Fourth Air Force
Encyclopedia
March Air Reserve Base
March Joint Air Reserve Base is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside and Moreno Valley. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's 4th Air Force Headquarters and the 452d Air Mobility Wing , the largest air mobility wing of the 4th Air Force...
, California.
4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 24,200 Air Force Reservists. If called to active duty, most of 4 AF's ready reserve units would be assigned to Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
. Forces would also be gained to Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force Materiel Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. AFMC was created July 1, 1992 through the reorganization of Air Force Logistics Command and Air Force Systems Command....
, Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....
, and Pacific Air Forces.
One of the four original pre–World War II numbered air forces, 4 AF was activated on 18 December 1940, at March Field, California with a mission of air defense of the Southwestern United States and Lower Midwest regions. During the war, its primary mission became the organization and training of combat units prior to their deployment to the overseas combat air forces.
4 AF is commanded by Brig Gen Mark A. Kyle.
Overview
Fourth Air Force is dedicated to ensuring its units and personnel are fully prepared to accomplish all assigned missions in support of national objectives. The 200+ staff consists of air reserve technicians, civilian employees, and traditional reservists. They direct the activities and supervise the equipping and training of more than 23,000 Air Force reservists in unit programs located across the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Guam. Reservists from 4 AF units are routinely deployed to Air Expeditionary units in combat areas of Central and Southwest Asia as part of the Global War on Terrorism.Units
Fourth Air Force flying units include one unit-equipped air mobility and two unit- equipped airlift wings, five unit-equipped air refueling wings, one associate air mobility wing, two associate airlift wings and one associate air refueling group.- Headquarters, 4th Air Force, March ARB, California
- 349th Air Mobility Wing349th Air Mobility WingThe 349th Air Mobility Wing is the largest associate reserve wing in the United States Air Force. In partnership with its active duty host wing, the 60th Air Mobility Wing the 349 AMW flies, maintains and supports the C-5 Galaxy, KC-10 Extender, C-17 Globemaster III...
, Travis AFB, California
- C-5 GalaxyC-5 GalaxyThe Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
, KC-10 ExtenderKC-10 ExtenderThe McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is the military adaptation of the three-engined DC-10 airliner for the United States Air Force . The KC-10 incorporates military-specific equipment for its primary roles of transport and aerial refueling. It was developed to supplement the KC-135 Stratotanker...
, C-17 Globemaster IIIC-17 Globemaster IIIThe Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
- 433d Airlift Wing433d Airlift WingThe 433d Airlift Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force Reserve assigned to Fourth Air Force. It is stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas...
, Lackland AFB, Texas
- 433d Airlift Wing
- C-5 GalaxyC-5 GalaxyThe Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
- 434th Air Refueling Wing434th Air Refueling WingThe 434th Air Refueling Wing, is one of the key refueling units in the Air Force Reserve. The wing provides mid-air refueling with Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers to long-range bombers, fighters, and cargo aircraft....
, Grissom ARB,
- 434th Air Refueling Wing
- KC-135R Stratotanker
- 445th Airlift Wing445th Airlift WingThe 445th Airlift Wing is an operational wing of the United States Air Force Reserve. It is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio...
, Wright-Patterson AFB,
- 445th Airlift Wing
- C-17 Globemaster IIIC-17 Globemaster IIIThe Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
- 446th Airlift Wing446th Airlift WingThe 446th Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force Reserve unit. The wing is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. If ordered to Active Service, the unit would come under the Air Mobility Command 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force....
, McChord AFB, Washington
- 446th Airlift Wing
- C-17 Globemaster IIIC-17 Globemaster IIIThe Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
- 452d Air Mobility Wing452d Air Mobility WingThe 452d Air Mobility Wing is a United States Air Force air mobility unit located at March ARB, California. It is assigned to Air Force Reserve Command , and is operationally gained by Air Mobility Command .-Mission:...
, March ARB, California
- 452d Air Mobility Wing
- C-17 Globemaster IIIC-17 Globemaster IIIThe Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
, KC-135R Stratotanker- 459th Air Refueling Wing459th Air Refueling WingThe 459th Air Refueling Wing is an Air Force Reserve Command unit based at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility since 1954.-Overview:...
