The Southeast Air Defense Sector (SEADS), was a unit of the

US 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 Sig ...

located at

Tyndall Air Force Base Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing (325 ...

near

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is loca ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

. It provided air defense and surveillance of the southeastern region of the US. SEADS closed in winter 2005, giving up surveillance and control of their airspace to the

Eastern Air Defense Sector The Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) is a United States Air Force unit of Air Combat Command (ACC), permanently assigned to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). A joint, bi-national military organization, EADS is composed of U ...

(EADS) and the former Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS).

History

Cold War

The origins of the Southeast Air Defense Sector (SEADS) are in September 1957 with the formation of its predecessor organization, the Montgomery Air Defense Sector (MoADS) by

Air 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 inac ...

(ADC). It was established in September 1957 with a mission to train and maintain tactical flying units in state of readiness in order to defend the Southeastern United States, assuming control of former ADC

Central Air Defense Force The Central Air Defense Force (CADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960. History ...

units. Its original region consisted of ADC atmospheric forces (fighter-interceptor and radar units) located east of the Mississippi River, south of the

34th parallel north The 34th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 34 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America and the Atlantic Ocean. The parallel formed the southern ...

and east to a designated line west of the

86th meridian west The meridian 86° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, Central America, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to ...

, southeast to the southernmost point of

Key Largo Key Largo ( es, Cayo Largo) is an island in the upper Florida Keys archipelago and is the largest section of the keys, at long. It is one of the northernmost of the Florida Keys in Monroe County, and the northernmost of the keys connected by ...

Island, Florida. It was consolidated on 1 January 1959 with the Shreveport and Miami Air Defense Sectors, defining a region south of

, bordering on the east along the intersection of the parallel southeast along the Georgia–South Carolina border to the Atlantic coastline. In the west, the sector was responsible for most of Eastern Texas south of the

, including the state of Louisiana, eastwards. It operated a Manual Air Direction Center (MDC) at Dobbins AFB, Georgia. The sector's mission was to train and maintain tactical flying units in state of readiness in order to defend the northeast United States while initially continuing to operate the MDC. Beginning on 1 July 1958, it began operations of a SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) Direction Center DC-09 at Gunter AFB, Alabama. During the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

, MoADS was the forward command center for

Continental Air Defense Command Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) was a Unified Combatant Command of the United States Department of Defense, tasked with air defense for the Continental United States. It comprised Army, Air Force, and Navy components. It included Army P ...

, remaining on heightened alert for 36 days as part of Task Force 32. This period of constant alert was the longest alert period for any organization during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

On 1 April 1966, MoADS was inactivated, as were the other 22 sectors in the country. Most of its assets were assumed by the

32d Air Division The 32d Air Division (32d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was last active with Air Defense Command, assigned to First Air Force at Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama, where it was inactivated on 31 December 1969. The di ...

; the

33d Air Division The 33rd Air Division (33d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to First Air Force, being stationed at Fort Lee Air Force Station, Virginia. It was inactivated on ...

assumed assets in eastern North and South Carolina. The DC-09 SAGE Direction Center was assigned to the 32d Air Division, remaining in operation until 31 December 1969. Today it is used as offices by Air University,

Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training ...

at Gunter AFB.

Modern era

On 1 July 1987, the Montgomery Air Defense Sector (MOADS) was reactivated, and co-located with the

23d Air Division 3-D, 3D, or 3d may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality * Three-dimensional space ** 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data ** 3D film, a ...

. The 23d Air Division was inactivated and all atmospheric defense assets of the Division were transferred to the MOADS, re-designated the Southeast Air Defense Sector (SEADS). SEADS was responsible for the atmospheric defense of approximately of airspace and of coastline extending from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. It was the busiest of the air defense sectors comprising the NORAD Continental United States North American Aerospace Defense Command Region. It operated a Sector Operations Control Center (SOCC) at

Tyndall AFB Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing (325 ...

, part of the

Joint Surveillance System The Joint Surveillance System (JSS) is a joint United States Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration system for the atmospheric air defense of North America. It replaced the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system in 1983. Overvi ...

