The Central Air Defense Force (CADF) is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

organization. Its last assignment was with

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air De ...

being stationed at

Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base Richards-Gebaur Memorial Airport is a former airport that operated alongside Richards-Gebaur Air Reserve Station (also Richards-Gebaur Air Force Station) until the base's closure in 1994, and until it was closed in 1999. Formerly, it was oper ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. It was inactivated on 1 July 1960.

History

CADF was an intermediate-level command and control organization of Air Defense Command. Its origins date to 1 March 1949 when

Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary aug ...

(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. Central Air Defense Force (CADF) was activated as a third subordinate region under the re-established Air Defense Command in February 1951 to better organize ADC units in the Central and Southeast United States, its initial region being defined in the west as the area east of the 102nd degree of longitude, from the Canada–US border in the north to the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

border between the United States and Mexico in the south. The eastern boundary of the CADF was the area west of the 90th degree of longitude from the Michigan shoreline of Lake Superior south to the point of the Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee state boundaries, and eastward to the Atlantic Ocean coastline along the Tennessee–Kentucky and Virginia–North Carolina border, with all areas south and west of those boundaries. The delineation was again adjusted in March 1956 to the region generally to the east of the 114th degree of longitude, roughly along the eastern borders of Idaho, Nevada and California from the Canada–US border in the north to the Mexican border in the south. The southeast region east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

was reassigned to EADF. Central Air Defense Force was inactivated on 1 July 1960, with its assigned units reassigned either to 29th, 30th or 33rd Air Divisions, or to the new Air Defense Sectors created with the advent of the

Semi Automatic Ground Environment The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of mainframe computer, large computers and associated computer network, networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image ...

(SAGE) system.

Lineage

* Constituted as Central Air Defense Force (CADF) on 5 February 1951 : Activated on 1 March 1951 : Inactivated on 1 July 1960

Assignments

, 1 February 1951 – 1 July 1960

Stations

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

, Missouri, 5 February 1951 * Grandview AFB, Missouri, 24 February 1954 : Site re-designated: Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri, 27 April 1957 – 1 July 1960

Components

Air Divisions

20th Air Division The 20th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida where it was inactivated on 1 March 1983. During most of the division's history it ...

: Activated at: Grandview AFB, Missouri on 8 October 1955 : Assigned to Central Air Defense Force : Site re-designated: Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri, 27 April 1957 : Inactivate on 1 July 1960 *

29th Air Division The 29th Air Division (29th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at Duluth International Airport, Minnesota. It was inactivated on 15 November 1969. History ...

: Stationed at: Great Falls AFB, Montana : Re-assigned to Central Air Defense Force 16 February 1953 from

Western Air Defense Force The Western Air Defense Force (WADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 July 1960. History WA ...

(WADF) : Site re-designated: Malmstrom AFB, 15 June 1956 : Re-designated 29th Air Division (SAGE) and reassigned to Air Defense Command, 1 January 1960 *

31st Air Division The 31st Air Division (31st AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to Tenth Air Force, being stationed at Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa. It was inactivated on 3 ...

: Stationed at:

Fort Snelling Fort Snelling is a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The military site was initially named Fort Saint An ...

, Minnesota on 20 May 1951 : Re-assigned to Central Air Defense Force 16 February 1953 from

Eastern Air Defense Force The Eastern Air Defense Force (EADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on 1 July 1960. History EADF wa ...

(EADF) : Inactivated 1 January 1960 *

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 ...

: Stationed at:

Tinker AFB Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant United States Navy, U.S. Navy and other United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in Oklahoma County, Okl ...

, Oklahoma, 20 May 1951 : Re-assigned to Central Air Defense Force 16 February 1953 from

(EADF) : Moved to

Oklahoma City AFS Oklahoma City Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-52, NORAD-ID: Z-52) is a closed Cold War United States Air Force air defense and communications-electronics headquarters and radar station. It was located east-southeast of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, ju ...

, 1 July 1956 : Re-designated 33d Air Division (SAGE) and reassigned to Air Defense Command, 1 January 1960 *

34th Air Division The 34th Air Division (34th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command at Custer Air Force Station, Michigan. It was inactivated on 31 December 1969. History Assigned to Air Def ...

(Defense) : Stationed at:

Kirtland AFB Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base. It is located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico, urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator C ...

