[3] Its mission was to assume operational command of the 509th and of the 100th Bombardment Wing, which had been activated at Portsmouth one month earlier.

Through the 817th group, the division also controlled the special weapons at Portsmouth, which were managed by the 11th (and after 1957) 41st Aviation Depot Squadrons.

[2] Once its assigned wings were combat ready, the division mission was to maintain a force capable of immediate and sustained long range offensive bombardment and air refueling operations anywhere in the world.

[2] Starting in 1960, one third of each wing's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike.

The 301st operated EC-135s of the Post Attack Command and Control System (PACCS) in addition to its KC-135A tankers.

[2] At times, its wings became nonoperational because all their operational resources and most of their support elements were deployed to the Pacific.

Groups Other This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency