Tenth Air Force
Encyclopedia
The Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command
(AFRC). It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth
, Texas.
The command directs the activities of 14,000 reservists and 950 civilians located at 30 military installations throughout the United States. In addition, Tenth Air Force units fly satellites for both US SPACECOM and NOAA.
Tenth Air Force was a United States Army Air Forces
combat air force created for operations in India
, Burma and Indochina
during World War II in the China Burma India Theater of operations
. It was established at New Delhi, India on 12 February 1942, around a nucleus of air force personnel newly arrived from Java
and the Philippines
, under the command of Major General (later Lt. General) Louis Brereton
. In the years since World War II, the 10th Air Force has served the US air defense and reserve training programs.
The 10th Air Force is commanded by Maj. Gen. Frank J. Padilla.
The command directs the activities of 14,000 reservists and 950 civilians located at 30 military installations in the United States. With 87 full time staff, and 93 reservists, Tenth Air Force and the 610th Regional Support Group monitor and provides assistance to their subordinate units to ensure they maintain readiness to supplement active Air Force units with operationally ready units on a moment's notice. If mobilized, the flying units and their support elements are placed under the command of Air Combat Command
(ACC), Air Force Special Operations Command
(AFSOC), Air Force Space Command
(AFSPC) and Air Education and Training Command
(AETC).
Reservists from 10th Air Force units are routinely deployed to Air Expeditionary units in combat areas of Central and Southwest Asia as part of the Overseas Contingency Operation
.
Tenth Air Force Squadrons, Flights, and Operational Locations are also stationed at:
Tenth Air Force was constituted on 4 February 1942 and activated on 12 February, built up around a nucleus of air force personnel newly arrived from Java
and the Philippines
, under the command of Maj. Gen. Lewis H. Brereton
. It had its headquarters at New Delhi. Components of the air force moved to India over a three month period from March to May 1942. It was responsible for creating, operating and safeguarding the India-China Ferry, more commonly known as the Hump airlift
, between 8 April and 1 December 1942, first with its Assam-Burma-China Command until 16 July, then the India-China Ferry Command until 1 December, when jurisdiction for the airlift passed to the Air Transport Command
.
The Tenth Air Force initially provided control of all USAAF combat operations in the China Burma India Theater
under theater commander Lt. Gen. Joseph Stillwell. Units based in China were controlled by the China Air Task Force of the Tenth Air Force, created 4 July 1942 to replace the American Volunteer Group
, and commanded by Brig. Gen. Claire Chennault. Units based in India were controlled by the India Air Task Force, created 8 October 1942, commanded by Brigadier General Caleb V. Haynes
.
In March 1943 the China Air Task Force was dissolved and its components made part of the new Fourteenth Air Force
, activated in China under Chennault. The Tenth operated in India and Burma as part of the Allied Eastern Air Command until it moved to China late in July 1945.
The Tenth Air Force conducted offensive strategic bombing operations in Burma and supported Allied ground efforts with close air support and operations against Japanese communications and supply installations. After the end of the war in China, the command headquarters departed from Shanghai on 15 December 1945, being attached to Army Service Forces at Fort Lawton
, Washington where the last personnel were demobilized and the command inactivated, being returned to HQ USAAF on 6 January 1946.
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 Air Defense Command in March 1946 and subsequently to Continental Air Command
(ConAC) in December 1948 being primarily concerned with air defense.
The command was re-activated on 24 May 1946 at Brooks Field (later, AFB), Texas. It moved to Offutt AFB, Nebraska, 1 July 1948; Fort Benjamin Harrison (later, Benjamin Harrison AFB)
, Indiana, 25 September 1948. It was originally assigned to provide air defense over a wide region from Kentucky to Montana; from the Four Corners of southwest Colorado to the Northeast tip of Minnesota, north of the borders of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee.
