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Tactical Air Command ('''TAC''') (1946 - 1992) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) charged with battlefield-level (tactical) air combat, including light bombardment, close air support of ground troops, interdiction of enemy forces, and air transport of ground troops. TAC was also responsible for tactical ballistic missiles. HISTORY World War II showed the effectiveness of tactical air power in supporting army ground forces. However, the rapid demobilization in late 1945 meant that the huge air armada that had brought Germany to her knees and victory in Europe had been downsized to a shadow of its former self. Headquarters United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) had little money and most of the wartime personnel had returned to civilian life. Many of its aircraft were being sent to storage or the scrapyards, although the increasing tension with the Soviet Union meant that combat military forces were was still needed. The big questions were how much and what kind of forces. A major realignment of the USAAF was undertaken in early 1946. As part of the realignment, three major command divisions within the Continental United States (CONUS) were formed. Each was given a specific responsibility, using assets prescribed to accomplish the assigned mission. Origins Tactical Air Command (TAC) was activated on 21 March 1946 . The other major divisions were Strategic Air Command (SAC) and Air Defence Command (ADC). The mission of Tactical Air Command was to command, organize, equip, train and administer assigned or attached forces. It was to plan for and participate in tactics for light bombardment and other airplanes. These included tactical fighters, tactical bombers, tactical missiles, troop carriers, assault, reconnaissance and support units. TAC also planned for and developed the capability to deploy tactical striking forces anywhere in the world. During its existence, Tactical Air Command deployed personnel, material and/or aircraft to Asia , Africa , North America , South America , Europe and Australia in support of its prescribed mission. The first headquarters for TAC was established at MacDill Army Airfield , near Tampa Florida on 21 March 1946 , however, on 26 May the headquarters was moved to Langley Army Airfield Virginia , in an attempt to bring the command closer to Washington, D.C. . TAC's original authorization was 25,500 officers and enlisted men. Aircraft assets available consisted of propeller-driven North American P-51 Mustangs , Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and a handful of the new jet-powered Lockheed P-80 Shooting Stars . TAC was also given control of the Third Air Force , Ninth Air Force and Twelfth Air Force . Berlin Airlift : ''See also: Berlin Blockade '' On 18 September 1947 the United States Air Force was established as a separate military force, with TAC as one of its major commands. Just a few months later, in March 1948 the first test of the United States' resolve began with the Blockade Of Berlin by the Soviet Union, and the need for tactical air power in Europe to underscore the airlift mission was necessary. At the time there was only one USAFE tactical air unit available in Europe, the 86th Composite Group at Neubiberg Air Base near Munich , flying P-47Ds. TAC was called upon to send additional units and aircraft to Europe to reinforce the 86th FG. The '''36th Fighter Group''' was transferred from Howard AAF in the Panama Canal Zone to Furstenfeldbruck Air Base flying Lockheed F-80B "Shooting Stars" . In addition to the tactical fighter aircraft, TAC also deployed available C-47s to Europe, transferring them to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), created on 1 June 1948 by the merger of Air Force and Navy transport units. In spite of its title, MATS did not include all military airlift, nor would it. While MATS was responsible for meeting the air transportation needs of the Department Of Defense and its agencies, the role of supporting combat troops remained with the Troop Carrier Command, which fell under the Tactical Air Command, as well as PACAF and USAFE overseas in later reorganizations. The troop carrier, or tactical or combat airlift, mission remained separate from MATS and its descendant, Military Airlift Command , until 1975 and the end of the Vietnam War. MATS remained a purely logistical organization, with no combat mission. Soviet forces harassed but did not attack the cargo aircraft, although fighter pilots and antiaircraft gunners occasionally opened fire near the corridors, and searchlights that might temporarily blind a pilot sometimes played upon the aircraft by night. By the spring of 1949, it was obvious these tactics of harassment had failed to deter the airmen involved in the airlift of supplies to Berlin. Consequently, the Soviet Union entered into negotiations which culminated in an agreement, signed on 5 May 1949 , that resulted in the lifting of the blockade, but it did not settle the basic issue of freedom of access. Despite the resumption of surface traffic into the city, the airlift continued until 30 September to mass a reserve of food, fuel, and other supplies in the event the Soviets reimposed the blockade. Continental Air Command With the end of the 1940s TAC's assets were changed, transferred or retired. On 1 December 1948 , Air Defense Command and Tactical Air Command were brought together to form Continental Air Command (CONAC). HQ TAC was reduced to the status of an operational headquarters under CONAC. When organized Continental Air Command assumed jurisdiction of all Air Force units to be used in either air defense or tactical operations. Two years later, on 1 December 1950 , the Air Force reestablished Tactical Air Command as a major command and removed it from assignment to CONAC in large part due to the need to deploy personnel and aircraft to Japan and South Korea due to the Korean War . Korean War |
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