The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a

numbered air force A Numbered Air Force (NAF) is a type of organization in the United States Air Force that is subordinate to a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, major command (MAJCOM) and has assigned to it operational units such as wings, squ ...

of the United States

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 ...

(AFSPC). It was headquartered at

Vandenberg Air Force Base Vandenberg may refer to: * Vandenberg (surname), including a list of people with the name * USS General Harry Taylor (AP-145), USNS ''General Hoyt S. Vandenberg'' (T-AGM-10), transport ship in the United States Navy, sank as an artificial reef in K ...

, California. The command was responsible for the organization, training, equipping, command and control, and employment of Air Force space forces to support operational plans and missions for U.S. combatant commanders and their subordinate components and was the Air Force Component to U.S. Strategic Command for space operations. Established on 5 March 1943 at

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...

, China, 14 AF was a

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

combat air force activated in the

Asiatic-Pacific Theater The Asiatic-Pacific Theater was the theater of operations of U.S. forces during World War II in the Pacific War during 1941–1945. From mid-1942 until the end of the war in 1945, two U.S. operational commands were in the Pacific. The Pacific O ...

of World War II. It primarily fought in China. After World War II Fourteenth Air Force subsequently served

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 ...

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 au ...

, and the Air Force Reserve (AFR). 14 AF was commanded by

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Stephen N. Whiting. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant was Chief Master Sergeant Patrick F. McMahon. ^& On 20 December 2019, the USAF's Fourteenth Air Force was redesignated as the

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...

Space Operations Command Space Operations Command (SpOC) is the United States Space Force's space operations, cyber operations, and intelligence field command. It is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado and serves as the U.S. Space Force's service com ...

(SPOC). On 21 Oct 2020, Space Operations Command, HQ was redesignated back to Fourteenth Air Force and inactivated.

History

World War II

1st American Volunteer group

With the United States entry into World War II against the Empire of Japan in December 1941,

Claire Chennault Claire Lee Chennault (September 6, 1893 – July 27, 1958) was an American military aviator best known for his leadership of the "Flying Tigers" and the Chinese Air Force in World War II. Chennault was a fierce advocate of "pursuit" or fighte ...

, the commander of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) (known as the

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...

) of the

Chinese Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...

was called to

Chungking Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Coun ...

, China, on 29 March 1942, for a conference to decide the fate of the AVG. Present at the conference were

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

; his wife, Madame Chiang Kai-shek; Lt. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell, commander of all U.S. forces in the China Burma India Theater; and Colonel

Clayton L. Bissell Major General Clayton Lawrence Bissell (July 29, 1893 – December 24, 1972) was an air officer in the United States Army and United States Army Air Forces during World War I and World War II. World War I service Bissell graduated from Valpara ...

, who had arrived in early March. Bissell was General Henry H. 'Hap' Arnold's choice to command the USAAF's proposed combat organization in China. As early as 30 December 1941, the U.S. War Department in Washington, D.C., had authorized the induction of the Flying Tigers into the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF). Chennault was opposed to inducting the Flying Tigers into the Army. Stilwell and Bissell made it clear to both Chennault and Chiang that unless the AVG became part of the U.S. Army Air Force, its supplies would be cut off. Chennault agreed to return to active duty but he made it clear to Stilwell that his men would have to speak for themselves. Chiang Kai-shek finally agreed to induction of the AVG into the USAAF, after Stilwell promised that the fighter group absorbing the induction would remain in China with Chennault in command. With the situation in Burma rapidly deteriorating, Stilwell and Bissell wanted the AVG dissolved by 30 April 1942. Chennault, wanting to keep the Flying Tigers going as long as possible, proposed the group disband on 4 July, when the AVG's contracts with the Nationalist Chinese government expired. Stilwell and Bissell accepted.

China Air Task Force

Chennault was recalled to active duty in the USAAF on 15 April 1942 in the grade of Major General. Chennault was told that he would have to be satisfied with command of a ''

China Air Task Force The China Air Task Force (CATF) was a combat organization of the United States Army Air Forces created in July 1942 under the command of Brig. Gen. Claire Chennault, after the Flying Tigers of the 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air F ...

'' of fighters and bombers as part of the

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 ...

