23rd Air Division (United States)

23rd Air Division
Active	1969–1987
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Command of air defense forces
Part of	Aerospace Defense Command
Insignia
23d Air Division emblem (approved 28 July 1970)[1]

The 23rd Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force intermediate echelon command and control organization. It was last assigned to First Air Force, Tactical Air Command (ADTAC). It was inactivated on 1 July 1987 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.

History

The Division was activated at Duluth International Airport in November 1969, replacing the 29th Air Division in an Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM) realignment and re-organization of assets.^[1][2] Assigned additional designations of 23rd CONAD Region and 23rd NORAD Region upon activation with reporting to the NORAD Combat Operations Center at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Colorado.

The 23rd AD was responsible for the air defense of a large area of the upper Midwest south of the 97th meridian west, bordered by the southern boundary of the Canada–United States border to the Ohio/Pennsylvania border; south and west along the western ridge of the Appalachian Mountains to the 38th parallel north. This encompassed most of Minnesota, Iowa, Northern Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and all of Michigan.^[1] It was also the command organization for the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Data Center (DC-10) at Duluth Air Force Station.

The division and its subordinate interceptor, missile and radar units participated in numerous exercises such as Amalgam Fairplay, Feathered Indian, and Feathered Brave. In addition, its subordinate units exercised with surface to air missiles.^[1] The scope of responsibility for the 23rd AD was expanded in 1973 with further ADCOM unit inactivations and consolidations to include the area south along the 88th meridian west to the 33rd parallel north, west to the 97th meridian west. This added all of Missouri and Arkansas, as well as western Tennessee and northern Mississippi to the Division's Area of Responsibly. It assumed additional designation 23rd ADCOM Region, 8 December 1978

In 1979 it was incorporated into Tactical Air Command with the inactivation of ADCOM as a major command. Under Air Defense, Tactical Air Command (ADTAC) it continued its mission until 15 April 1982 when it moved to Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida and assumed responsibility for most of the region previously commanded by the inactivated 20th Air Division.^[1]

In 1985 most active-duty units were inactivated or reassigned to other missions, and the air defense mission came under Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units under First Air Force. The Division stood down on 1 July 1987,^[1] its command, mission, components, and assets were transferred to the ADTAC Southeast Air Defense Sector.

Lineage

• Established as the 23rd Air Division on 18 November 1969

Activated on 19 November 1969

Inactivated on 1 July 1987^[1]

Assignments

• Aerospace Defense Command, 19 November 1969
• Tactical Air Command, 1 October 1979
• First Air Force, 6 December 1985 – 1 July 1987^[1]

Components

Interceptor units

• 1st Fighter Wing (Air Defense), 1 – 31 December 1969^[1]

Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan

• 343rd Fighter Group (Air Defense), 19 November 1969 - 28 August 1970^[1]

Duluth Airport, Minnesota

Missile units

• 37th Air Defense Missile Squadron, 19 November 1969 - 31 July 1972^[1]

Kincheloe Air Force Base, Michigan

• 74th Air Defense Missile Squadron, 19 November 1969 - 30 April 1972^[1]

Duluth Air Force Station, Minnesota

Radar units

Stations

• Duluth International Airport, Minnesota, 19 November 1969
• Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, 15 April 1982 – 1 July 1987^[1]

See also

• List of United States Air Force air divisions
• List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations
• Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons

References

Notes

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946 - 1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
• Winkler, David F.; Webster, Julie L (1997). Searching the skies: The legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program. Champaign, IL: US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories. LCCN 97020912.^{[dead link]}
• "ADCOM's Fighter Interceptor Squadrons". The Interceptor (January 1979) Aerospace Defense Command, (Volume 21, Number 1)

This page was last edited on 7 January 2024, at 21:25