, Andrews AFB,
- 459th Air Refueling Wing
- KC-135R Stratotanker
- 507th Air Refueling Wing507th Air Refueling WingThe 507th Air Refueling Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It is one of two Air Force Reserve flying units in the state of Oklahoma....
, Tinker AFB,
- 507th Air Refueling Wing
- KC-135R Stratotanker
- 624th Regional Support Group624th Regional Support GroupThe 624th Regional Support Group headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, is one of two Air Force Reserve groups stationed in the Pacific area of responsibility and reports directly to Headquarters 4th Air Force at March Air Reserve Base, California....
, Hickam AFB, Hawaii - 916th Air Refueling Wing916th Air Refueling WingThe 916th Air Refueling Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina...
, Seymour Johnson AFB,
- 624th Regional Support Group
- KC-135R Stratotanker
- 927th Air Refueling Wing927th Air Refueling WingThe 927th Air Refueling Wing is an Air Force Reserve Command flying unit, operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command , located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida-History:...
, MacDill AFB, Florida
- 927th Air Refueling Wing
- KC-135R Stratotanker
- 931st Air Refueling Group, McConnell AFB,
- KC-135R Stratotanker
- 932d Airlift Wing932d Airlift WingThe 932d Airlift Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.-Mission:Provide first-class, worldwide, safe, and reliable airlift for distinguished visitors and their staffs.-History:...
, Scott AFB,
- 932d Airlift Wing
- C-9A Nightingale, C-40 ClipperC-40 Clipper-See also:-External links:* - retrieved 20 December 2006* - retrieved 20 December 2006* - retrieved 20 December 2006* *...
History
One of the four original numbered air forces, Fourth Air Force was activated as the Southwest Air District of the GHQ Air Force on 18 December 1940, at March Field, California. It was redesignated Fourth Air Force on 26 March 1941 with a mission for the defense of the Southwest and Lower Midwest regions of the United States.World War II
During World War II Fourth Air Force was the primary air defense command for the West Coast. The command also flew antisubmarine patrols along coastal areas of the Gulf of MexicoGulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
from after Pearl Harbor until October 1942. One of its primary fighter units was the 10th Fighter Wing at Hamilton Field
Hamilton Field
Hamilton Field may refer to:* Hamilton Air Force Base, a former U.S. Air Force Base located on San Francisco Bay, California, United States.* Hamilton Field , an airport located in Derby, Kansas, United States....
, California.
On 29 September 1942, Rice Municipal Airport located in the Desert Training Center
Desert Training Center
The Desert Training Center was a World War II training facility established in the Mojave Desert; largely in Southern California and Western Arizona in 1942....
was acquired by the IV Air Support Command, and was operational by 26 October 1942. Re-designated Rice AAF it was used to train pilots and crews of aircraft whose mission it was to support ground troops.
After October 1942, the antisubmarine patrols were turned over to the Coast Guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
and other agencies and the command was engaged primarily in training replacements for combat units. It supported Army Air Forces Training Command
Army Air Forces Training Command
Army Air Forces Training Command was a command of the United States Army Air Forces. It was redesignated Air Training Command on 1 July 1946 as part of the reorganization of the Army Air Forces after World War II....
's mission of training of units, crews, and individuals for bombardment, fighter, and reconnaissance operations. After personnel graduated from AAFTC flight schools; navigator training; flexible gunnery schools and various technical schools, Fourth Air Force organized the personnel, aircraft and equipment into combat groups and squadrons. The newly-formed units received secondary training prior to their assignment to the deployed combat air forces in the various overseas theaters. Most P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
and P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
groups were trained by Fourth Air Force primarily due to the proximity of their manufacturing plants in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. By 1944, most of the Operational Training of groups ended, with the command concentrating on the training of replacement personnel, using Army Air Force Base Units (AAFBU) as training organizations at the airfields controlled by Fourth Air Force.
Air Defense Wings were also organized for the major metropolitan areas along the West Coast, using training units attached to the Wings. By 1944 the likelihood of an air attack along the West Coast was remote, and these air defense wings were reduced to paper units.