. Its mission was to defend the aerial supply operation over the

Himalayan mountains The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

between India and China – nicknamed

the Hump The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek an ...

– and to provide air support for Chinese ground forces. Bissell had been promoted to brigadier general with one day's seniority to Chennault in order to command all American air units in China as Stillwell's Air Commander (in August 1942 he became commanding general of the Tenth Air Force). Friction developed when Chennault and the Chinese government were disturbed by the possibility that Chennault would no longer control combat operations in China. However, when Tenth Air Force commanding general Lewis Brereton was transferred to Egypt on 26 June, Stillwell used the occasion to issue an announcement that Chennault would continue to command all air operations in China. The CATF had 51 fighters in July 1942: 31 Curtiss 81A-1 (export Tomahawks) and P-40B Tomahawks, and 20 P-40E Warhawks. Only 29 were flyable. The 81A-1s and P-40Bs were from the original 100 fighters China had purchased for use by the Flying Tigers; the P-40E Warhawks had been flown from India to China in May 1942 as part of the 23rd Fighter Group, attached to the AVG to gain experience and provide continuity to the takeover of operations of the AVG. Both fighters were good medium-altitude day fighters, with their best performance between 15,000 and 18,000 feet, and they were excellent ground-strafing aircraft. The 11th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), consisting of the seven B-25s flown in from India, made up the bomber section of Chennault's command. These seven B-25C Mitchells were the remnants of an original 12 sent from India. Four were lost on a bombing mission en route and a fifth developed mechanical problems such that it was grounded and used for spare parts. The AVG was disbanded on 4 July 1942, simultaneous with the activation of the 23rd FG. Its personnel were offered USAAF commissions but only five of the AVG pilots accepted them. The remainder of the AVG pilots, many disgruntled with Bissell, became civilian transport pilots in China, went back to America into other jobs, or joined or rejoined the other military services and fought elsewhere in the war. An example was Fritz Wolf who returned to the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant, senior grade and assigned as fighter pilot instructor at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida. The 23rd Fighter Group with the 74th, 75th and 76th Fighter squadrons, its table of organization rounded out by the transfer of men and P-40s from two squadrons of the 51st Fighter Group in India. A fourth fighter squadron for the 23rd Group was obtained by subterfuge. In June and July 1942, Chennault got the Tenth Air Force to relocate the 51st FG's 16th Fighter Squadron, commanded by Major

John Alison John Richardson Alison (November 21, 1912 – June 6, 2011) was a highly decorated American combat ace of World War II and is often cited as the father of Air Force Special Operations. Early years Born in Micanopy, Florida, near Gainesville ...

, to his main base in Kunming, China, to gain combat experience. Chennault took them into the CATF – and never returned them. On 19 March 1943, the CATF was disbanded and its units made part of the newly activated Fourteenth Air Force, with Chennault, now a major general, still in command. In the nine months of its existence, the China Air Task Force shot down 149 Japanese planes, plus 85 probables, with a loss of only 16 P-40s. It had flown 65 bombing missions against Japanese targets in China, Burma and Indochina, dropping 311 tons of bombs and losing only one B-25 bomber. The members of Fourteenth Air Force and the US press adopted the name Flying Tigers for themselves after the AVG's dissolution. Especially the 23d Fighter Group was often called by the same nickname.

Fourteenth Air Force

The Fourteenth Air Force official web siteFourteenth Airforce History

' says: :After the China Air Task Force was discontinued, the Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF) was established by the special order of President

Roosevelt Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Rooseve ...

on 10 March 1943. Chennault was appointed the commander and promoted to Major General. The "Flying Tigers" of 14 AF (who adopted the "Flying Tigers" designation from the AVG) conducted highly effective fighter and bomber operations along a wide front that stretched from the bend of the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...

and

Tsinan Jinan (), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanization of Chinese, romanized as Tsinan, is the Capital (political), capital of Shandong province in East China, Eastern China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is the second-largest city i ...

in the north to

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

in the south, from

Chengtu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese province ...

and the

Salween River , ''Mae Nam Salawin'' ( , name_etymology = , image = Sweet_View_of_Salween_River_in_Tang_Yan_Township,_Shan_State,_Myanmar.jpg , image_size = , image_caption = Salween River in Shan State, Myanmar , map ...

in the west to both

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

and

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

s and the island of Formosa in the east. They were also instrumental in supplying Chinese forces through the airlift of cargo across "

The Hump The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek an ...

