Background The origin of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center began during the post-
World War II following the
Manhattan Project, which was designed by the
United States Army from the outset to be a temporary organization to produce a
nuclear weapon. With the end of the war, the establishment of the "Z Division" at
Sandia Base and later the
Sandia National Laboratory led to the creation of a
United States Army Air Forces organization to coordinate military activities with the civilian research organization in 1946. On 18 September 1947, President
Harry S. Truman signed the
National Security Act of 1947, separating the Army Air Forces from the Army by creating the independent
United States Air Force. The newly formed Air Force began assuming activities with nuclear research laboratories as
Cold War tensions with the
Soviet Union were rising.
Special Weapons Command Initially part of
Continental Air Command and
Air Materiel Command, the center was established as the
Air Force Special Weapons Command as a Major Command of the United States Air Force on 1 December 1949. It was equal to the
Air Defense Command,
Strategic Air Command, and
Tactical Air Command. It assumed all functions of the World War II Atomic Tactical and Technical Liaison Committees, its mission was to provide an organization for the development and testing of
atomic weapons. The nucleus of this organization was composed of the pioneering Air Force agencies which had located there to determine future employment of nuclear weapons. The SWC was headquartered at Kirtland AFB. The mission was to provide an organization for development testing of special weapons, including atomic, biological, and chemical weapons, and to increase the efficiency of airborne vehicles to carry these weapons. As a result, the responsibility for biological-chemical warfare research was moved from
Wright-Patterson AFB to the SWC at Kirtland. The SWC assumed all the functions of the old USAF Field Office for Atomic Energy [TandTLC] and employed personnel who were transferred from that office to form the cadre of the HQ, SWC. The command was also directed to provide personnel and equipment for development and proof testing of aircraft equipment and ground handling appurtenance to special weapons. Shortly after it was established, the SWC took over the host responsibilities for Kirtland from Air Materiel Command. SWC served as the primary source for scientific and technical information on special weapons development. To accomplish its mission, SWC redesignated numerous units that had been under the USAF Field Office of Atomic Energy with no change in station. SWC units at Kirtland in 1951 were: Back in the 1970s, the
44th Strategic Missile Wing hosted "Giant Pace Test 74-1," the first SELM exercise. Eleven sorties underwent successful simulated launch from LCC and ALCS. In an effort to simplify nuclear sustainment and acquisition, the Nuclear Weapons Center was reorganized again in 2015. The
377th Air Base Wing was transferred to
Air Force Global Strike Command and maintenance activities in Europe to
United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa effective 1 October 2015. At that time, the AFNWC commander became dual-hatted as the Program Executive Officer for Strategic Systems aligning the sustainment activities previously handled by the center with the acquisition functions handled by the Program Executive Officer. ==Lineage==