The 25th Air Division is an inactive

United States 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 Signal ...

intermediate echelon command and control organization. It was last assigned to First Air Force,

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...

(ADTAC). It was inactivated on 30 September 1990 at

McChord Air Force Base McChord Field is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord Field is the home of the 62d Airlift Wing, Air Mobility Command, the field's primary mission being worldw ...

, Washington.

History

The command was activated on 25 October 1948 being the first Air Division for air defense. Its headquarters was at Silver Lake Air Warning Station, near

Everett, Washington Everett is the county seat and largest city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett is the seventh-largest city in the ...

under Continental Air Forces. The 25th AD did not assume any command responsibilities until 1949 when it became an intermediate level command under the

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), 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 est ...

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 July 1, 1960. History WADF ...

. Its initial Area of Responsibility (AOR) was a large area of the northwest

Continental United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...

, from the 103rd meridian west and north of the

42nd parallel north The 42nd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 42 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. At this latitude the sun is v ...

. This encompassed an area consisting of the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming and the western parts of North and South Dakota as well as Nebraska. During the 1950s the AOR of the 25th AD changed frequently, but its core area always included the area of Washington State west of the Cascade Mountains. On 1 January 1951, Air Defense Command regained major command status, and the 25th AD was one of four Air Divisions assigned to the new command. Later that year, on 15 September HQ 25th AD was moved from Silver Lake to

, near

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

. Beginning on 1 January 1958, it the command organization for the

Seattle Air Defense Sector The Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) is a unit of the Washington Air National Guard located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, Washington. As a state militia unit, the Western Air Defense Sector is not in the normal United States Air Force ch ...

Semi Automatic Ground Environment The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of large computers and associated networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image of the airspace over a wide area. SA ...

(SAGE) Data Center (DC-12) at McChord. A few months later, on 1 September, the

Portland Air Defense Sector The Portland Air Defense Sector (PADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 25th Air Division, being stationed at Adair Air Force Station, Oregon. It was inactivated on 1 July 1969. History P ...

, with its SAGE Direction Center (DC-13) at

Adair Air Force Station Adair may refer to: People * Adair (name), a surname and given name * Adair baronets in the Baronetage of the UK Places * Adare Manor, a manor house in Adare, County Limerick, Ireland * Bahia Adair or Adair Bay, a bay in the municipality of San L ...

, Oregon also came under the 25th AD; on 8 September the

Spokane Air Defense Sector The Spokane Air Defense Sector (SPADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command 25th Air Division (25th AD) at Larson Air Force Base in Grant County, Washington History SAGE Air D ...

and DC-15 at

Larson Air Force Base Larson Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located five miles (8 km) northwest of the central business district (CBD) of Moses Lake, in Grant County, Washington. After its closure in 1966, the airport facility became ...

toned the 25th AD. In 1959, the

Reno Air Defense Sector The Reno Air Defense Sector (ReADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 28th Air Division, being stationed at Stead Air Force Base, Nevada. History ReADS was established in February 1959 assumi ...

and DC-16 at

Stead Air Force Base Reno Stead Airport is a large public and military general aviation airport located in the North Valleys area, 10 nautical miles (19 km) northwest of the central business district of Reno, in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. A for ...

, Nevada was also incorporated. 25thAD - Map 1966-1990

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 the ...

era, the 25th AD equipped, administered, trained and provided air defense combat ready forces within the northwestern United States. It exercised command jurisdiction over assigned units, installations, and facilities and provided and maintained facilities for the Air Division control center. In addition, the division and its subordinate units also participated in numerous tactical air defense training exercises. In the late 1950s, the Division also controlled United States-built radar stations in Western Canada as part of the

Pinetree Line The Pinetree Line was a series of radar stations located across the northern United States and southern Canada at about the 50th parallel north, along with a number of other stations located on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Run by North Ame ...

. These stations were turned over to the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

in the early 1960s. In May 1960, SAGE Combat Center Number 3 (CC-03) became operational at McChord, bringing these separate Direction Centers under a unified center under the 25th AD. In July, DC-16 at Stead was reassigned to the 28th Air Division at

Hamilton Air Force Base Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, California and the inactivation of the Western Air Defense Force brought the 25th AD directly under the control of Air Defense Command. In 1966 it was assigned to Headquarters,

Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Res ...

at Hamilton, although it remained stationed at McChord. It also replaced the

in 1966. Assumed additional designations of 25th NORAD Region and 25th CONAD Region after activation of the NORAD Combat Operations Center at the

Cheyenne Mountain Complex The Cheyenne Mountain Complex is a Space Force installation and defensive bunker located in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado, next to the city of Colorado Springs, at the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, which hosts the activities o ...