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
(WADF) and Eastern Air Defense Force
(EADF), the air defense mission of the command was transferred to WADF, leaving Tenth AF free to focus on its reserve training tasks,
Moved to Selfridge AFB, Michigan, 16 January 1950 where for the next decade it concentrated on air reserve training throughout the decade. On 1 July 1960, the Fourth Air Force Reserve Region was formed at Randolph AFB. The Fourth Region was one of five Reserve regions and became operational on 1 September 1960, under the control of Continental Air Command
(CAC), as a result, Tenth Air Force was discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 September 1960.
Tenth Air Force was reactivated on 20 January 1966, at Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri as part of Air Defense Command with the inactivation of its organization of Air Defense Sectors. Its area of responsibility was the central region of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River and the northern peninsula of Michigan.
On 16 January 1968 Air Defense Command was re-designated Aerospace Defense Command
(ADCOM) as part of a restructuring of USAF air defense forces. Tenth 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 Tenth Air Force were reassigned primarily to the 14th, 23d and 24th Air Divisions.
When Air Force operations were phased out of Ellington AFB, Central Region Headquarters moved to Bergstrom AFB, in Austin, TX, on 10 March 1976. The Air Force Reserve’s entire intermediate management structure was then realigned effective 8 October 1976; and the Reserve Regions were inactivated and succeeded by the currently activated Tenth Air Force. Redesignated Tenth Air Force (Reserve) on 24 September 1976, the unit activated in the Reserve on 8 October 1976 at Bergstrom AFB, TX, assigned to Air Force Reserve. It was redesignated Tenth Air Force on 1 December 1985.
As a result, the unit assumed command over all Tactical Air Command-gained and Strategic Air Command-gained Air Force Reserve units regardless of geographic location. With the inactivation of TAC and SAC in 1992, Tenth Air Force today is responsible for command supervision of fighter, bomber, rescue, airborne warning and control, special operations, flying training, combat air operations battle staff, and space reserve units.
Air Force Reserve Command
The 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....
(AFRC). It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth
Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base or NAS Fort Worth JRB includes Carswell Field, a military airfield located west of the central business district of Fort Worth, in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. This military airfield is operated by United States Navy...
, Texas.
The command directs the activities of 14,000 reservists and 950 civilians located at 30 military installations throughout the United States. In addition, Tenth Air Force units fly satellites for both US SPACECOM and NOAA.
Tenth Air Force was a United States Army Air Forces
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....
combat air force created for operations in India
India
India , 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...
, Burma and Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
during World War II in the China Burma India Theater of operations
China Burma India Theater of World War II
China Burma India Theater was the name used by the United States Army for its forces operating in conjunction with British and Chinese Allied air and land forces in China, Burma, and India during World War II...
. It was established at New Delhi, India on 12 February 1942, around a nucleus of air force personnel newly arrived from Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, under the command of Major General (later Lt. General) Louis Brereton
Lewis H. Brereton
Lewis Hyde Brereton was a military aviation pioneer and lieutenant general in the United States Air Force...
. In the years since World War II, the 10th Air Force has served the US air defense and reserve training programs.
The 10th Air Force is commanded by Maj. Gen. Frank J. Padilla.
Overview
10th Air Force is responsible for managing and supervising six fighter units, three geographically dispersed rescue units, one bomber unit, one Airborne Warning and Control (AWACs) associate unit, one special operations wing, one space wing, one Regional Support Group, and more than 120 non-flying units in logistics and support roles.The command directs the activities of 14,000 reservists and 950 civilians located at 30 military installations in the United States. With 87 full time staff, and 93 reservists, Tenth Air Force and the 610th Regional Support Group monitor and provides assistance to their subordinate units to ensure they maintain readiness to supplement active Air Force units with operationally ready units on a moment's notice. If mobilized, the flying units and their support elements are placed under the command of Air Combat Command
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 ....
(ACC), Air Force Special Operations Command
Air Force Special Operations Command
Air Force Special Operations Command is the Special Operations component of the United States Air Force and the US Air Force component command to the United States Special Operations Command , a unified command located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida...
(AFSOC), Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command is a major command of the United States Department of the Air Force, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. AFSPC supports U.S. military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and cyber operations....
