30th Air Division
| 30th Air Division | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the 30th Air Division | |
| Active | 1948-1968 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Role | Command and Control |
| Part of | Air Defense Command |
The 30th Air Division (30th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to Tenth Air Force, being stationed at Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa. It was inactivated on 18 September 1968.
History
Assigned to Air Defense Command (ADC) for most of its existence, the division's initial mission was the air defense of the upper Great Lakes region of the United States. The 30th equipped, administered, trained, and provided operationally ready forces to the appropriate commanders for air defense. The division trained attached and assigned units and supervised and participated in numerous exercises such as Kiowa Knife and Mandan Indian.
Moved to Sioux City, Iowa in 1966 as part of an ADC reorganization and became responsible for air defense a large area of the upper Midwest after the inactivation of the Sioux City Air Defense Sector. Assumed additional designation of 30th NORAD Region after activation of the NORAD Combat Operations Center at Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado and reporting was transferred to NORAD from ADC at Ent AFB in April 1966.
The 30th administered and trained subordinate units, and participated in numerous air defense training exercises. In addition, during the 1960s it supervised training of Air National Guard units with a pertinent mobilization assignment.
Inactivated in September 1968 as ADC phased down its interceptor mission as the chances of a Soviet bomber attack on the United States seemed remote, its mission being consolidated into North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
Lineage
- Established as 30 Air Division (Defense) on 8 November 1949
- Activated on 16 December 1949
- Inactivated on 1 February 1952
- Organized on 1 February 1952
- Redesignated: 30 Air Division (SAGE) on 1 April 1959
- Redesignated: 30th NORAD Region/Air Division on 1 April 1966, replacing Sioux City Air Defense Sector
- Discontinued, and inactivated, on 18 September 1968, assets transferred to 24th NORAD Region/Air Division.
Assignments
- Tenth Air Force, 16 December 1949
- Attached to: Eastern Air Defense Force, 1 January 1931 - August 1950
- Eastern Air Defense Force, 1 September 1950 – 1 July 1959
- Air Defense Command, 1 July 1959
- Tenth Air Force, 1 April 1966 – 18 September 1968.
Stations
- Selfridge AFB, Michigan - 16 December 1949 – 7 April 1952
- Willow Run Airport (later, Willow Run AFS), Detroit, Michigan, 7 April 1952
- Truax Field, Wisconsin, 1 April 1959
- Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa, 1 April 1966 – 18 September 1968.
Components
Division
- Attached: 27 November 1950 – 1 February 1951
Sectors
|
|
Wings
|
|
Groups
|
|
Interceptor Squadrons
|
|
Missile Squadrons
- 37th Air Defense Missile Squadron (BOMARC) : 1 March-1 April 1960
- 74th Air Defense Missile Squadron (BOMARC-B)
- Duluth AF Missile Site, Minnesota, 1960-1972
Radar Squadrons
|
|
See also
- List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations
- Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons
- List of United States Air Force air divisions
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
- A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
- Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, January 1979 (Volume 21, Number 1)
- Air Force Historical Research Agency: 30th Air Division
