Continental Air Command was a Major Command of the United States Air Force responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary augmentation to the regular Air Force while it rebuilt itself under wartime conditions. Later, during the 1950s, it was a training force for reservists with no prior military service. ConAC provided peacetime airlift missions for the Air Force. It was mobilized twice in 1961 and 1962 by president Kennedy for the Berlin and Cuban Missile Crisis. Lastly, it was used by president Lyndon B. Johnson for airlift operations into the Dominican Republic and South Vietnam.
Mitchel Field was the original home of the Continental Air Command (CONAC). CONAC was established on 1 December 1948. Mitchel Field was the home of CONAC headquarters and remained so until April 1961. In 1961, Mitchel Field was deactivated and CONAC HQ was moved to Robins AFB GA where it remained until CONAC deactivated on 1 August 1968 and was replaced by the Air Force Reserve. At the outset, the Continental Air Command had jurisdiction over the Tactical Air Command and Air Defense Command and focused on tactical aviation, air defense, and the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve programs. In 1950, the Tactical Air Command became an independent organization. The Air Defense Command became an independent organization, in 1951. Beginning in February 1951, CONAC concentrated on administering the two reserve programs.
