Editing Tactical Air Command (section)

=== Pacific Air Forces and the Vietnam War ===
{{Further|Pacific Air Forces}}
{{Further|United States Air Force in Thailand}}
[[Image:27tfw-f100d-56-3460.jpg|thumb|300px|North American F-100D-85-NH Super Sabre
 Serial 56-3460 of the 27th TFW, deployed on TDY to [[Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base]] in 1964 from [[Cannon AFB]], [[New Mexico]].]]
[[Image:RF-101C 45TRS 460TRW TanSon Nhut 1969.jpg|thumb|300px|RF-101C, AF Ser No. 56–0176 of the 460th Tactical Recon Squadron – [[Tan Son Nhut Air Base]] – 1969]]
[[Image:Bombing in Vietnam.jpg|thumb|300px|F-105s with an EB-66 from the 355th TFW based at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base.]]
[[Image:8tfwF-4D.jpg|thumb|300px|McDonnell F-4D-29-MC Phantom, AF Ser. No. 66-0234, of the [[8th Tactical Fighter Wing]] at [[Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base]] with laser-guided bombs on a mission north. The 8th TFW deployed to Thailand from [[George AFB]], California in 1965.]]
[[Image:3d Tactical Fighter Squadron A-7D Corsair II 71-0309.jpg|thumb|300px|A-7D-10-CV, AF Ser. No. 71-0309 from the 388th TFW, Korat RTAFB Thailand, 1973. After the end of Vietnam War, the 388th TFW returned to [[Hill AFB]], [[Utah]].]]
During the tenure of the Kennedy Administration, as an additional background to the [[Cold War]] there was the onset of low intensity guerrilla wars and wars of insurgency with proxies of the Soviet Union. During 1963, the situation in [[South Vietnam]] was heating up on a daily basis and more and more "military advisors" were being sent to that small country in Southeast Asia.<ref name="multivn">Schlight, John (1996), A War Too Long: The History of the USAF in Southeast Asia, 1961–1975, Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force</ref>

==== Special Operations Units ====
Air Force [[Special Forces]] units became part of TAC in 1961 when a counter-insurgency force was activated at [[Eglin AFB]], Florida. Aircraft of these units consisted of a combination of propeller-driven World War II and Korean War-vintage fighters, modified trainers, [[Douglas B-26 Invader]] attack bombers and an eclectic collection of cargo and utility aircraft.<ref name="multi99">Thigpen, Jerry L. (2001). The Praetorian STARShip: The untold story of the Combat Talon. Air University Press, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ASIN: B000116LSI</ref> Originally activated as a Combat Crew Training Squadron, the unit was upgraded to a wing and designated as the [[1st Special Operations Wing|1st Air Commando Wing]]. In 1964, TAC ordered a squadron of specially modified [[C-130 Hercules|C-130E]] aircraft to support [[U.S. Army Special Forces]] and [[Central Intelligence Agency]] teams operating deep inside enemy territory. As the war in Vietnam intensified, additional air commando units were organized in Southeast Asia. In 1968, these units were redesignated as "Special Operations" squadrons.

====Tactical Fighters====
In response to what has become known as the [[Gulf of Tonkin incident]] in 1964, TAC pilots and support personnel found themselves deployed to places like [[Da Nang International Airport|Da Nang AB]] and [[Phan Rang Air Base|Phan Rang AB]] in [[South Vietnam]] and [[Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base|Takhli RTAFB]] and [[Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base|Korat RTAFB]] in [[Thailand]].  Initially, TAC began deploying squadrons of [[F-100 Super Sabre]], [[RF-101 Voodoo]] and [[F-105 Thunderchief]] aircraft to these overseas installations under the cognizance of [[United States Pacific Air Forces|PACAF]].  As the American effort in Southeast Asia increased, TAC used a process of deploying squadrons to PACAF-operated bases in South Vietnam and Thailand, with the squadrons being attached temporarily on rotational deployments or being permanently reassigned to the PACAF wing.

For the next decade, TAC would be consumed by operations in [[Vietnam]], [[Cambodia]] and [[Laos]]. On a daily basis, flight crews trained by TAC would hurl themselves and their planes at targets across the area of operations, to include over the skies of [[North Vietnam]]. As the command responsible for training aircrews for overseas duty, TAC maintained Readiness Training Units in the United States to train pilots and other aircrew members for fighters, reconnaissance and troop carrier (redesignated tactical airlift after 1 July 1966) squadrons in the Pacific.

