Southeast Air Defense Sector

Southeast Air Defense Sector
Southeast Air Defense Sector Emblem
Active	1987 - 2006
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Air Defense

The Southeast Air Defense Sector (SEADS), was a unit of the US Air Force located at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida. It provided air defense and surveillance of the southeastern region of the US. SEADS closed in winter 2006, giving up surveillance and control of their airspace to the Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) and the former Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS).

The origins of the Southeast Air Defense Sector (SEADS) are in September 1957 with the formation of its predecessor organization, the Montgomery Air Defense Sector (MoADS) by Air Defense Command (ADC). It was established in September 1957 with a mission to train and maintain tactical flying units in state of readiness in order to defend the Southeastern United States, assuming control of former ADC Central Air Defense Force units. Its original region consisted of ADC atmospheric forces (fighter-interceptor and radar units) located east of the Mississippi River, south of the 34th parallel north and east to a designated line west of the 86th meridian west, southeast to the southernmost point of Key Largo Island, Florida.

It was consolidated on 1 January 1959 with the Shreveport and Miami Air Defense Sectors, defining a region south of 34th parallel north, bordering on the east along the intersection of the parallel southeast along the Georgia–South Carolina border to the Atlantic coastline. In the west, the sector was responsible for most of Eastern Texas south of the 34th parallel north, including the state of Louisiana, eastwards. It operated a Manual Air Direction Center (MDC) at Dobbins AFB, Georgia. The sector's mission was to train and maintain tactical flying units in state of readiness in order to defend the northeast United States while initially continuing to operate the MDC.