(AFSPC) and 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....
(AETC).
Reservists from 10th Air Force units are routinely deployed to Air Expeditionary units in combat areas of Central and Southwest Asia as part of the Overseas Contingency Operation
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
.
Units
Operational units of Tenth Air Force are:- Combat Air Forces
- 301st Fighter Wing301st Fighter WingThe 301st Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force Reserve fighter wing, based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth Carswell Field, Texas. It is equipped with the F-16C+ Fighting Falcon...
– NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas - 419th Fighter Wing419th Fighter WingThe 419th Group trained in the Reserve for troop carrier operations from 1949 to 1951. Since 1982, the 419th, now as a wing, trained for worldwide combat fighter operations. It was the last wing to fly F-105 aircraft, and in early 1984 was the first Air Force Reserve wing to fly F-16s. Personnel of...
– Hill AFB, Utah - 442d Fighter Wing442d Fighter WingThe 442d Fighter Wing is an Air Force Reserve Command fighter wing, operationally-gained by Air Combat Command . It is based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri...
– Whiteman AFB, Missouri - 482d Fighter Wing482d Fighter WingThe 482d Fighter Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command. It is the host wing at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida.-Mission:...
– Homestead ARB, Florida - 917th Wing917th WingThe 917th Wing is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force. It was last based at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It operated both the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the B-52 Stratofortress....
– Barksdale AFB, Louisiana - 919th Special Operations Wing919th Special Operations WingThe 919th Special Operations Wing is an Air Force Reserve Command wing of the United States Air Force, operationally-gained by the Air Force Special Operations Command and based at Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #3 / Duke Field, Florida.-Mission:The 919 SOW provides and maintains the MC-130E Combat...
– Eglin AFB, Florida - 920th Rescue Wing920th Rescue WingThe 920th Rescue Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida with additional geographically separated units located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona and Portland International Airport/Air Reserve Station, Oregon...
– Patrick AFB, Florida - 477th Fighter Group477th Fighter GroupThe 477th Fighter Group is the Air Force Reserve Command's first F-22A Raptor unit. The unit is assigned to Tenth Air Force and is based at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.-Overview:...
– Elmendorf AFB, Alaska - 926th Group926th GroupThe 926th Group ' is a United States Air Force Reserve unit. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force and stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.-Overview:The 926th Group is an associate unit to the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis AFB...
– Nellis AFB, Nevada - 943d Rescue Group – Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona
- Regional Support Groups
- 610th Regional Support Group – NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas
- Space Forces
- 310th Space Wing310th Space WingThe 310th Space Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command Tenth Air Force. It is a tenant unit at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo....
– Schriever AFB, Colorado- Pilot Training Forces
- 944th Fighter Wing944th Fighter WingThe United States Air Force's 944th Fighter Wing is an initial fighter training unit located at Luke AFB, Arizona.-Mission:The mission of the 944th Fighter Wing is to train F-16 pilots and provide combat ready fighter pilots for the Air Force....
– Luke AFB, Arizona - 340th Flying Training Group340th Flying Training GroupThe 340th Flying Training Group is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Tenth Air Force...
– Randolph AFB, Texas- Command/Control Forces
- 940th Wing – Beale AFB, California
- 513th Air Control Group513th Air Control GroupThe 513th Air Control Group is United States Air Force Reserve unit assigned to Tinker AFB, Oklahoma.It's World War II predecessor, the 3d Combat Cargo Group was a United States Army Air Forces combat organization. It served primarily in the China Burma India Theater and Pacific Ocean Theater of...
– Tinker AFB, Oklahoma
Tenth Air Force Squadrons, Flights, and Operational Locations are also stationed at:
- Columbus Air Force BaseColumbus Air Force BaseColumbus Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately north of Columbus, Mississippi.The host unit at Columbus is the 14th Flying Training Wing assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Nineteenth Air Force. The 14 FTW's mission is to provide specialized...
