Western Air Defense Force

The Western Air Defense Force (WADF) is an inactive Air Defense Command being stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960.

1 History

History

WADF was an intermediate-level command and control organization of Air Defense Command. Its origins date to 1 March 1949 when Continental Air Command (ConAC) reorganized Air Defense Command when it became an operating agency. Air defense units within the Continental United States (CONUS) were given to the Eastern and Western Air Defense Liaison Groups, with Western and Eastern Air Defense Forces activated on 1 September 1949.

The command was originally assigned the region within the Continental United States (CONUS) to the west of the 102d degree of longitude, from the Canadian border in the north to the Rio Grande border between the United States and Mexico in the south and west to the Pacific Ocean coastline. This was adjusted in 1951 with the activation of Central Air Defense Force (CADF) with the region being adjusted slightly to the west to the border of Montana and North Dakota at the Canadian Border, south along the eastern borders of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico to the Mexican Border. Organizations stationed east of that boundary were transferred to CADF.

The delineation was again adjusted in March 1956 to the region generally to the west of the 114th degree of longitude, roughly along the eastern borders of Idaho, Nevada and California from the Canadian border in the north to the Mexican border in the south. Organizations stationed east of that boundary were transferred to CADF, whose region was shifted westward.

Western Air Defense Force was inactivated on 1 July 1960, with its assigned units reassigned either to 25th or 28th Air Divisions, or to the new Air Defense Sectors created with the advent of the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system.

Lineage

Established as Western Air Defense Force and organized September 1, 1949.

Discontinued July 1, 1960

Assignments

Continental Air Command, September 1, 1949 – January 1, 1951
Air Defense Command, January 1, 1951 – July 1, 1960

Stations

Hamilton AFB, California, September 1, 1949 – July 1, 1960

Components

Air Divisions

8th Air Division (AEW&Con)

Stationed at McClellan AFB, California

Activated by Western Air Defense Force, 1 May 1954

Re-assigned to Air Defense Command, 1 May 1955

9th Air Division (Defense)

Stationed at Geiger Field, Washington

Activated by Western Air Defense Force, 8 October 1954

Inactivated on 15 August 1958

25th Air Division

Stationed at Silver Lake, Washington

Re-assigned to Western Air Defense Force from Fourth Air Force, 1 February 1950

Moved to McChord AFB, Washington, 15 September 1951

Re-designated 25th Air Division (SAGE), 1 March 1959

Re-assigned to Air Defense Command, 1 July 1960

27th Air Division (Defense)

Stationed at Norton AFB, California

Activated by Western Air Defense Force, 20 September 1950

Inactivated on 1 October 1959

[[28th Air

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Western Air Defense Force