, Colorado and reporting was transferred to

NORAD 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 ...

from ADC at

Ent Air Force Base Ent Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in the Knob Hill neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. A tent city, established in 1943 during construction of the base, was initially commanded by Major General Uzal Gira ...

in April 1966. Assumed additional designation 25th ADCOM Region on 8 December 1978. 25AD-NWADS-1979-1990

The division was a major part of Air Defense Command, and later Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM) in 1968. In 1979 it was incorporated into

with the inactivation of ADCOM as a major command. Under

Air Defense Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 Ju ...

. In 1985 most active-duty units of ADCOM were inactivated or reassigned to other missions, and the air defense mission came under

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...

and

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 under First Air Force. It continued its mission until 1990, when the 25 AD was inactivated, with its mission and components becoming part of the First Air Force

Northwest Air Defense Sector The Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) is a unit of the Washington Air National Guard located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, Washington. As a state militia unit, the Western Air Defense Sector is not in the normal United States Air Force ch ...

Lineage

* Established as the 25 Air Defense Division on 27 September 1948 : Activated on 25 October 1948 : Redesignated 25 Air Division (Defense) on 20 June 1949 : Inactivated on 1 February 1952 * Organized on 1 February 1952The simultaneous inactivation and organization of the division represents only a change from a Table of Organization unit to a Table of Distribution unit. : Redesignated 25th Air Division (SAGE) on 1 March 1959 : Redesignated 25th Air Division on 1 April 1966 : Inactivated on 30 September 1990

Assignments

, 25 October 1948 * Air Defense Command, 1 April 1949 * Fourth Air Force, 8 July 1949 (attached to Western Air Defense Force after 10 November 1949) * Western Air Defense Force, 1 August 1950 * Air Defense Command, 1 July 1960 * Fourth Air Force, 1 April 1966 *

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswell AF ...

, 15 September 1969 * Aerospace Defense Command, 1 December 1969 * Air Defense Tactical Air Command, 1 October 1979 * First Air Force, 6 December 1985 – 30 September 1990

Stations

* Silver Lake Air Warning Station, Washington, 25 October 1948 * McChord Air Force Base, Washington, 14 September 1951 – 30 September 1990

Components

Sectors

Southwest Air Defense Sector The Southwest Air Defense Sector (SWADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, being stationed at March Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 31 December 1994. Lo ...

: 1 July 1987 – 30 September 1990 :

March Air Force Base March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB) is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's Fo ...

, California *

: 1 July 1987 – 30 September 1990 : McChord Air Force Base, Washington *

: 8 June 1958 – 1 April 1966 : Adair Air Force Station, Oregon *

: 15 February 1959 – 1 July 1960 : Stead Air Force Base, Nevada *

: 8 January 1958 – 1 April 1966 : McChord Air Force Base, Washington *

: 8 September 1958 – 1 September 1963. : Larson Air Force Base, Washington

Wings

* 325th Fighter Wing: 18 October 1956 – 10 February 1960; 1 April 1966 – 1 July 1968 : McChord Air Force Base, Washington * 4700th Air Defense Wing: 1 September 1958 – 15 May 1960 :

Geiger Field Spokane International Airport is a commercial airport located approximately west-southwest of downtown Spokane, Washington, United States. It is the primary airport serving the Inland Northwest, which consists of 30 counties and includes are ...

, Washington * 4702d Defense Wing: 7 November 1952 – 8 October 1954 : Hamilton Air Force Base, California : Geiger Field, Washington * 4704th Defense Wing: 10 December 1952 – 8 October 1954. : McChord Air Force Base, Washington

Groups

* 57th Fighter Group (Air Defense) :

Paine Field Paine Field , also known as Snohomish County Airport, is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in unincorporated Snohomish County, Washington, between the ...

, Washington, 1 April 1966 – 30 September 1968 :

78th Fighter Group The 78th Fighter Group (78 FG) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 78th Fighter Wing, at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 February 1961. During World War II the group was an Eigh ...

