The Aerospace Defense Center (ADC) was a unit of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, 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 ...

. It was under the command of the general that also commanded both

North American Aerospace Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

and

Aerospace Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly ina ...

(ADCOM). The center included the Office of Astrodynamics (ADC/DO6) (cites "Hilton, C.G. and Kuhlman, J.R., “Mathematical Models for the Space Defense Center”, Philco-Ford Publication No. U-3871, 17—28, November 1966." and the Office of History.compiled by

History

The center was formed as Aerospace Defense Command was being disestablished, and its other assets being transferred to Tactical Air Command (October 1, 1979) and Strategic Air Command. The Aerospace Defense Center as part of an "ad hoc working group" of personnel from Air Force Systems Command and the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force studied the 1982 proposal for "reorganization of USAF space management practices" by General Robert T. Marsh. Space Command was renamed

Air Force Space Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

in 1985. After the Aerospace Defense Center was disestablished, aerospace defense history operations continued by the NORAD and USNORTHCOM Command History Office, and the

Office of History. The AFSPC command historian has been Mr. George W. Bradley, III since 199

A "Specialized Historical Document Collection" is in Peterson AFB Building 1470, and the Peterson Air and Space Museum has a library with historical Aerospace Defense documents.

History

References

Further reading