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The Creation of the 14th Air Force
Eventually the AVG contract expired and the China Air Task Force and 23rd Fighter Squadron carried on as the "Flying Tigers" under the command of Brig Gen Chennault. Their numbers grew in China and by special order of the President in March 1943, the 14th Air Force was established by Army Air Force Chief Lt Gen "Hap" Arnold. Chennault continued as the commander and was promoted to Major General. The "Flying Tigers" conducted effective fighter and bomber operations along a 5,000-mile front from Chunking and Cheng Tu in the west to Indo-China in the south; from the Tibetan Plateau in Burma to the China Sea and Formosa in the east. They were also instrumental in establishing supply of Chinese forces through airlifting cargo across "The Hump" in the China-Burma-India theater. The Tigers eventually grounded the Japanese Air Force as the war came to a close. Chennault's record of combat achievements, unrivaled in the annals of World War II, is a testament to his courage, tactical innovation and gritty determination - an air strategist who produced an indominatable fighting force in spite of continuous obstacles. The man, a legend in his own time, was responsible for the destruction of more than 2,100 Japanese planes, the sinking of 2,135,489 tons of enemy shipping, and 59,450 enemy casualties.
Our Entry into Space
After inactivation in January 1946, the 14th Air Force was reactivated to serve Air Defense Command, Continental Air Command (CONAC) and the Reserve until 1960. Inactive for six years, the 14th became part of Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM) in 1966. In 1968, the 14th assumed the functions of ADCOM's Ninth Aerospace Defense Division and became the 14th Aerospace Force (AEROF), the first command dedicated to space surveillance and tracking. The 14 AEROF mission performed a major portion of the CONAC space defense responsibilities. The Space Defense Center located in Cheyenne Mountain and operated by the 14 AEROF served as a command post for a global network of electronic and optical sensors that detected, tracked, and identified all man-made objects orbiting the earth. The primary detection and tracking network was the USAF SPACETRACK system. Also included were the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System and the Sea Launched Ballistic Missile System with sites located around the world. The 14 AEROF also maintained the 10th Aerospace Defense Squadron, which provided launch services at Vandenberg AFB, with a subordinate unit at Johnston Island in the Pacific.
Delta I
A Brief Return to Flying On October 8, 1976, the 14 AEROF was redesignated as 14 AF (Reserve) at Dobbins AFB, Georgia where it managed airlift forces for the Military Air Command. On July 1, 1993, the 14th Air Force returned to its former space role and the Flying Tigers became a Numbered Air Force for Air Force Space Command, responsible for performing space operations.
The 14th of Today
As the Air Force's sole Numbered Air Force for space, the 14th Air Force space operations mission includes space launch fromthe east and west coasts, satellite control, missile warning, and space surveillance. Its overall mission is to ensure warfighters are supported by the best space capabilities available. The 14th Air Force consists of two launch wings (the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg AFB, CA and the 45th Space Wing at Patrick AFB, FL, Cape Canaveral AS), a space control and missile warning wing (21st Space Wing at Peterson AFB, CO), a satellite control wing (50th Space Wing at Schriever AFB, CO) and an air base wing supporting Buckley AFB (460th Air Base Wing at Buckley AFB, CO). The "Flying Tigers" now serve as the Air Force space operational component of US Strategic Command. In Fall 1997, the 14th Air Force established the Air and Space Operations Center (AOC)/614th Space Operations Group, at Vandenberg AFB for the 24-hour command and control of all space operations resources. The Flying Tigers - a proud past and a brilliant future. http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/14af/14af_history/ | |
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