, Mississippi - Vance Air Force BaseVance Air Force BaseVance Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located 6 km south of downtown Enid, Oklahoma, and within its city limits, about north northwest of Oklahoma City...
, Oklahoma - Hickam Air Force BaseHickam Air Force BaseHickam Field, re-named Hickam Air Force Base in 1948, was a United States Air Force facility now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam.- History :...
, Hawaii - Holloman Air Force BaseHolloman Air Force BaseHolloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located six miles southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, a city in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. The base was named in honor of Col. George V. Holloman, a pioneer in guided missile research...
, New Mexico - Langley Air Force Base, Virginia
- Laughlin Air Force BaseLaughlin Air Force BaseLaughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located five miles east of the central business district of Del Rio, Texas.-Overview:...
, Texas - March ARB, California
- Moody Air Force BaseMoody Air Force BaseMoody Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation located in Lowndes County and Lanier County, about northeast of Valdosta, Georgia, United States.Moody Air Force Base is home to the 23d Wing...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia 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... - Offut Air Force Base, Nebraska
- Portland IAP, Oregon
- Sheppard Air Force BaseSheppard 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 - United States Air Force AcademyUnited States Air Force AcademyThe United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
, Colorado - Vandenberg Air Force BaseVandenberg Air Force BaseVandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
, California - Beale Air Force BaseBeale Air Force BaseBeale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. Originally known as Camp Beale....
, California
World War II
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, under the command of Maj. Gen. Lewis H. Brereton
Lewis H. Brereton
Lewis Hyde Brereton was a military aviation pioneer and lieutenant general in the United States Air Force...
. It had its headquarters at New Delhi. Components of the air force moved to India over a three month period from March to May 1942. It was responsible for creating, operating and safeguarding the India-China Ferry, more commonly known as the Hump airlift
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 and the units of the United States Army Air Forces based in...
, between 8 April and 1 December 1942, first with its Assam-Burma-China Command until 16 July, then the India-China Ferry Command until 1 December, when jurisdiction for the airlift passed to the Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
.
The Tenth Air Force initially provided control of all USAAF combat operations in the China Burma India Theater
China Burma India Theater of World War II
China Burma India Theater was the name used by the United States Army for its forces operating in conjunction with British and Chinese Allied air and land forces in China, Burma, and India during World War II...
under theater commander Lt. Gen. Joseph Stillwell. Units based in China were controlled by the China Air Task Force of the Tenth Air Force, created 4 July 1942 to replace the American Volunteer Group
American Volunteer Group
The American Volunteer Groups were volunteer air units organized by the United States government to aid the Nationalist government of China against Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War...
, and commanded by Brig. Gen. Claire Chennault. Units based in India were controlled by the India Air Task Force, created 8 October 1942, commanded by Brigadier General Caleb V. Haynes
Caleb V. Haynes
Caleb Vance Haynes was a United States Air Force major general. The grandson of a famous Siamese Twin, he was used by the Air Force as an organizer, able to create air units from scratch...
.
In March 1943 the China Air Task Force was dissolved and its components made part of the new Fourteenth Air Force
Fourteenth Air Force
The Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
, activated in China under Chennault. The Tenth operated in India and Burma as part of the Allied Eastern Air Command until it moved to China late in July 1945.
The Tenth Air Force conducted offensive strategic bombing operations in Burma and supported Allied ground efforts with close air support and operations against Japanese communications and supply installations. After the end of the war in China, the command headquarters departed from Shanghai on 15 December 1945, being attached to Army Service Forces at Fort Lawton
Fort Lawton
Fort Lawton is a United States Army fort located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The fort was included in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list.-History:...
, Washington where the last personnel were demobilized and the command inactivated, being returned to HQ USAAF on 6 January 1946.
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 Tenth 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 re-activated on 24 May 1946 at Brooks Field (later, AFB), Texas. It moved to Offutt AFB, Nebraska, 1 July 1948; Fort Benjamin Harrison (later, Benjamin Harrison AFB)
Fort Benjamin Harrison
Fort Benjamin Harrison was a U.S. Army post located in suburban Lawrence, Indiana, northeast of Indianapolis. It is named for the 23rd United States President, Benjamin Harrison. Land was purchased in 1903, with the post being officially named for President Harrison in honor of Indianapolis being...