(JSS) which had replaced SAGE in 1983. This system, using the latest advances in computerized airspace control, relied on digitized radar inputs from

Air Route Surveillance Radar The Air Route Surveillance Radar is used by the United States Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration to control airspace within and around the borders of the United States. The ARSR-4 is the FAA's most recent (late 1980s, early 1990s) ...

(ARSR) sites jointly operated by the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

and the Air Force, and tethered aerostat radar balloons. More than 2,000 aircraft were detected and identified each day by SEADS technicians and operators. On 1 October 1995, the Southeast Air Defense Sector was reassigned to the

Florida Air National Guard The Florida Air National Guard (FL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Florida. It is, along with the Florida Army National Guard (FL ARNG), an element of the Florida National Guard. It is also an element of the Air National Guard (ANG ...

; SEADS re-designated Southeast Air Defense Sector (ANG). It came under the

Continental NORAD Region The Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR) is a component of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) that provides airspace surveillance and control and directs air sovereignty activities for the continental United States (CONUS). CON ...

(CONR) Headquarters at

, Florida. On 1 November 2005, SEADS ceased air defense operations and its duties were absorbed into the Northeast Air Defense Sector which is now known as the

. The SEADS transformed into the

601st Air and Space Operations Center The 601st Air Operations Center (601 AOC) is an active unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the First Air Force and stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The unit plans, directs, and assesses air operations for the North America ...

and currently performs the duties as the Air Operations Center for AFNORTH. Known

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

units with an air defense mission under EADS were: *

187th Fighter Wing The 187th Fighter Wing (187 FW) is a unit of the Alabama Air National Guard, assigned to Dannelly Field, Alabama. If activated to federal service in the United States Air Force, the 187 FW is operationally-gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC). ...

(F-16), Alabama ANG, Montgomery, Alabama *

125th Fighter Wing The 125th Fighter Wing (125 FW) is a unit of the Florida Air National Guard, stationed at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida. If activated to federal service with the United States Air Force, the 125 FW is operationally gained by the A ...

(F-15), Florida ANG, Jacksonville, Florida *

183d Fighter Wing The 183rd Wing is a unit of the Illinois Air National Guard, stationed at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, Springfield, Illinois. If activated to federal service, the wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. Overview A ...

(F-16), Illinois ANG, Springfield, Illinois *

159th Fighter Wing The 159th Fighter Wing (159 FW) is a unit of the Louisiana Air National Guard, stationed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, Louisiana. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Co ...

, (F-15), Louisiana ANG, New Orleans, Louisiana *

169th Fighter Wing The 169th Fighter Wing (169 FW) is a unit of the South Carolina Air National Guard, stationed at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Columbia, South Carolina. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air ...

(F-16), South Carolina ANG, Eastover, South Carolina

Lineage

* Designated as Montgomery Air Defense Sector and organized on 8 September 1957 : Discontinued on 1 April 1966 * Redesignated as Southeast Air Defense Sector and activated on 1 July 1987 : Inactivated on 1 November 2005

Assignments

* 35th Air Division, 8 September 1957 *

, 15 November 1958 *

26th Air Division The 26th Air Division (26th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Tactical Air Command, assigned to First Air Force, being stationed at March Air Force Base, California. It was inactiv ...

, 1 July 1963 *

73d Air Division The 73d Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, where it was inactivated on 1 April 1966. History World War II The 73d Bombardment Wing w ...

, 1 October 1964 - 1 April 1966 *

, 1 July 1987 *

, 1 October 1996 - 1 November 2005

Stations

* Gunter AFB, Alabama, 8 September 1957 - 1 April 1966 *

, Florida, 1 July 1987 - 1 November 2005

Components

Wing

* 4751st Air Defense Wing (Missile) : Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #9, Florida, 1 October 1959 - 1 July 1962

Interceptor Squadrons

48th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 48th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 14th Flying Training Wing based at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. It operates T-1 Jayhawk aircraft conducting flight training. The squadron is one of the oldest in the Air Force, being for ...

: Langley AFB, Virginia, 1987-1991 * 319th Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron :

Homestead AFB Homestead Air Reserve Base (Homestead ARB), previously known as Homestead Air Force Base (Homestead AFB) is located in Miami–Dade County, Florida to the northeast of the city of Homestead. It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW) of th ...

