AFB
    , New York, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1969
  • Langley AFB
    , Virginia, 6 December 1985
  • Tyndall AFB
    , Florida, 12 September 1991–present

List of commanders

No. Commander Term
Portrait Name Took office Left office Term length
1
Henry C. Morrow
Major General
Henry C. Morrow		1 November 200712 November 20092 years, 11 days
2
Garry C. Dean
Major General
Garry C. Dean		12 November 200931 August 20111 year, 292 days
3
Stanley E. Clarke III
Lieutenant General
Stanley E. Clarke III		31 August 20117 March 20131 year, 188 days
4
William H. Etter
Lieutenant General
William H. Etter		7 March 201311 July 20163 years, 126 days
5
R. Scott Williams
Lieutenant General
R. Scott Williams		11 July 201620 June 20192 years, 344 days
6
Marc H. Sasseville
Lieutenant General
Marc H. Sasseville		20 June 201929 July 20201 year, 39 days
7
Kirk S. Pierce
Lieutenant General
Kirk S. Pierce		29 July 202031 March 20232 years, 245 days
8
Steven S. Nordhaus
31 March 2023Incumbent1 year, 18 days

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ a b c d e "First Air Force (Air Forces Northern) (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 24 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b "1st AF Mission". CONR-1AF (AFNORTH).
  3. ^ a b "Continental U.S. NORAD Region". CONR-1AF (AFNORTH).
  4. ^ "Biographies". www.1af.acc.af.mil. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d CONR-1AF 2022.
  6. ^ A Brief History of NORAD (PDF). North American Aerospace Defense Command Office of History. 2013. p. 41.

Sources

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_Air_Force&oldid=1205284358"