On 13 December 1944, First, Second, Third and Fourth Air Force were all were placed under the unified command of the Continental Air Forces.
Air Defense Command
In March 1946, USAAF Chief General Carl SpaatzCarl Spaatz
Carl Andrew "Tooey" Spaatz GBE was an American World War II general and the first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. He was of German descent.-Early life:...
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 Fourth Air Force was assigned to the postwar Air Defense Command in March 1946 and subsequently to Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command was a Major Command of the United States Air Force responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.-Lineage:...
(ConAC) in December 1948 being primarily concerned with air defense.
The command was headquartered at at Hamilton AFB, California and originally assigned the region of the CONUS west of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, roughly from the Pacific Ocean coast east to the eastern borders of , , and . It was also responsible for training Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
personnel throughout the region.
By 1949 with the establishment of the Western Air Defense Force
Western Air Defense Force
The Western Air Defense Force 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), the air defense mission of the command was transferred to WADF, leaving Fourth AF free to focus on its reserve training tasks, which it did for the next decade. On 1 September 1960, Air Defense Command inactivated Fourth Air Force, transferring its reserve training mission to the Sixth Air Force Reserve Region.
Fourth Air Force was re-activated on 20 January 1966 again at Hamilton AFB, as part of Air Defense Command with the inactivation of its organization of Air Defense Sectors. Its area of responsibility was essentially unchanged from its 1948 region. Subordinate organizations assigned by ADC were the 25th 26th and 27th Air Divisions.
On 16 January 1968 Air Defense Command was re-designated Aerospace Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. Established in 1946 under the United States Army Air Forces, its mission was to organize and administer the integrated air defense system of the Continental United States , exercise direct control of all active...
(ADCOM) as part of a restructuring of USAF air defense forces. Fourth Air Force's second period of service was short lived, however, and the command was again inactivated as the result of a major ADCOM reorganization on 31 December 1969 of the First Fourth, Tenth Air Forces and several Air Divisions. This reorganization was the result of the need to eliminate intermediate levels of command in ADCOM driven by budget reductions and a perceived lessening of the need for continental air defense against attacking Soviet aircraft.
ADCOM reassigned the units under the inactivated Fourth Air Force were reassigned primarily to the 25th and 26th Air Divisions.
Air Force Reserve
Fourth Air Force personnel supported operations in Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury) and Panama (Operation Just Cause). More than 8,000 Air Force Reservists assigned to Fourth Air Force units served in the United States, Europe, and the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. This included more than 2,878 medical personnel assigned to Fourth Air Force units.
Since the end of the Cold War, Fourth Air Force has supported humanitarian missions such as Provide Promise in the Balkans and Provide Relief and Restore Hope in Somalia. Units rushed to provide aid and rescue service to the residents of Florida, the Gulf Coast, and the Caribbean in the aftermath of the traumatic and prolonged 1995 hurricane season. It supported immediate assistance to aid victims and disaster officials following the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building. Fourth Air Force units provided assistance for several natural disasters, including the Northridge (Los Angeles) earthquake in 1994, and the catastrophic midwest floods and the California wildfires in 1993.
Fourth Air Force units routinely support United Nations and Department of State missions. Fourth Air Force people were on the first teams into Haiti for Operation Uphold Democracy, and supported Vigilant Warrior and Desert Thunder deployments to Southwest Asia. The men and women of Fourth Air Force continue to perform international peacekeeping and humanitarian missions on an almost daily basis. Headquarters Fourth Air Force officially returned to its original home, now March Air Reserve Base, in Riverside, CA, in April, 1998.
In 2003 Fourth Air Force became an intermediate echelon responsible primarily for all Air Mobility Command (AMC) gained AFRC air refueling units in the United States and AMC gained AFRC strategic airlift units in the western United States.
Lineage
- Established as Southwest Air District on 19 October 1940
- Activated on 18 December 1940
- Redesignated: 4 Air Force on 26 March 1941
- Redesignated; Fourth Air Force on 18 September 1942
- Discontinued, and inactivated on 1 September 1960
- Activated on 20 January 1966
- Organized on 1 April 1966
- Inactivated on 30 September 1969
- Redesignated Fourth Air Force (Reserve) on 24 September 1976
- Activated in the Reserve on 8 October 1976
- Redesignated Fourth Air Force on 1 December 1985.