: Hamilton Air Force Base, California, 18 August 1955 – 1 July 1960 *

84th Fighter Group Area codes 084 and 086 are Nigerian telephone area codes serving the cities of Port Harcourt and Ahoada in Rivers State. They fall under the Southeast Zone in the National Numbering Plan (NNP) restructured in 2003. When in Port Harcourt or Ahoa ...

(Air Defense) :

, Washington, 15 August – 1 September 1958 *

325th Fighter Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

(Air Defense) : McChord Air Force Base, Washington, 18 August – 18 October 1956 * 326th Fighter Group (Air Defense) : Paine Field, Washington, 18 August 1955 – 10 February 1960 * 337th Fighter Group (Air Defense), 18 August 1955 – 15 April 1960 : Portland Airport * 408th Fighter Group (Air Defense) :

Kingsley Field Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Oregon Air National Guard's 173rd Fighter Wing (173 FW). History In 1928, the citizens of Klamath Falls approved the sale of $50,000 worth of bonds to construct an airport. The a ...

, Oregon, 1 March 1959 – 15 April 1960; 15 September 1969 – 1 October 1970 * 162d Aircraft Control and Warning Group (Federalzed ANG) : Larson Air Force Base, Washington, 25 June 1951 – 6 February 1952 * 503d Air Defense Group : Portland Airport, Washington, 8 October 1954 – 18 August 1955 * 505th Aircraft Control and Warning Group : Silver Lake AWS, Washington, 21 May 1947 : McChord Air Force Base, Washington, 15 August 1951 – 6 February 1952 *

529th Air Defense Group The 529th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 25th Air Division at Paine Field, Washington. It was inactivated on 18 August 1955. The group was originally activated as a support ...

: Paine Field, Washington, 8 October 1954 – 18 August 1955 * 567th Air Defense Group : Hamilton Air Force Base, California, 8 October 1954 – 18 August 1955 – 1 July 1960 *

4721st Air Defense Group The 4721st Air Defense Group is a discontinued group of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with the 4700th Air Defense Wing at Larson Air Force Base, Washington, where it was last active in 1959. The group was formed to provide ...

: Larson Air Force Base, Washington, 15 August – 1 September 1968

Squadrons

=Interceptor

= * 5th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, 1 June 1983 – 1 December 1987 * 318th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : McChord Air Force Base, Washington, 18 August 1955 – 7 December 1989 322nd Fighter Interceptor squadron Kingsley Field, Oregon * 323d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : Larson Air Force Base, Washington, 26 November 1952 – 18 August 1955 * 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron :

Grand Forks Air Force Base Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado and west of Grand Forks. The host unit is the 319th Reconnaissance Wing (319 RW) assigned to the Air Combat Co ...

, North Dakota, 1 April 1971 – 30 July 1974

=Radar

= *

634th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron The 634th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 20th Air Division, Aerospace Defense Command, stationed at Lake Charles Air Force Station, Louisiana. It was inactivated on 1 July 1974. History The ...

(later 634th Radar Squadron) : Burns Air Force Station, Oregon, 20 June 1953 – 1 October 1954; 15 August 1958 – 1 September 1958; 15 September 1969 – 30 September 1970 * 635th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron :

Fort Lawton Air Force Station Fort Lawton Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located on Fort Lawton in the Magnolia, Seattle, Washington, Magnolia neighborhood of northwest Seattle, Washington. The Air Force inact ...

, Washington, 6 February 1952 – 1 January 1953; 1 January 1953 – 1 January 1953 * 636th Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron : Condon Air Force Station, Oregon, 6 February 1952 – 1 January 1953; 15 August – 1 September 1958; 15 September 1969 – 30 September 1970 * 637th Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron : Othello Air Force Station, Washington, 6 February 1952 – 1 January 1953; 15 August – 1 September 1958; 1 April 1966 – 31 March 1975 * 638th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Curlew Air Force Station, Washington, 6 February 1952 – 1 January 1953; 15 August – 1 September 1958 *

680th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron The 680th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 20th Air Division, Aerospace Defense Command, stationed at Palermo Air Force Station, New Jersey. It was inactivated on 30 May 1970. The unit was a ...