" in the China-Burma-India theater. By the end of World War II, 14 AF had achieved air superiority over the skies of China and established a ratio of 7.7 enemy planes destroyed for every American plane lost in combat. Over all, military officials estimated that over 4,000 Japanese planes were destroyed or damaged in the China-Burma-India theater during World War II. In addition, they estimated that air units in China destroyed 1,100,000 tons of shipping, 1,079 locomotives, 4,836 trucks and 580 bridges. The United States Army Air Forces credits 14 AF with the destruction of 2,315 Japanese aircraft, 356 bridges, 1,225 locomotives and 712 railroad cars.

Chinese-American Composite Wing

In addition to the core Fourteenth Air Force (14AF) structure, a second group, the Chinese-American Composite Wing (CACW), existed as a combined 1st Bomber, 3rd Fighter, and 5th Fighter Group with pilots from both the United States and the Republic of China. U.S. service personnel destined for the CACW entered the China theater in mid-July 1943. Aircraft assigned to the CACW included later series P-40 Warhawks (with the Nationalist Chinese Air Force blue sky and 12-pointed white sun national insignia, rudder markings, and squadron/aircraft numbering) and B-25 Mitchell medium bombers. In late 1944, USAAF-marked P-51 Mustangs began to be assigned to CACW pilots—first P-51B and C series followed by, in early 1945, D and K series. The latter were a reduced-weight versions sharing many of the external characteristics of the D series aircraft including the bubble canopy. All U.S. pilots assigned to the CACW were listed as rated pilots in Chinese Air Force and were authorized to wear the pilot's wings of both nations. One of the known Chinese pilots is Captain Ho Weng Toh of Singapore, the last known surviving Flying Tigers' member in Asia. Captain Ho flew the B-25 bomber, as part of the 1st Bomber Group. Members of the 3rd FG were honored with a Distinguished Unit Citation (now Presidential Unit Citation) for a sustained campaign: Mission "A" in the late summer of 1944. Mission "A" halted a major Japanese ground offensive and resulted in the award of individual decorations for several of the group's pilots for the planning and execution of the mission. Most CACW bases existed near the boundary of Japanese-Occupied China and one "Valley Field" existed in an area within Japanese-held territory. Specific field locations included Hanchung, Ankang, Hsian,

Laohokow Laohekou () is a county-level city in the northwest of Hubei province, People's Republic of China. It is located on the Han River (Hanshui), near the Henan border. The entire county-level city has an area of and a population of 490,000 (2002). I ...

, Enshih, Liangshan, Peishyi, Chihkiang, Hengyang, Kweilin, Liuchow, Chanyi, Suichwan, and Lingling. Today, the 1st, 3rd and 5th Groups of CACW are still operating in Taiwan, reorganized as 443rd, 427th and 401st Tactical Fighter Wings of the

Republic of China Air Force The Republic of China Air Force, retroactively known by its historical name the Chinese Air Force and unofficially referred to as the Taiwanese Air Force, is the military aviation branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces, currently based i ...

World War II Units

68th Composite Wing The 68th Composite Wing was a United States Army Air Forces organization. It was a command and control organization of Fourteenth Air Force that fought in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. The wing was formed as an expansion of the ...

Constituted as 68th Fighter Wing, 9 August 1943.
Redesignated 68th Composite Wing, December 1943.
Inactivated 10 October 1945. : 23d Fighter Group (Flying Tigers) (P-40, P-51).
July 1942 – December 1945 : 308th Bombardment Group:(B-24)
March 1943 – February 1945 * 69th Composite Wing
Constituted as 69th Bombardment Wing, 9 August 1943.
Redesignated 69th Composite Wing, December 1943.
Reassigned to

, August 1945. : 51st Fighter Group (P-40, P-38, P-51)
October 1943 – August 1945 : 341st Bombardment Group (Medium) (B-25)
January 1944 – August 1945, *

312th Fighter Wing The 312th Fighter Wing was a United States Army Air Forces organization. It was a command and control organization of Fourteenth Air Force that fought in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. History Lineage Constituted as 312th Fi ...

