The
Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the
United States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Air Education and Training CommandAir 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....
(AETC). It is headquartered at
Keesler Air Force BaseKeesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., a Mississippi native killed in France in First World War.-Units:The base is home of...
, Mississippi.
2 AF is responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and support officers.
One of the four original pre–World War II numbered air forces, 2 AF was activated on 19 October 1940, at McChord Field, Washington with a mission of air defense of the Northwestern United States and
Upper MidwestThe Upper Midwest is a region in the northern portion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. It is largely a sub-region of the midwest. Although there are no uniformly agreed-upon boundaries, the region is most commonly used to refer to the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and...
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.
During the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, 2 AF was one of the five (Second, Eighth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Twentieth)Numbered Air Forces of the United States Air Force
Strategic Air CommandThe Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
(SAC), commanding USAF strategic bombers and missiles on a global scale. Elements of Second Air Force engaged in combat operations during the
Korean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
;
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, as well as Operation Desert Storm.
2 AF is commanded by
Major GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Leonard A. "Len" Patrick . Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is
Chief Master SergeantCMSgt ChevronChief Master Sergeant is the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Senior Master Sergeant, and is a senior non-commissioned officer. The official term of address is "Chief Master Sergeant" or "Chief".Attaining the rank of Chief Master Sergeant is the...
Linus Jordan.
Overview
The command has the mission is to train the absolute best mission ready graduates to support combat readiness and to build the world's most respected air and space force. To carry out this mission, Second Air Force manages all operational aspects of nearly 5,000 active training courses taught to approximately 250,000 students annually in technical training, basic military training, medical and distance learning courses. Training operations across Second Air Force range from intelligence to computer operations to space and missile operations and maintenance.
The first stop for all Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve enlisted airmen is basic military training (BMT) at Lackland AFB, Texas. After completing BMT, airmen begin technical training in their career field specialties, primarily at five installations: Goodfellow, Lackland, and Sheppard Air Force bases in TX; Keesler AFB, MS; and Vandenberg AFB, CA. Each base is responsible for a specific portion of formal technical training airmen require to accomplish the Air Force mission. Highly trained instructors conduct technical training in specialties such as aircraft maintenance, civil engineering, medical services, computer systems, security forces, air traffic control, personnel, intelligence, fire fighting, and space and missile operations.
Commissioned officers attend technical training courses for similar career fields at the same locations.
Units
Wings and Groups under Second Air Force are:
- 37th Training Wing
The 37th Training Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.The 37th TRW provides basic military, professional and technical skills, and English language training for the Air Force, other military services, government agencies, and...
Lackland Air Force BaseLackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located west-southwest of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....
Texas
Provides Basic Military Training to Air Force recruits as well as technical training in logistics and security police/law enforcement career fields.
- 81st Training Wing
The 81st Training Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force and the host wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. The 81st Training Wing has the Air Force’s largest Technical Training Group and trains more than 40,000 students annually...
Keesler Air Force BaseKeesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., a Mississippi native killed in France in First World War.-Units:The base is home of...
Mississippi
Provides training in Aviation Resource Management, weather, basic electronics, communications electronic systems, communications computer systems, air traffic control, airfield management, command post, air weapons control, precision measurement, education and training, financial management and comptroller, information management, manpower and personnel.
- 17th Training Wing
The 17th Training Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Second Air Force. It is stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas...
Goodfellow Air Force BaseGoodfellow Air Force Base is a non-flying United States Air Force base located in San Angelo, Texas. As part of Air Education & Training Command , Goodfellow's main mission is cryptologic and intelligence training for the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Military firefighters are also...
Texas
Provides training in intelligence and firefighting career fields. Also provides training to Army, Navy and Marine detachments.
- 82d Training Wing
The 82d Training Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Second Air Force. It is stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas where it also is the host unit....
Sheppard Air Force BaseSheppard Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located five miles north of the central business district of Wichita Falls, in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the largest training base and most diversified in Air Education and Training Command...
Texas
Provides specialized technical training, medical, and field training for officers, Airmen, and civilians of all branches of the military, other DoD agencies, and foreign nationals.
- 381st Training Group
The United States Air Force 381st Training Group at Vandenberg AFB, California provides training for the nation's space and intercontinental ballistic missile operations and ICBM and Air Launched Missile maintenance forces...