, Indiana, 25 September 1948. It was originally assigned to provide air defense over a wide region from Kentucky to Montana; from the Four Corners of southwest Colorado to the Northeast tip of Minnesota, north of the borders of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee.
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
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) and Eastern Air Defense Force
Eastern Air Defense Force
The Eastern Air Defense Force 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), the air defense mission of the command was transferred to WADF, leaving Tenth AF free to focus on its reserve training tasks,
Moved to Selfridge AFB, Michigan, 16 January 1950 where for the next decade it concentrated on air reserve training throughout the decade. On 1 July 1960, the Fourth Air Force Reserve Region was formed at Randolph AFB. The Fourth Region was one of five Reserve regions and became operational on 1 September 1960, under the control of 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:...
(CAC), as a result, Tenth Air Force was discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 September 1960.
Tenth Air Force was reactivated on 20 January 1966, at Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri as part of Air Defense Command with the inactivation of its organization of Air Defense Sectors. Its area of responsibility was the central region of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River and the northern peninsula of Michigan.
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. Tenth 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 Tenth Air Force were reassigned primarily to the 14th, 23d and 24th Air Divisions.
Air Force Reserve
Continental Air Command was discontinued on 1 August 1968, and was replaced by Headquarters Air Force Reserve, located at Robins Air Force Base, GA. In July 1969, the Fourth Region moved from Randolph AFB to Ellington AFB, near Houston, TX. On 31 December 1969, the five regions were merged into three. The responsibilities of the Fourth and Fifth Regions were consolidated into the new Central Air Force Reserve Region. Eastern Region became responsible for the First and Second Region areas, the Sixth Region became the Western Region. This change increased the area of responsibility of Central Region from five states to 14, ranging from the Canadian to the Mexican borders. As a result of these consolidations, Tenth Air Force was agan inactivated on 31 December 1969.When Air Force operations were phased out of Ellington AFB, Central Region Headquarters moved to Bergstrom AFB, in Austin, TX, on 10 March 1976. The Air Force Reserve’s entire intermediate management structure was then realigned effective 8 October 1976; and the Reserve Regions were inactivated and succeeded by the currently activated Tenth Air Force. Redesignated Tenth Air Force (Reserve) on 24 September 1976, the unit activated in the Reserve on 8 October 1976 at Bergstrom AFB, TX, assigned to Air Force Reserve. It was redesignated Tenth Air Force on 1 December 1985.
As a result, the unit assumed command over all Tactical Air Command-gained and Strategic Air Command-gained Air Force Reserve units regardless of geographic location. With the inactivation of TAC and SAC in 1992, Tenth Air Force today is responsible for command supervision of fighter, bomber, rescue, airborne warning and control, special operations, flying training, combat air operations battle staff, and space reserve units.
Lineage
- Established as 10th Air Force on 4 February 1942.
- Activated on 12 February 1942
- Redesignated Tenth Air Force on 18 September 1942
- Inactivated on 6 January 1946
- Activated on 24 May 1946
- Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 September 1960
- Activated on 20 January 1966
- Organized on 1 April 1966
- Inactivated on 31 December 1969
- Redesignated Tenth Air Force (Reserve) on 24 September 1976
- Activated on 8 October 1976
- Redesignated Tenth Air Force on 1 December 1985
Assignments
- Air Force Combat Command, 12 February 1942
- U.S. Army Forces in China-Burma-India Theater, 5 March 1942
- Army Air Forces, India-Burma Sector, 21 August 1943
- Attached to Eastern Air Command, 15 December 1943 – 1 June 1945
- Further attached to Strategic Air Force, Eastern Air Command, 15 December 1943 – 20 June 1944
- Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, 27 October 1944
- Army Air Forces, China Theater, 6 July 1945
- U.S. Army Air Forces, China Theater, 25 August 1945
- Army Service Forces, Seattle Port of Embarkation, 5–6 January 1946
- Air Defense Command, 24 May 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 – 31 December 1969
- Air Force Reserve (later, Air Force Reserve CommandAir 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 – present
Commands
- IX Air Service Area: 19 March – 1 July 1948
- X Air Force Service: 1 February – 20 August 1943
- XXI Air Force Service: 19 March – 1 July 1948
- Karachi American Air Base: 13 February – 20 August 1943
Air Divisions
- 30th Air Division: 16 December 1949 – 1 September 1950; 1 Apr 1966-18 September 1968
- 73d Air Division73d Air DivisionThe 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:...
