Editing Tactical Air Command (section)

==== Inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command and assumption of the Continental Air Defense mission ====

In early 1977, strong congressional pressure to reduce USAF management "overhead", and the personal conviction of the Air Force Chief of Staff that substantial savings could be realized without a reduction in operational capability, resulted in the disestablishment of [[Aerospace Defense Command]] (ADC) as a USAF major command.<ref>[[Aerospace Defense Command]]</ref>

ADC was inactivated on 1 October 1979, with its "atmospheric" resources e.g., its Regular Air Force and Air National Guard [[F-101]], [[F-102]] and [[F-106]] fighter-interceptors; ground-based warning radars; and associated bases and personnel) subsequently transferred to TAC under a sub-entity named [[Air Defense, Tactical Air Command]] ([[ADTAC]]). ADC's [[EC-121 Warning Star]] airborne early warning aircraft had already been retired by 1978 and it never received that aircraft's replacement, the [[E-3 Sentry]] [[Airborne early warning and control|AWACS]], that began entering the TAC inventory in 1977.  As a result of changes in USAF doctrine and tactics, [[Airborne early warning and control|AWACS]] was always intended as strictly a TAC airframe nominally operating from forward-deployed locations and incorporating many of the lessons learned from employing the EC-121 in its [[EC-121|Big Eye]], [[EC-121|College Eye]], [[EC-121|Rivet Top]] and [[EC-121|Disco]] roles with PACAF's [[7th Air Force]] during the Vietnam War.

The new command was, essentially, a transition organization between ADC, and the transfer of the continental air defense mission from a combination of the Regular Air Force and the [[Air National Guard]] to one totally residing in TAC-gained assets of the Air National Guard by 1990.<ref>[[Air Defense, Tactical Air Command]]</ref>