Vandenberg AFB, California
Provides qualification training for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), space surveillance, missile warning, spacelift, and satellite command and control operators. It also performs initial and advanced maintenance training on air launched missiles (ALM) and ICBM's. It conducts training in joint space fundamentals and associated computer maintenance. The group also conducts qualification and orientation training for Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) staff and senior-level personnel, as well as instructor enhancement in support of operational units.
- 602d Training Group Keesler Air Force Base
Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., a Mississippi native killed in France in First World War.-Units:The base is home of...
Mississippi
Provides fully combat mission capable Airmen to all Combatant Commanders in direct support of the Joint Expeditionary Tasking (JET) mission.
In 2006, Second Air Force was assigned the responsibility of coordinating training for Joint Expeditionary Tasked (JET) Training Airmen. These Airmen are assigned to perform traditional US Army duties in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa. An Expeditionary Mission Support Group was formed to provide command and control of these JET Airmen as they are trained at US Army Power Projection Platforms across the US prior to deploying to their assigned Area of Responsibility (AOR). This group has been officially named the 602d Training Group.
In 2007, Second Air Force was given responsibility to provide curricula and advice to the
Iraqi Air ForceThe Iraqi Air Force or IQAF is the military branch in Iraq responsible for the policing of international borders, surveillance of national assets and aerial operations...
as it stands up its own technical training and branch specific basic training among others. This mission is known as "CAFTT" for Coalition Air Forces Technical Training.
Lineage
- Established as Northwest Air District on 19 October 1940
- Activated on 18 December 1940
- Redesignated: 2d Air Force on 26 March 1941
- Redesignated: Second Air Force on 18 September 1942
- Inactivated on 30 March 1946
- Inactivated on 1 July 1948
- Activated on 1 November 1949
- Inactivated on 1 January 1975
- Activated on 1 September 1991
- Inactivated on 1 July 1993
- Activated on 1 July 1993.
Assignments
- General Headquarters Air Force
- (later, Air Force Combat Command) 18 December 1940
- Western Defense Command
Western 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
- Air Force Combat Command
- (later, United States Army Air Forces
The 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....
), 5 January 1942
- Continental Air Forces13 December 1944
- Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
21 March 1946 – 30 March 1946 * Air Defense Command, 6 June 1946 – 1 July 1948
- Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
, 1 November 1949 – 1 January 1975; 1 September 1991
- Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
, 1 June 1992 – 1 July 1993
- 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....
, 1 July 1993
Stations
- McChord Field, Washington, 18 December 1940
- Fort George Wright
Fort George Wright is a land area located in Spokane, Washington. It is named after General George Wright, who had been stationed in the area....
, Washington, 9 January 1941
- Colorado Springs AAF
Peterson Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located at Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States and it provides runways for the adjacent City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport under a shared joint civil-military airport arrangement...
, Colorado, 13 June 1943 – 30 March 1946
- Fort Crook, Nebraska, 6 June 1946 – 1 July 1948
- Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 1 November 1949 – 1 January 1975
- Beale AFB, California, 1 September 1991 – 1 July 1993
- Keesler AFB, Mississippi 1 July 1993 – .
Components
Commands
- I Bomber: 1 May – 6 October 1943
- Redesignated: XX Bomber
The XX Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on July 16, 1945.- History:...
: 20 November 1943 – 29 June 1944
- 472d Bombardment Group
The 472d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Second Air Force, being stationed at Clovis Army Airfield, New Mexico. It was inactivated on 1 April 1944....
, 1 September 1943 – 1 April 1944
- II Fighter: 4 June 1941 – August 1942
- 2d Air Force Service (later, 2d Air Force Base): 1 October 1941 – 20 May 1942.
- 2d Air Support (later, 2d Ground Air Support; II Air Support): 1 September 1941 – 25 January 1943
- 5th Bombardment Wing
The 5th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, based at Sidi Slimane Air Base, Morocco. It was inactivated on 15 July 1958....
- 2d Bomber (later, II Bomber): 5 September 1941 – 6 October 1943.
- 4th Air Support (later, IV Air Support): 12 August 1942 – 21 January 1943.