, New Mexico, 16 February 1953 : Re-assigned to Central Air Defense Force 16 February 1953 from

(WADF) : Inactivated 1 January 1960 *

35th Air Division The 35th Air Division (35th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to First Air Force, at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Hancock Field, New York. It was inac ...

: Activated at:

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

on 1 July 1951 : Assigned to Central Air Defense Force : Moved to

Dobbins AFB Dobbins Air Reserve Base or Dobbins ARB is a United States Air Force reserve air base located in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb about northwest of Atlanta. Originally known as Dobbins Air Force Base, it was named in honor of Captain Charles M ...

, Georgia on 1 September 1951 : Re-assigned to

(EADF), 10 April 1955

Wings

* 122d Fighter-Interceptor Wing : Federalized

Indiana Air National Guard The Indiana Air National Guard (IN ANG) is the aerial militia of the Indiana, state of Indiana, United States, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Indiana Army National Guard, an element of ...

, 10 February 1951 : Stationed at

Baer Field Baer (or Bär, from ) or Van Baer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Baer * Alan Baer, American tuba player * Arthur "Bugs" Baer (1886–1969), American journalist and humorist * Buddy Baer (1915–1986), American boxer * ...

, Indiana : Re-assigned to Central Air Defense Force 1 December 1951 from

(EADF) : Inactivated and returned to state control, 7 February 1952 * 128th Fighter-Interceptor Wing : Federalized

Wisconsin Air National Guard The Wisconsin Air National Guard (WI ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Wisconsin, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Wisconsin Army National Guard, an element of the Wisconsin Nat ...

, 10 February 1951 : Stationed at Truax Field, Wisconsin : Re-assigned to Central Air Defense Force 20 May 1951 from

(EADF) : Inactivated and returned to state control, 6 February 1952 * 133d Fighter-Interceptor Wing : Federalized

Minnesota Air National Guard The Minnesota Air National Guard (MN ANG) is the aerial militia of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Minnesota Army National Guard, an element of the Minnesota National Guard of the lar ...

, 10 February 1951 : Stationed at

Holman Field St. Paul Downtown Airport , also known as Holman Field, is an airport just across the Mississippi River from downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is one of several reliever airports in the Twin Cities operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commis ...

, Minnesota : Re-assigned to Central Air Defense Force 20 May 1951 from

(EADF) : Moved to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, 28 June 1951 : Inactivated and returned to state control, 6 February 1952

Groups

* 153d Aircraft Control and Warning Group : Federalized

Pennsylvania Air National Guard The Pennsylvania Air National Guard (PA ANG) is the aerial militia of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard an element of the Pennsylvania National Guar ...

, 16 January 1952 : Stationed at

New Cumberland, Pennsylvania New Cumberland is a borough in the easternmost region of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. New Cumberland was incorporated on March 21, 1831. The population was 7,507 at the 2020 census. The borough is noted for its historic downto ...

, assigned to Central Air Defense Force : Personnel used to fill vacancies in the

; inactivated 6 February 1952 * 159th Aircraft Control and Warning Group : Federalized

Oklahoma Air National Guard The Oklahoma Air National Guard (OK ANG) is the aerial militia of the Oklahoma, State of Oklahoma, United States, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Oklahoma Army National Guard an element o ...

, 1 June 1951 : Stationed at

, Oklahoma : Attached to

, 19 June 1951 : Inactivated and returned to state control, 6 February 1952 * 161st Aircraft Control and Warning Group : Federalized

California Air National Guard The California Air National Guard (CA ANG) is one of three components of the California National Guard, a reserve of the United States Air Force, and part of the National Guard of the United States. As militia units, the units in the Californi ...

, 28 January 1952 : Stationed at

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, assigned to Central Air Defense Force : Personnel used to fill vacancies in numerous CADF units; inactivated 6 February 1952 *

543d Aircraft Control and Warning Group The 543d Aircraft Control and Warning Group is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 31st Air Division, Air Defense Command, stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. It was inactivated on 10 February 1952. History T ...

: Assigned to Central Air Defense Force : Stationed at

, Minnesota on 1 January 1951 : Re-assigned to

(Defense), 10 July 1951 * 4676th Air Defense Group : Assigned to Central Air Defense Force : Stationed at Grandview AFB, Missouri : Re-assigned to

, 2 March 1954

References

* USAF Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, January 1979 (Volume 21, Number 1) * Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. * Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. * A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado * Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.

External links

{{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed Aerospace Defense Command units 1951 establishments in Missouri 1960 disestablishments in Missouri