[4] Reactivated for the Cold War as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) installation, an advance team arrived at the old base in the summer of 1954 and initiated clean-up and reconstruction efforts.

The 379 BMW received B-47E Stratojet and KC-97G Stratofreighter aircraft in April 1956 and began training for strategic bombardment and air refueling operations.

[5] The 19th Bombardment Wing (19 BMW) moved to Homestead AFB from Pinecastle Air Force Base, Florida in April 1956 and also flew the B-47 and KC-97.

The 379 BMW moved to Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan without equipment in January 1961 in preparation for transition to the B-52H Stratofortress and KC-135A Stratotanker.

[6] In 1960, three Air Force Reserve (AFRES) units previously located at Miami International Airport, the 301st Air Rescue Squadron with its SA-16 (later redesignated as HU-16) Albatross amphibious air-sea rescue aircraft and the 435th Troop Carrier Wing (435 TCW) and its 76th Troop Carrier Squadron (76 TCS) with C-119 Flying Boxcar aircraft relocated to Homestead AFB.

In 1962, the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing, a unit of the Tactical Air Command (TAC), relocated to Homestead AFB from George Air Force Base, California with its F-100 Super Sabre jet fighters and established itself as a TAC tenant unit at Homestead, the base remaining under SAC control.

This combined organization, designated the 1st Provisional Air Division, was composed of over 181 F-100 fighter-bombers and over 1600 pilots and forward deployed aircraft maintenance personnel.

[4] Over 10,000 U.S. Army personnel were also deployed to Homestead AFB and housed in a tent city in preparation for a possible land invasion of Cuba.

The 512th Troop Carrier Wing (512 TCW), an AFRES unit operationally gained by TAC and based at NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, was also called to active service and forward deployed to Homestead AFB with its C-119 aircraft, augmenting the 435 TCW for possible air drop of U.S. Army personnel into Cuba incipient to a ground invasion of the island.

The ARADCOM functional activities came under the aegis of the 6th Battalion, 65th Artillery (later renamed the 6th Battalion, 65th Air Defense Artillery) operating a combination of MIM-13 Hawk and fixed-site MIM-3 Nike Ajax, later upgraded to MIM-14 Nike Hercules, surface-to-air missile (SAM) batteries and associated radar and command and control sites.

On 11 February 1963, the 915th Troop Carrier Group (915 TCG) was activated as a TAC-gained AFRES organization at Homestead AFB under the 435 TCW, with the 76 TCS as a subordinate unit.

Following its return from Southeast Asia, the 31 TFW transitioned from the F-100 to the F-4E Phantom II and performed concurrent missions of air defense of southern Florida in tandem with the Florida ANG's 125 FIG detachment, combat crew replacement training in the F-4E in two fighter squadrons, and a third F-4E fighter squadron combat-coded for overseas deployment.

[4] With the end of combat operations in Vietnam in 1973, Homestead AFB and its host and tenant units were re-centered on Cold War mission taskings.

The 79 AEW&CS was also inactivated and the 93rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (93 TFS) was activated at Homestead AFB with F-4C Phantom II aircraft.

In addition to the organizational changes in TAC modifying the 31 TTW mission, concurrent changes in AFRES in April 1981 resulted in the inactivation of the 915 TFG and its replacement replaced by the newly activated 482nd Tactical Fighter Wing (482 TFW), absorbing the personnel and assets of the 915th while maintaining the extant 93 TFS as its operational flying squadron.

The storm-related damage and destruction at Homestead AFB was extensive and precluded any immediate return of home station units, especially those conducting or in direct support of operational flying missions.

The 125 FIG Det 1 would take up temporary residence at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, utilizing fighter alert facilities dating from the Cuban Missile Crisis while the 482 FW would remain at MacDill.

For a period, transfer of the runway and airfield proper to Miami-Dade County was also considered, with the base envisioned for conversion to a joint civilian-military airport.