- XXI Bomber
The XXI Bomber Command was a unit of the Twentieth Air Force in Guam for strategic bombing during World War II.- Lineage:* Constituted as XXI Bomber Command on 1 Mar 1944, and activated the same day.-Assignments:...
: 1 March 1944 – 9 November 1944
- XXII Bomber: 14 August 1944 – 13 February 1945
Divisions
- 4th Air (later, 4th Strategic Aerospace): 16 June 1952 – 31 March 1970
- 6th Air: 10 February 1951 – 16 June 1952; 16 June 1952 – 1 January 1959.
- 17th Air (later, 17th Strategic Aerospace): 15 July 1959 – 1 July 1963
- 19th Air: 1 July 1955 – 1 January 1975.
- 21st Air (later, 21st Strategic Aerospace): 1 January 1959 – 1 September 1964
- 22d Air
The 22d Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico...
: 15 July 1959 – 9 September 1960. 37 Air: 10 October 1951 – 28 May 1952
- 37th Air: 10 October 1951 – 28 May 1952
- 38th Air: 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952; 16 June 1952 – 1 January 1959
- 40th Air
The 40th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Malmstrom AFB, Montana...
- 14 March 1951 – 1 July 1952
- 1 July 1952 – 1 April 1957
- 1 July 1959 – 1 January 1975
- 42d Air (later, 42d Strategic Aerospace; 42d Air)
The 42d Air Division was a unit of the United States Air Force. It was established as the 42 Bombardment Wing on 8 February 1943. The wing first saw combat in September 1943. It was inactivated in 1991.-History:...
- 1 April 1955 – 1 July 1957
- 15 July 1959 – 2 July 1969
- 1 January 1970 – 1 January 1975
- 45th Air
The 45th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force, stationed at Pease AFB, New Hampshire. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989.-History:...
: 31 March 1970 – 1 January 1975
- 47th Air: 31 March 1970 – 1 July 1971
- 73d Air (formerly, 73d Bombardment Wing)
The 73d Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, based at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 April 1966.-World War II:...
: 12 June 1947 – 1 July 1948
- 96th Air (formerly, 96th Bombardment Wing)
The 96th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Tenth Air Force, based at Scott Field, Illinois...
: 12 June 1947 – 1 July 1948
- 322d Air (formerly, 322d Troop Carrier Wing): 12 June 1947 – 1 July 1948
- 801st Air
The 801st Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Eighth Air Force, being stationed at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio...
: 28 May 1952 – 1 July 1955. 806 Air: 16 June 1952 – 15 June 1960
- 806th Air
The 806th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Second Air Force, being stationed at Chennault Air Force Base, Louisiana...
: 16 June 1952 – 15 June 1960
- 810th Strategic Aerospace
The 810th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force, being stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota...
: 1 July 1963 – 2 July 1966
- 813th Air
The 813th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force, being stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana...
: 15 July 1954 – 1 June 1956
- 816th Air (later, 816th Strategic Aerospace)
The 816th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Second Air Force, being stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma...
: 1 July 1958 – 1 July 1965
- 817th Air
The 817th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Second Air Force, being stationed at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire...
: 31 March 1970 – 30 June 1971
- 818th Air (later, 818th Strategic Aerospace)
The 818th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Second Air Force, being stationed at Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska...
: 1 January 1959 – 25 March 1965
- 819th Strategic Aerospace
The 819th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Second Air Force, being stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas...
: 1 July 1965 – 2 July 1966
- 823d Air
The 823d Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Second Air Force, being stationed at McCoy Air Force Base, Florida...
: 1 June 1956 – 1 January 1959; 31 March 1970 – 30 June 1971
- 825th Air (later, 825th Strategic Aerospace)
The 825th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Second Air Force, being stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas...
: 1 August 1955 – 1 January 1970.
Wings
- 16th Bombardment Wing
The 16th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Continental Air Forces, based at Colorado Springs AAF, Colorado. It was inactivated on 8 October 1948.-Lineage:...
- 18 December 1940 – 1 September 1941
- 23 June 1942 – 8 April 1946
History
One of the four original numbered air forces, Second Air Force was activated as the
Northwest Air District of the GHQ Air Force on 19 October 1940, at McChord Field, Washington. It was redesignated
Second Air Force on 26 March 1941 with a mission for the defense of the Pacific Northwest and Upper Great Plains regions of the United States.