Constituted as 312th Fighter Wing, 7 March 1944.
Reassigned to United States, December 1945. :

81st Fighter Group 081 may refer to: Telephony * 081, the telephone dialing code for the City of Naples and surroundings in Italy * 081, a former dialling code for London, UK (1990–1995) * 081, a telephone area code for mobile operators in Lebanon * 081, a mobi ...

: 1944–1945 (P-40, P-47)
May 1944 – December 1945 : 33d Fighter Group: 1944 Xfer from 10th AF (P-38, P-47)
April 1944 – September 1944 : 311th Fighter Group: 1944–1945 Xfer from 10th AF (A-36, P-51)
August 1944 – December 1945 * Chinese-American Composite Wing (Provisional) (1943–1945) : 3d Fighter Group (P-40, P-51) :: 7th Fighter Squadron :: 8th Fighter Squadron :: 28th Fighter Squadron :: 32d Fighter Squadron : 5th Fighter Group (P-40, P-51) :: 17th Fighter Squadron :: 26th Fighter Squadron :: 27th Fighter Squadron :: 29th Fighter Squadron : 1st Bombardment Group (Medium) (B-25) :: 1st Bombardment Squadron :: 2d Bombardment Squadron :: 3d Bombardment Squadron * Other assigned units: : 402d Fighter Group:
May–July 1943. Assigned but never equipped. : 476th Fighter Group:
May–July 1943. Assigned but never equipped. : 341st Bombardment Group: Xfer from Tenth AF (B-25)
January 1944 – November 1945 : 443d Troop Carrier Group: Xfer from Tenth AF (C-47/C-54)
August–November 1945 : 426th Night Fighter Squadron: Xfer from 10th AF (P-61) : 427th Night Fighter Squadron: Xfer from 10th AF (P-61)

John Birch

American missionary John Birch was recommended to Chennault for intelligence work by

Jimmy Doolittle James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American military general and aviation pioneer who received the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during World War II. He also made early coast-to-coast flights ...

, whom he had assisted when Doolittle's crew landed in China after the raid on Tokyo. Inducted into the Fourteenth on its formation, and later seconded to the OSS, he built a formidable network of Chinese informants to provide the Flying Tigers with intelligence on Japanese land and sea military positions and the disposition of shipping and railways. He was killed by

Chinese communists The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...

when he attempted to see a downed plane they had been assigned to guard ten days after the war ended, which led to him being chosen as the namesake of the

John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, or libertarian ide ...

. The incident is recounted in the memoir of Paul Frillmann, ''China: The Remembered Life'', who had started the war as the chaplain for the Flying Tigers.

Air Defense Command

In March 1946, USAAF Chief General Carl Spaatz had undertaken a major re-organization of the postwar USAAF that had included the establishment of Major Commands (MAJCOM), who would report directly to HQ United States Army Air Forces. Continental Air Forces was inactivated, and Tenth Air Force was assigned to the postwar

in March 1946 and subsequently to

(ConAC) in December 1948 being primarily concerned with air defense. The command was re-activated on 24 May 1946 at Orlando Army Air Base (later, AFB), Florida. It was originally assigned to provide air defense over a wide region of the Southeast United States along the border of North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma, including Texas south to the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

. In addition to the command and control of the active Air Force interceptor and radar units in its region, it also became the command organization for the Air Force Reserve and state Air National Guard units. By 1949 with the establishment of the

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 ...

(WADF) and

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 July 1, 1960. History EADF was ...

(EADF), the air defense mission of the command was transferred to primary to the EADF, leaving Fourteenth AF free to focus on its reserve training tasks. It was then reassigned to

and moved to

Robins AFB Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force installation located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of the city of Warner Robins, south-southeast of Macon and approximately south-southeast ...