Assignments
- General Headquarters Air Force (later, Air Force Combat Command), 18 December 1940
- Western Defense CommandWestern Defense CommandWestern Defense Command was established on 17 March 1941 as the command formation of the U.S. Army responsible for coordinating the defense of the Pacific Coast region of the United States. A second major responsibility was the training of soldiers prior to their deployment overseas. The first...
, 11 December 1941 - United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air ForcesThe United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, 10 September 1943 - Continental Air Forces, 13 December 1944
- Air Defense Command, 21 March 1946
- Continental Air CommandContinental Air CommandContinental Air Command was a Major Command of the United States Air Force responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.-Lineage:...
, 1 December 1948 – 1 September 1960 - Air (later, Aerospace) Defense Command, 20 January 1966 – 30 September 1969
- Air Force Reserve (later, Air Force Reserve Command)Air Force Reserve CommandThe Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
, 8 October 1976 – .
Stations
- March Field, California, 18 December 1940
- RiversideRiverside, CaliforniaRiverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
, California, 20 January 1941 - Hamilton Field, California, 7 December 1941
- San Francisco, California, 5 January 1942
- Hamilton Field (later, AFB)Hamilton Air Force BaseHamilton Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located along the western shore of San Pablo Bay, south of Novato, California.-History:...
, California, 19 June 1946 – 1 September 1960; 1 April 1966 – 30 September 1969 - McClellan Air Force BaseMcClellan Air Force BaseMcClellan Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, California...
, California, 8 October 1976 - March ARB, California, 1 April 1998 – present
Commands
- I Staging: 19 November 1945 – 3 April 1946
- 4th Air Force Service (later, 4th Air Force Base; IV Air Force Base): 1 October 1941 – 31 March 1942
- 4th Air Support (later, IV Air Support; IV Ground Air Support)IV Air Support CommandThe VI Air Support Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Biggs Field, Texas...
: 3 September 1941 – 17 August 1942 - 4th Antiaircraft: 1 May 1944 – 6 February 1946
- Bomber Command, 4th Air Force (later, 4th Bomber, IV Bomber)IV Bomber CommandThe IV Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Fourth Air Force, based at San Francisco, California. It was inactivated on 31 March 1944.-Lineage:...
: 11 April – 19 September 1941; 19 September 1941 – 31 March 1944 - Interceptor Command, 4th Air Force (later, 4th Interceptor, IV Interceptor; IV Fighter)IV Fighter CommandThe IV Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Fourth Air Force, based at Oakland Airport, California...
: 22 April – 8 July 1941; 8 July 1941 – 31 March 1944. - IV Emergency Rescue (Provisional): 30 December 1943 – 22 January 1944.
- Antiaircraft Artillery (Provisional): 27 December 1943 – 30 April 1944.
Regions
- Los Angeles Air Defense Region: 1 Jul 1944 – 31 Aug 1945
- San Francisco Air Defense Region: 1 Jul 1944 – 31 Aug 1945
- Seattle Air Defense Region: 1 Jul 1944 – 31 Aug 1945
- Sixth Air Force Reserve Region: 1 Jul – 1 Sep 1960.
Air Divisions
- 25th Air Division (later, 25th Air): 25 October 1948 – 1 April 1949; 8 July 1949 – 1 August 1950 (detached 10 November 1949 – 1 August 1950); 1 April 1966 – 15 September 1969.
- 26th Air Division: 1 April 1966 – 30 September 1969.
- 27th Air Division: 1 April 1966 – 15 September 1969
- 28th Air Division: 8 December 1949 – 1 August 1950 (detached 1 January – 1 August 1950).
Sectors
- Los Angeles Air Defense Sector: 1 Apr – 25 Jun 1966
- Reno Air Defense SectorReno Air Defense SectorThe Reno Air Defense Sector 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:...
: 1 Apr – 25 Jun 1966
External links
- The Museum is located off the grounds of the Base and displays in its aircraft collection examples bombers, fighters, cargo, refueling and reconnaissance aircraft, many of which served at March Field, March AFB and/or March ARB.