World War II
During the initial months after the Pearl Harbor Attack, Second Air Force organized air defense for the northwest Pacific Ocean coastline of the United States (1940–1941) and flew antisubmarine patrols along coastal areas until October 1942. In late January 1942, elements of the
B-25 MitchellThe North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
-equipped 17th Bombardment Group at Pendleton Field, Oregon were reassigned to Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina ostensibly to fly antisubmarine patrols off the southeast coast of the United States, but in actuality came to prepare for the
Doolittle RaidThe Doolittle Raid, on 18 April 1942, was the first air raid by the United States to strike the Japanese Home Islands during World War II. By demonstrating that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack, it provided a vital morale boost and opportunity for U.S. retaliation after the...
against Japan.
Beginning in 1942, the mission of Second Air Force became supporting the
Army Air Forces Training CommandArmy 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, Second 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. Second Air Force became the training organization of
B-17 Flying Fortress and
B-24 LiberatorThe Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
heavy bombardment groups. Nearly all new heavy bomb groups organized after Pearl Harbor were organized and trained at Second Air Force Bases, by
II Bomber CommandThe II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
operational training units (OTU) then were deployed to combat commands around the world.
Starting in mid-1943 the training of B-17 and B-24 replacement crews began to be phased out, and ressigned to First, Third and Fourth Air Forces as the command began ramping up training of
B-29 SuperfortressThe B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
Very Heavy bomb groups, destined for
Twentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
. Under the newly organized
XX Bomber CommandThe XX Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on July 16, 1945.- History:...
, B-29 aircraft were received from Boeing's manufacturing plants and new combat groups were organized and trained. XX Bomber Command and the first B-29 groups were deployed in December 1943 to airfields in
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
for
Operation MatterhornOperation Matterhorn was a military operations plan of the United States Army Air Forces in World War II for the strategic bombing of Japanese forces by B-29 Superfortresses based in India and China. Targets included Japan itself, and Japanese bases in China and South East Asia...
operations against Japan.
A
footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team made up of Second Air Force personnel defeated
Hardin-Simmons UniversityHardin–Simmons University is a private Baptist university located in Abilene, Texas, United States.-History:Hardin–Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist College in 1891 by the Sweetwater Baptist Association and a group of cattlemen and pastors who sought to bring Christian higher...
in the 1943
Sun BowlThe Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
. (More details:
Sun Bowl 1943 Second Air Force 13 Hardin-Simmons 7)
XXI Bomber CommandThe XXI Bomber Command was a unit of the Twentieth Air Force in Guam for strategic bombing during World War II.- Lineage:* Constituted as XXI Bomber Command on 1 Mar 1944, and activated the same day.-Assignments:...
, the second B-29 combat command and control organization was formed under Second Air Force in March, 1944 with its combat groups beginning to deploy to the
Mariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
in the Western Pacific beginning in December 1944. A third B-29 organization,
XXII Bomber CommandThe XXII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Peterson Field, Colorado. It was inactivated on 13 February 1945.-Lineage:...
was formed by Second Air Force in August 1944, however the organization never got beyond forming Headquarters echelon and Headquarters squadron. Inactivated before any operational groups were assigned, as XX Bomber Command units were reassigned from India to the Marianas, eliminating need for the command.
By 1944, the vast majority of the USAAF was engaged in combat operations in various parts of the world, such as the
Eighth Air ForceThe Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
in Europe and the
Twentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
in the Pacific. The training units located within the United States (known as the Zone of the Interior, or "ZI".) under First, Second, Third and Fourth Air Force were all were placed under the unified command of the
Continental Air Forces (CAF) on 13 December 1944, with the Numbered Air Forces becoming subordinate commands of CAF.
The training of B-29 groups and replacement personnel continued until August 1945 and the end of the Pacific War. With the war's end, Second Air Force was inactivated on 30 March 1946.