, Georgia, in October 1949. During the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, 14 AF participated in the mobilization of Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units and individuals from its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base (AFB), Georgia. After the Korean War, the reserve wings of 14 AF participated in various airlift operations, such as Operation SIXTEEN TONS, Operation SWIFT LIFT and Operation READY SWAP. 14 AF was inactivated on 1 September 1960. Fourteenth Air Force was activated on 20 January 1966, at

Gunter AFB Gunter Annex is a United States Air Force installation located in the North-northeast suburbs of Montgomery, Alabama. The base is named after former Montgomery mayor William Adams Gunter. Until 1992 it was known as Gunter Air Force Base or Gun ...

, Alabama as part of Air Defense Command with the inactivation of its organization of Air Defense Sectors. Its area of responsibility was essentially the same as its 1948 region, with its region shifted slightly west to include New Mexico. Eastern North and South Carolina were under the activated First Air Force. On 16 January 1968 Air Defense Command was re-designated

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 inac ...

(ADCOM) as part of a restructuring of USAF air defense forces. The command was re designated as Fourteenth Aerospace Force on 1 July 1968 and moved to

Ent AFB 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 Girar ...

, Colorado, absorbing the resources of the

9th Aerospace Defense Division 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

. As part of ADCOM's new emphasis on defenses against

Intercontinental Ballistic Missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...

s (ICBMs) and

Submarine-launched ballistic missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhead ...

(SLBMs), the mission of the 14th Aerospace Force was to detect foreign missile launches, track missiles and satellites in space, launch space vehicles, maintain a satellite data base of all man-made objects in space, and performing anti-satellite actions. Its former region of the southeast was reassigned to the 31st and 32d Air Divisions. As the 14th Aerospace Force, the command supervised the

Ballistic Missile Early Warning System The RCA 474L Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS, "474L System", Project 474L) was a United States Air Force Cold War early warning radar, computer, and communications system, for ballistic missile detection. The network of twelve ra ...

(BMEWS) network of Radars along the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

. Additional radars came under the command's control for the sole purpose of detecting, identifying, tracking and sending back 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 ...

data on any SLBM. All man-made objects became numbers in the USAF SPACETRACK network operated by the 14th Aerospace Force.

Air Force Reserve

Budget reductions and reorganizations within ADCOM brought many changes and reductions in aerospace resources along with almost continual turmoil in the command structure of 14 AF during the 1970s. In 1976 the headquarters of the 14th Aerospace Force was inactivated, being 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 and activated as the Fourteenth Air Force (Reserve). The mission of the command at Dobbins was changed to the supervision, management and support of Air Force Reserve airlift forces for

Military Airlift Command The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is an inactive United States Air Force major command (MAJCOM) that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Established on 1 January 1966, MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of the ...

and participated in such missions as

Operation Just Cause Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. It was again re-designated Fourteenth Air Force on 1 December 1985, and inactivated on 1 July 1993.

Air Force Space Command

On 1 July 1993, 14 AF returned to its former space role and became a Numbered Air Force for

, responsible for performing space operations. In 1997, 14 AF established the Space Operations Center at Vandenberg AFB in California for the 24-hour command and control of all space operations resources. In 2002, 14 AF became the Air Force space operational component of United States Strategic Command. As the Air Force's sole Numbered Air Force for space and its concurrent United States Strategic Command mission of Joint Space Operations, the operational mission of 14 AF included space launch from the east and west coasts, satellite command and control, missile warning, space surveillance and command and control of assigned and attached joint space forces. The overall mission was to control and exploit space for global and theater operations, thereby ensuring U.S. warfighters were supported by the best space capabilities available. In 2005, 14 AF officially opened up its newly renovated operations center. The new command and control capabilities of the

Joint Space Operations Center The Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC) is a U.S.–led multinational space operations center that provides command and control of space forces for United States Space Command's Combined Force Space Component Command. The CSpOC is located at ...

ensured

unity of effort Unity of effort is the state of harmonizing efforts among multiple organizations working towards a similar objective. This prevents organizations from working at cross purposes and it reduces duplication of effort. Multiple organizations can achiev ...

for all space capabilities supporting joint military operations around the globe. On December 20, 2019, Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett redesignated the 14 AF as

(SPOC), part of the newly established U.S. Space Force. On 21 Oct 2020, Space Operations Command, HQ was redesignated back to Fourteenth Air Force and inactivated. 14th Air Force's component wings and groups in 2019 were: *

614th Air and Space Operations Center The 614th Air Operations Center (614 AOC) was a space operations center of the United States Space Force's Space Operations Command. It served as the core of the Combined Space Operations Center, as well as serving as the Space Force's primary fo ...