, Florida, 1 March 1963 - 1 April 1966 *

482d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 482d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Montgomery Air Defense Sector at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida in 1969. During World War II the squadron was a replacement trai ...

Seymour-Johnson AFB Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an airplane crash near Norbeck, Maryland, ...

, North Carolina, 1 July 1965 - 1 April 1966

Missile Squadron

* 4751st Air Defense Squadron (Missile) : Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #9, Florida, 1 July 1962 - 1 July 1963

Radar Squadrons

* 609th Radar Squadron (SAGE) : Eufaula AFS, Alabama, 1 November 1959 - 1 April 1966Cornett & Johnson, p. 154 * 627th Radar Squadron (SAGE) : Crystal Springs AFS, Mississippi, 1 November 1959 - 1 April 1966 * 644th Radar Squadron (SAGE) : Homestead AFB, Florida, 25 April 1960 - 1 April 1966 * 657th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron (later 657th Radar Squadron (SAGE)) : Houma AFS, Louisiana, 1 November 1959 - 1 April 1966Cornett & Johnson, p. 157 * 660th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron (later

660th Radar Squadron The 660th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 20th NORAD Region ( ADTAC), Tactical Air Command, stationed at MacDill AFB, Florida. It was inactivated on 15 November 1980. The unit was a General ...

(SAGE)) :

MacDill AFB MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assi ...

, Florida, 1 November 1959 - 1 April 1966 * 678th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron (later

678th Radar Squadron The 678th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 20th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The group was formed in 1970 when ADC expanded ...

(SAGE)) :

, Florida, 1 November 1959 - 1 April 1966 * 679th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron (later 679th Radar Squadron (SAGE)) :

NAS Jacksonville Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jacksonville) is a large naval air station located approximately eight miles (13 km) south of the central business district of Jacksonville, Florida, United States., effective 2007-10-25 Location NAS Jack ...

, Florida, 1 July 1961 - 1 April 1966 * 691st Radar Squadron (SAGE) : Cross City AFS, Florida, 1 November 1959 - 1 April 1966Cornett & Johnson, p. 161 * 693d Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron (later

693d Radar Squadron The 693d Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 20th Air Division, Aerospace Defense Command, stationed at Dauphin Island Air Force Station, Alabama. It was inactivated on 30 September 1970. The u ...

(SAGE)) :

Dauphin Island AFS Dauphin Island Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located east of Dauphin Island, Alabama, near historic Fort Gaines (Alabama). It was closed in 1980. Beginning in September 1982, ...

, Alabama, 1 November 1959 - 1 April 1966 * 698th Radar Squadron (SAGE) : Thomasville AFS, Alabama, 1 November 1959 - 1 April 1966 * 702d Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron (later 702d Radar Squadron (SAGE)) :

Hunter AFB Hunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart located in Hinesville, Georgia. Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet (3,468 m) long and an aircr ...

, Georgia, 1 July 1961 - 1 April 1966Cornett & Johnson, p. 162 * 861st Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron (later 861st Radar Squadron (SAGE)) : Aiken AFS, South Carolina, 1 July 1961 - 1 April 1966Cornett & Johnson, p. 172 * 908th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron (later 908th Radar Squadron (SAGE)) : Marietta AFS, Georgia, 1 July 1961 - 1 April 1966

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * ''NORAD/CONAD Participation in the Cuban Missile Crisis'', Historical Reference Paper No. 8, Directorate of Command History Continental Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, 1 Feb 63 (Top Secret NOFORN declassified 9 March 1996) Further reading * * * McMullen, Richard F. (1964) ''The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962-1964'', ADC Historical Study No. 27 (Confidential, declassified 22 March 2000) * *

External links

Radomes.org Montgomery Air Defense Sector

First Air Force Units

Photos of Montgomery Air Defense Sector SAGE facilitiesAir Force Historical Research Agency
{{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed 1987 establishments in Florida 2006 disestablishments in Florida

Air Defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

Military history of Florida Military units and formations disestablished in 2006 North American Aerospace Defense Command

History

Cold War

Modern era

Lineage

Assignments

Stations

Components

Wing

Interceptor Squadrons

Missile Squadron

Radar Squadrons

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links