# A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946-1980

Compiled by [Robin Monks](https://coldwar.tech/about), a Cold War archival expert.

*The official USAF unit-lineage reference for the air defense era: every command, division, sector and squadron from 1946 to 1980, compiled by the Office of History at the Aerospace Defense Center.*

## Metadata

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Document Type | report |
| Creator | Lloyd H. Cornett Jr. and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center |
| Date | 1980 (first edition 1973) |
| Classification | UNCLASSIFIED |
| Original Language | english |

This is the reference the histories cite when they need a unit lineage: every command, air division, sector and squadron in US and joint air defense from 1946 to 1980, with activation dates, redesignations, station assignments and inactivations. Compiled by the Office of History at the Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson AFB. If you want to trace what happened to the aircraft control and warning squadron at any USAF-manned [Pinetree](https://coldwar.tech/systems/pinetree-line) station (or the squadrons that ran [PAVE PAWS](https://coldwar.tech/systems/pave-paws)), this is where the trail starts. It is also the source behind much of what Wikipedia says about Cold War air defense units, usually uncredited.

## Related

- [The Pinetree Line](https://coldwar.tech/systems/pinetree-line) (Systems)
- [PAVE PAWS (AN/FPS-115)](https://coldwar.tech/systems/pave-paws) (Systems)

Tags: USAF, NORAD, ADC, unit lineage, air defense, reference

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Canonical URL: https://coldwar.tech/archive/documents/handbook-aerospace-defense-organization
Last updated: 2026-07-15