, operates

21st Space Wing The 21st Space Wing (21 SW) was the United States Space Force's ground–based missile warning and space control wing. The 21st Space Wing was assigned to Space Operations Command and headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The 21st ...

Peterson Air Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to the Nor ...

, Colorado *

30th Space Wing 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 ...

, California * 45th Space Wing,

Patrick Air Force Base Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name *Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick or ...

, Florida * 50th Space Wing,

Schriever Air Force Base Schriever Space Force Base, previously Schriever Air Force Base, Falcon Air Force Base, and Falcon Air Force Station, is a base of the United States Space Force located approximately east of Peterson Space Force Base near Colorado Springs in ...

, Colorado * 460th Space Wing, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado

Lineage

* Established as China Air Task Force (CATF) **, 14 July 1942 : Activated on 14 July 1942 absorbing equipment and personnel of 1st AVG : Inactivated on 19 March 1943 * Established as Fourteenth Air Force on 5 March 1943 : Activated on 19 March 1943 absorbing equipment and personnel of CATF : Inactivated on 6 January 1946 * Activated on 24 May 1946 : Inactivated on 1 September 1960. * Activated on 20 January 1966 * Redesignated Fourteenth Aerospace Force on 1 July 1968. : Inactivated on 1 October 1976. * Redesignated Fourteenth Air Force (Reserve), and activated on 8 October 1976 * Redesignated Fourteenth Air Force on 1 December 1985. : Inactivated on 1 July 1993. * Activated 1 July 1993 * Authorized as a "Special Air Unit" by President Roosevelt in 1941 and equipped with United States equipment, however not officially affiliated with the United States military. The 1st American Volunteer Group was formally disbanded on 4 July 1942. Each member was offered a commission in the United States Army Air Forces. Some accepted the offer, once again put on their American uniforms, and remained in China. Others later returned to the ranks of the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps but fought in other areas of the world. Eighteen accepted offers to fly for the China National Aviation Corporation. The equipment and those members of the 1st AVG choosing to join the USAAF were absorbed into United States Army Air Forces China Air Task Force on 14 July 1942 as the 23d Fighter Group.
** Assigned to Tenth Air Force.

Assignments

* Assigned to U.S. Army Forces, China-Burma-India Theater, 10 March 1943 * Assigned to U.S. Forces, China Theater, about 24 October 1944 *

, 20 January 1946 *

, 1 December 1948 * Air (later, Aerospace) Defense Command, 1 July 1968 : Absorbed Resources of

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 ...

, 8 October 1976 *

1 July 1993 - 2019

Components

Air Divisions

8th Air Division The 8th Air Division (8th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at McClellan Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 July 1957. History The 8th ...

, 1 May 1949 – 1 August 1950 * 9th Air Division, 1 May 1949 – 1 August 1950 * 31st Air Division, 1 April 1966 – 1 July 1968 * 32d Air Division, 1 April 1966 – 1 July 1968

Wings

* 71st Missile Warning Wing : Reassigned from 9th Aerospace Defense Division, 1 July 1968 : Stationed at

, Colorado : Moved to

McGuire AFB McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is under the ju ...

, New Jersey, 21 July 1969 : Inactivated, 30 April 1971 *

73d Aerospace Surveillance Wing Space Delta 3 (DEL 3) is a United States Space Force unit responsible for presenting operational combat-ready space electromagnetic warfare forces in support of assigned missions. It is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base. Activated o ...

: Reassigned from 9th Aerospace Defense Division, 1 July 1968 : Stationed at

, Colorado : Moved to

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 ...

, Florida and inactivated 30 April 1971 * 4756th Air Defense Wing (Training) : Reassigned from

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 April 1966 : Stationed at

, Florida : Discontinued, 1 January 1968 * 4780th Air Defense Wing (Training) : Reassigned from

, 1 April 1966 : Stationed at

Perrin AFB Perrin Air Force Station (ADC ID: RP-78, NORAD ID: Z-78) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located southeast of North Texas Regional Airport, Texas. It was closed in 1969. History Perrin Air Force ...