====Troop Carrier====
In December 1964, TAC deployed a squadron of [[C-123 Provider]] assault transports from the [[464th Tactical Airlift Wing|464th Troop Carrier Wing]] at [[Pope AFB]], [[North Carolina]] to [[Clark Air Base]], Philippines, then on to [[Tan Son Nhut Air Base]], South Vietnam to set up a tactical air cargo transportation system.<ref name="multivn"/>

To support the increased military strength in Southeast Asia, TAC also began deploying its [[C-130]] equipped troop carrier (later re-designated tactical airlift) squadrons to bases in [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] and the Philippines. In late 1965, TAC transferred two C-130 wings and two additional squadrons, a total of eight squadrons, to PACAF's [[315th Air Division]] for operations in Southeast Asia.

==== 1972 Spring Invasion ====
{{Further|Easter Offensive}}
In 1970, the war was beginning to wind down as the conflict was being Vietnamized. Units from the [[Republic of Vietnam Air Force]] ([[VNAF]]) took on more and more combat to defend their nation and USAF tactical air strength was reduced as several air bases and, in some cases, formerly USAF aircraft, were turned over to the VNAF.<ref name="multivn"/>

Bombing of North Vietnam (Operation Rolling Thunder) had ended in 1968, and as a result, North Vietnamese forces had built up their air defenses and continued to pour men and equipment into the South via the [[Ho Chi Minh trail]]. By the beginning of 1972 there were only about 235 USAF tactical combat aircraft in Southeast Asia.<ref name="multivn"/> Vietnamization was severely tested by the [[Easter Offensive]] of 1972, a massive conventional invasion of South Vietnam by North Vietnamese Army forces in spring 1972. On 30 March 1972, the [[People's Army of Vietnam]] (PAVN) launched an all out invasion of South Vietnam with over 13 divisions, pushing South Vietnamese units aside with little difficulty. President Nixon stepped up air strikes to turn back the invasion, or at least to slow it down.<ref name="multivn"/>

In response to the invasion, TAC deployed both squadrons and wings to air bases in Thailand. Known units deployed were:<ref name="multi2"/>
* Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base
: 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Eglin AFB, Florida (F-4E)
: 414th Fighter Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada (F-4E)
* Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base
: 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina (F-4D)
* Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base
: 49th Tactical Fighter Wing, Holloman AFB, New Mexico (F-4D)

By October 1972, the effect of the air campaign was being felt in North Vietnam. North Vietnamese delegates returned to the bargaining table in Paris to engage in peace talks in a serious manner. Besides the pressure from USAF, USN and USMC tactical fighters, fighter-bombers and fighter aircraft, as well as USAF [[B-52]] bombers, the political climate in Moscow and Peking had changed to encourage the North Vietnamese to agree to a settlement.<ref name="multivn"/>

==== Uneasy Peace 1973 ====
On 27 January 1973, the [[Paris Peace Accords]] were signed with an effective date of 28 January 1973. For TAC, the war in Southeast Asia (SEA) was almost over. With the official end of hostilities came the long-awaited release of American [[Prisoners of War]] from inside North Vietnam. The last USAF aircraft left South Vietnam at the end of January 1973, and the final group of American Prisoners of War were released from North Vietnam on 29 March 1973.<ref name="multith">Glasser, Jeffrey D. (1998). The Secret Vietnam War: The United States Air Force in Thailand, 1961–1975. McFarland & Company. {{ISBN|0-7864-0084-6}}.</ref>
[[Image:354th Tactical Fighter Wing A-7D Corsair IIs arrival at Korat RTAFB Thailand.jpg|left|thumb| TAC A-7Ds of the deployed 354th Tactical Fighter Wing deployed at [[Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base]], 1972. An A-7D from the 354th fired the last shot in anger of the Vietnam War on 15 August 1973. A-7Ds from Korat RTAFB maintained an alert status in Thailand and participated in the 1975 [[SS Mayaguez]] Rescue.]]
The accords effectively ended United States military operations in North and South Vietnam. Laos and Cambodia, however, were not signatories to the Paris agreement and remained in states of war with their internal [[Rebellion|rebel]] forces.<ref name="multith"/>

The United States was helping the Royal Laotian government achieve whatever advantage possible before working out a settlement with the [[Lao People's Revolutionary Party|Laotian communists]] and their allies. The USAF flew combat sorties over Laos during January and February 1973. On 17 April, the USAF flew its last mission over Laos, working a handful of targets requested by the Laotian government.<ref name="multith"/>

