24th Air Defense Command

• Establishment: The 24th Air Defense Command was activated on January 1, 1967, as part of the United States Air Force’s continental air defense network during the height of the Cold War. • Mission: Its primary mission was to oversee and coordinate air defense operations, including radar surveillance, interceptor aircraft, and missile systems, to protect key regions in the United States from potential air attacks. • Location: The 24th Air Defense Command was headquartered at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, a strategic location for monitoring northern air approaches to the U.S. • Integration: The Command played a critical role in integrating the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, which used computers to track airborne threats and direct interceptors in real time. • Component Units: It commanded various fighter-interceptor squadrons and radar stations spanning the northwestern United States and parts of Canada under the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) agreement. • Role in NORAD: The 24th Air Defense Command was a crucial part of NORAD’s continental defense during the Cold War, cooperating closely with Canadian air defense forces. • Aircraft Operated: Units under the command flew aircraft such as the F-101 Voodoo, F-106 Delta Dart, and F-102 Delta Dagger, which were among the era’s premier interceptors. • Missile Defense: The command also managed BOMARC and Nike missile sites, which provided a surface-to-air missile shield against potential Soviet bomber incursions. • Inactivation: With changing defense priorities and advances in technology, the 24th Air Defense Command was inactivated on October 1, 1979, as part of a broader restructuring of U.S. air defense forces. • Legacy: The 24th Air Defense Command’s legacy lives on in the current U.S. homeland defense architecture, and many of its innovations in integrated command and control are foundational to modern air defense operations.