, Texas : Reassigned to

, 1 July 1968

Groups

* 10th Aerospace Defense Group : Reassigned from 9th Aerospace Defense Division, 1 July 1968 : Stationed at

Vandenberg AFB Vandenberg Space Force Base , previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from th ...

, California : Inactivated on 1 November 1979 * 12th Missile Warning Group : Reassigned from 71st Missile Warning Wing, 30 April 1971 : Stationed at

Thule Air Base Thule Air Base (pronounced or , kl, Qaanaaq Mitarfik, da, Thule Lufthavn), or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport , is the United States Space Force's northernmost base, and the northernmost installation of the U.S. Armed Forces, located north o ...

, Greenland : Reassigned to 21st Air Division, 1 October 1976

Squadrons

* 4751st Air Defense Squadron (Missile) : Reassigned from 4756th Air Defense Wing, 15 June 1966 : Stationed at

, Florida : Reassigned to Air Defense Weapons Center (ADC), 1 January 1968 *

14th Missile Warning Squadron 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 and preceding 15. In relation to the word "four" ( 4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a stella octangula number ...

: Activated at Laredo AFB, Texas, 8 July 1972 : Moved to

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, 30 June 1975 : Reassigned to ADCOM, 1 October 1976 * 16th Surveillance Squadron : Reassigned from 73d Aerospace Surveillance Wing, 30 April 1971 : Stationed at Shemya AFS, Alaska : Reassigned Alaskan ADCOM Region, 1 October 1976 *

18th Surveillance Squadron The 18th Space Defense Squadron (18 SDS) is a United States Space Force Space Domain Awareness unit located at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The 18th SDS is tasked with executing command and control of the space surveillance networ ...

: Reassigned from 73d Aerospace Surveillance Wing, 30 April 1971 : Stationed at

Edwards AFB Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is Ed ...

, California : Inactivated 1 October 1975 * 19th Surveillance Squadron : Reassigned from 73d Aerospace Surveillance Wing, 30 April 1971 : Stationed at Diyarbakir, Turkey : Reassigned to 21st Air Division, 1 October 1976 * 20th Surveillance Squadron : Reassigned from 73d Aerospace Surveillance Wing, 30 April 1971 : Stationed at

Eglin AFB Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 9 ...

, Florida : Inactivated 1 October 1975 : Reassigned to 20th Air Division, 1 October 1976 * 17th Radar Squadron : Activated 1 September 1972 at Ko Kha ASN, Thailand : Inactivated 31 May 1976

Stations

, China, 10 March 1943 * Peishiyi, China, 7 August – 15 December 1945 *

Fort Lawton Fort Lawton was a United States Army post located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington overlooking Puget Sound. In 1973 a large majority of the property, 534 acres of Fort Lawton, was given to the city of Seattle and dedicated as ...

, Washington, 5–6 January 1946 * Orlando AB, Florida, 24 May 1946 *

, Georgia, October 1949 *

, Alabama, 1 April 1966 *

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

, Colorado, 1 July 1968 * Dobbins AFB (later, ARB), Georgia, 8 October 1976 *

, California, 1 July 1993

List of commanders

Notes

References

Sources

* Cornett, Lloyd H. and Johnson, Mildred W. ''A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 – 1980'', Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado * 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 Hon * Rust, Kenn C. and Stephen Muth. ''Fourteenth Air Force Story...in World War II''. Temple City, California: Historical Aviation Album, 1977. . * Author unknown. ''This is the Fourteenth Air Force''. Mitchell AIr Force Base, New York: Office of Information Services, Continental Air Command, 1957. * Author unknown. ''A Short History of the 14th Air Force Flying Tigers, 1943–1959''. Robins Air Force Base, Georgia: Headquarters Fourteenth Air Force (CONAC), 1959.

External links

Fourteenth Air Force Factsheet

Fourteenth Air Force official website

Night Fighter by J R Smith – a first-hand account of a P-61 radar observer in World War II China
{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 14 14 Military units and formations established in 1943 1943 establishments in China Military units and formations in California Air Force 14 Military units and formations disestablished in 2019