In Cambodia, there was no peace in 1973. Local communist insurgents of the [[Khmer Rouge]] kept up their attacks on the Cambodian capital, [[Phnom Penh]], so the Cambodian Government urgently called upon the U.S. for help and the USAF in Thailand was ordered to carry out a massive [[Military campaign|bombing campaign]] against the insurgents on the outskirts of the city.  The Cambodian Army would attempt to attack Khmer Rouge forces, however the rebels would simply slip away and move somewhere else. This tactic effectively succeeded in wearing down the government forces. In July and August 1973, the Khmer Rouge focused on taking Phanom Penh and other major cities. In addition, it was reported that the Khmer Rouge was utilizing [[Riot control agent|tear gas]] in its attacks.<ref name="multith"/>

Congressional pressure in Washington grew against these bombings, and on 30 June 1973, the [[United States Congress]] passed [[public law]] PL 93-50 and 93-52, which cut off all funds for combat in Cambodia and all of Indochina effective 15 August 1973. Air strikes by the USAF peaked just before the deadline, as the Cambodian Army engaged a force of about 10,000 Khmer Rouge rebels that encircled Phnom Penh.<ref name="multith"/>

The last shot fired in anger in Southeast Asia was by a TAC [[A-7D Corsair II]] of the TAC deployed [[354th Fighter Wing|354th Tactical Fighter Wing]], based at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base over the suburbs of Phnom Penh. By the end of 1975, all TAC units and aircraft were withdrawn from Southeast Asia.

==== Known TAC units and aircraft deployed to Southeast Asia (1964–1975) ====
{{Colbegin|colwidth=32em}}
* 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100) [[England AFB]], LA
* 4th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-105, F-4) [[Seymour Johnson AFB]], NC
* 8th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4) [[George AFB]], CA
* 12th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4) [[MacDill Air Force Base]], FL
* 23d Tactical Fighter Wing (F-105, A-7D) [[McConnell AFB]], KS; [[England AFB]], LA
* 27th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100) [[Cannon AFB]], NM
* 31st Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100, F-4) [[Homestead AFB]], FL
* 33d Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4) [[Eglin AFB]], FL
* 35th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4) [[George AFB]], CA
* 49th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4) [[Holloman AFB]], 
*140th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100) [[Buckley ANGB]], CO
* 314th Troop Carrier Wing (C-130E) [[Sewart AFB]], TN
* 347th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-111) [[Cannon AFB]], NM
* 354th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100, A-7D), [[Myrtle Beach AFB]], SC
* 355th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-105, A-7D) [[McConnell AFB]] KS; [[Davis-Monthan AFB]], AZ
* 366th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100, F-4) [[Cannon AFB]], NM
* 388th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-100, F-4) [[McConnell AFB]], KS
* 401st Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4C) [[England AFB]], LA<ref>{{cite web |url=http://danangvietnam2.wordpress.com/page/5/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819090557/http://danangvietnam2.wordpress.com/page/5/ |archive-date=19 August 2014 |title=Da Nang Vietnam {{!}} A great WordPress.com site {{!}} Page 5}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=17184&page=1 |title=National Museum of the USAF - Fact Sheet (Printable) : F-100 SUPER SABRE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA |website=www.nationalmuseum.af.mil |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819083909/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=17184&page=1 |archive-date=2014-08-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/f100_6.html |title = North American F-100D Super Sabre}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://danangvietnam1.blogspot.com/2012/11/trek-23d-air-base-group.html |title = 23d Air Base Group}}</ref> 
* 463rd Troop Carrier Wing (C-130B) [[Langley AFB]], VA
* [[474th Tactical Fighter Wing]] (F-100, F-111) [[Cannon AFB]], NM, [[Nellis AFB]], NV
* 479th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4) [[George AFB]], CA
* [[193d Special Operations Wing|193d Tactical Electronic Warfare Group]] (EC-121) [[Olmsted AFB]], PA ([[Air National Guard]])
* 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (RB/EB-66) [[Shaw AFB]], SC
* 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (RF-101, RF-4C) [[Shaw AFB]], SC
* 507th Tactical Control Group (O-2) [[Shaw AFB]], SC
* [[552d Air Control Wing|552nd Airborne Early Warning & Control Wing]] (EC-121D) [[McClellan AFB]], CA
* 553rd Reconnaissance Wing (EC-121R) Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand
* 29th Troop Carrier Squadron (C-130B) [[Forbes AFB]], KS
* 41st Troop Carrier Squadron (C-130A) [[Lockbourne AFB]], OH
* 50th Troop Carrier Squadron (C-130E) [[Sewart AFB]], TN
* 345th Troop Carrier Squadron (C-130E) [[Dyess AFB]], TX
* 776th Troop Carrier Squadron (C-130E) [[Pope AFB]], NC
{{Colend}}

<small>source<ref name="multi2"/></small>