: 1 July 1948 – 27 June 1949 - 96th Air Division96th Air DivisionThe 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...
: 1 July 1948 – 27 June 1949 - 322d Air Division: 1 July 1948 – 27 June 1949
- 323d Air Division323d Air DivisionThe 323d Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the I Troop Carrier Command, stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California It was inactivated on 8 May 1960....
: 1 July 1948 – 27 June 1949. - 20th Air Division: 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1967
- 28th Air Division: 1 April 1966 – 19 November 1969
- 29th Air Division: 1 April 1966 – 15 September 1969
- 31st Air Division: 1 July 1968 – 31 December 1969
- 24th Air Division: 19 November – 1 December 1969
- 25th Air Division: 15 September – 1 Dec 1969
- 26th Air Division: 19 November – 1 December 1969
- 27th Air Division: 15 September – 19 November 1969
Regions
- Fourth Air Force Reserve: 1 Jul – 1 Sep 1960
- Fifth Air Force Reserve: 1 Jul – 1 Sep 1960
Wings
- 552d Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, 15 September – 15 November 1969
- 4780th Air Defense Wing4780th Air Defense WingThe 4780th Air Defense Wing is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Tenth Air Force, being stationed at Perrin Air Force Base, Texas...
(Training), 1 July 1968 – 15 November 1969
Stations
- Patterson FieldWright-Patterson Air Force BaseWright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties in the state of Ohio. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately...
, Ohio 4 February 1942 - New Delhi, India, March–May 1942
- BarrackporeBarrackporeBarrackpore or Barrackpur is headquarters of Barrackpore subdivision in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The town was a military and administrative center under British rule, and was the scene of several acts of rebellion against Britain during the 19th century...
, India. October 1943 - Belvedere Palace, Calcutta, India, January 1944
- Kanjikoah, India, June 1944
- Myitkyina, Burma, November 1944
- Bhamo, Burma, February 1945
- Piardoba, India May 1945
- KunmingKunming' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
, China, June–July 1945 - Liuchow, China, August 1945
- KunmingKunming' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
, China, June–July 1945
- Liuchow, China, August 1945
- Kunming, China, August 1945
- Shanghai, China, October 1945
- Fort LawtonFort LawtonFort Lawton is a United States Army fort located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The fort was included in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list.-History:...
, Washington, 5–6 January 1946 - Brooks Field (later, AFB), Texas, 24 May 1946
- Offut Air Force Base, Nebraska, 1 July 1948
- Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan, January 1950-1 September 1960
- Richards-Gebaur Air Force BaseRichards-Gebaur Air Force BaseRichards-Gebaur Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force base. It is located south of Kansas City, Missouri. It was closed in 1994....
, Missouri, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1969 - Bergstrom Air Force BaseBergstrom Air Force BaseBergstrom Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located seven miles southeast of downtown Austin, Texas. It was activated during World War II as a troop carrier training airfield, and was a front-line Strategic Air Command base during the Cold War...
, Texas, 8 October 1976 - Carswell ARSCarswell Air Force BaseCarswell Air Force Base, was a United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base located about northwest central of Fort Worth, Texas, United States; the air force base is mostly within the Fort Worth city limits and has portions within Westworth and White Settlement...
, Texas, 30 June 1996