Postwar era
The command was reactivated on 6 June 1946 under Air Defense Command. It assumed responsibility for the air defense of certain portions of the continental United States until July 1948 controlling several
B-29 SuperfortressThe B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
bomb groups (73d, 96th Bomb Wings) and
C-46 CommandoThe Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
troop carrier groups (322d Troop Carrier Wing). It is unclear how many of these units were actually manned or equipped. It was again inactivated on 1 July 1948.
Strategic Air Command
During the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Second Air Force became the first strategic air force of
Strategic Air CommandThe Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
(SAC), being activated when the Contoinential Air Forces command was redesignated as the Strategic Air Command on 21 March 1946 activated at Peterson AAF CO and was inactivated on 30 March 1946 .The Second Air Force was reassigned to SAC on 1 November 1949 at Barksdale AFR LA.≈
The initial organization of Second Air Force as part of SAC was:
- 6th Air Division, MacDill AFB, Florida (Assigned 10 February 1951)
- 305th Bombardment Wing
The 305th Air Mobility Wing is a United States Air Force strategic airlift and air refueling wing under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command...
(MacDill) (B-29)
- 306th Bombardment Wing
The 306th Flying Training Group is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the Air Education and Training Command's Nineteenth Air Force...
(MacDill) (B-47A)(Initial B-47 StratojetThe Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
Operational Training Unit – Not on Operational Alert)
- 307th Bombardment Wing (MacDill) (B-29)
- Detached for Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
combat service with Far East Air Force, Kadena AB, Okinawa
- 40th Air Division
The 40th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Malmstrom AFB, Montana...
, Turner AFB, GeorgiaGeorgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
(Assigned 14 March 1951)
- 31st Fighter Escort Wing
The 31st Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe Third Air Force. It is stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy where it is also the host unit....
(Turner) (F-84)
- 108th Fighter Wing
The 108th Air Refueling Wing is a unit of the New Jersey Air National Guard tasked with aerial refueling and other air mobility missions. It is based at McGuire Air Force Base and operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command . The current Commander of the 108th is...
(Turner) (F-47D) (Federalized New Jersey Air National GuardThe New Jersey Air National Guard consists of almost 2300 Guardsmen from New Jersey.The New Jersey Air National Guard is governed through the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs....
wing)
With the end of fighting in Korea, President Eisenhower, who had taken office in January 1953, called for a "new look" at national defense. The result: a greater reliance on nuclear weapons and air power to deter war. His administration chose to invest in the Air Force, especially Strategic Air Command. The
nuclear arms raceThe nuclear arms race was a competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War...
shifted into high gear. The Air Force retired nearly all of its propeller-driven bombers and they were replaced by new Boeing
B-47 StratojetThe Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
medium jet bombers. By 1955 the Boeing
B-52 StratofortressThe Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
heavy bomber would be entering the inventory in substantial numbers and as a result, Second Air Force grew both in scope and in numbers.
Also after the Korean War, the history of Second Air Force becomes indistinguishable from that of Strategic Air Command. During the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Second Air Force aircraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM)s stood nuclear alert, providing a deterrence against an attack on the United States by the
Soviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. During the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, squadrons of 2d Air Force B-52 Stratofortesses (B-52Ds mostly, some B-52Gs) were deployed to bases on
GuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Okinawa and
ThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
conducting
Arc LightArc Light is the debut novel by Eric L. Harry, a techno-thriller about limited nuclear war published in 1994 and written in 1991-2.As China and Russia clash in Siberia in June 1999, nuclear missiles strike the United States. The U.S. retaliates against Russia, and World War III begins...
strikes on communist forces. The organization was inactivated during the post Vietnam drawdown in 1975
With the end of the Cold War and the restructuring of Strategic Air Command, Second Air Force was reactivated and became the steward for reconnaissance and battlefield management assets from 1 September 1991 until 1 July 1993 when it was inactivated by
Air Combat CommandAir Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
.
Air Education and Training Command
Second Air Force was reactivated and reassigned on 1 July 1993 to Keesler AFB, Mississippi. Its mission became conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and support officers at five major AETC training bases in the United States.
External links
- Air Force News: http://www.aetc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123048602
- Air Force News: http://www.aetc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123023111
- Air Force News: Change of Command http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123166976
- PRESENTATION TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON READINESS COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: http://armedservices.house.gov/pdfs/Read073107/Gibson_Testimony073107.pdf