Yaak Air Force Station Yaak Air Force Station was an Air Defense Command general surveillance radar station in Lincoln County, Montana. Built as one of twenty-eight stations in the second segment of the Permanent System radar network, the 680th Aircraft Control a ...

, Montana, 15 August – 1 September 1958; 15 May – 1 July 1960 * 689th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (later 689th Radar Squadron) :

Mount Hebo Air Force Station Mount Hebo Air Force Station (ADC ID: M-100, NORAD ID: Z-100) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located east-southeast of Hebo, Oregon, located at the top of Mount Hebo. It was closed in 1980. Fac ...

, Oregon, 8 October 1954 – 1 March 1960; 1 April 1966 – 30 June 1979 * 716th Radar Squadron : Kalispell Air Force Station, Montana, 19 November 1969 – 1 April 1978 *

757th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron Blaine Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located south of Blaine, Washington. It was closed in 1979. History Blaine Air Force Station was one of twenty-eight stations built as pa ...

(later 757th Radar Squadron) : Blaine Air Force Station, Washington, 6 February 1952 – 1 January 1953; 8 October 1954 – 1 March 1960; 1 April 1966 – 1 January 1979 * 758th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (later 758th Radar Squadron) : Makah Air Force Station, Washington, 6 February 1952 – 1 January 1953; 8 October 1954 – 1 March 1960; 1 April 1966 – 30 June 1982 * 759th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (later 758th Radar Squadron) : Naselle Air Force Station, Washington, 6 February 1952 – 1 January 1953; 8 October 1954 – 1 March 1960; 1 April – 25 June 1966 * 760th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Colville Air Force Station, Washington, 6 February 1952 – 1 January 1953; 15 August – 1 September 1958 * 761st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (later 761st Radar Squadron) : North Bend Air Force Station, Oregon, 6 February 1952 – 1 January 1953; 8 October 1954 – 1 March 1960; 15 September 1969 – 11 February 1980 *

777th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron The 777th Radar Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Northwest Air Defense Sector, Tactical Air Command, stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It was inactivated on 15 September 1991. Fr ...

(later 777th Radar Squadron) : Klamath Air Force Station, California, 1 March 1959 – 1 March 1960; 15 September 1969 – 30 September 1981 *

821st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

: Geiger Field, Washington, 15 August – 1 September 1958 : Baker Air Force Station, Oregon, 15 May – 1 July 1960 * 822d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Cottonwood Air Force Station, Idaho, 15 August – 1 September 1958 *

823d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron Mica Peak Air Force Station (ADC ID: SM-151, NORAD ID: Z-141) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located atop Mica Peak, east-northeast of Mica, Washington. It was closed in 1975 by the Air Force, a ...

(later 823d Radar Squadron) : Mica Peak Air Force Station, Washington, 15 August – 1 September 1958; 1 April 1966 – 1 June 1975 * 825th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron :

Kamloops Air Station Canadian Forces Station Kamloops (ADC ID: SM-153/C-153) is a closed General Surveillance Radar station. It is located northeast of Kamloops, British Columbia. It was closed in 1988. It was operated as part of the Pinetree Line network contro ...

, British Columbia, 1 September 1957 – 15 March 1960 * 827th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (later 827th Radar Squadron) : Keno Air Force Station, Oregon, 1 March 1959 – 1 March 1960; 1 March 1970 – 1 October 1979 * 859th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Red Bluff Air Force Station, California, 1 March 1959 – 1 March 1960 *

917th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron The 917th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Seattle Air Defense Sector, Air Defense Command, stationed at Puntzi Mountain Air Force Station, British Columbia. It was in ...

: Puntzi Mountain Air Station, British Columbia, 1 January 1953 – 1 March 1960 * 918th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Baldy Hughes Air Station, British Columbia, 16 February 1953 – 1 March 1960 *

919th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron The 919th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Spokane Air Defense Sector, Air Defense Command, stationed at Saskatoon Mountain Air Station, Alberta, Canada. It was inactiva ...

Saskatoon Mountain Air Station Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as ...

, Alberta, 16 February 1953 – 15 March 1960

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * "ADCOM's Fighter Interceptor Squadrons". ''The Interceptor'' (January 1979) Aerospace Defense Command, (Volume 21, Number 1) {{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed 025 Military units and formations established in 1948 Military units and formations disestablished in 1990 Military units and formations in Washington (state)