Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Army formed Western Defense Command, with responsibility for the entire Pacific coast.

In the fall of 1945, it moved to Fukuoka Air Base, where it served in the occupation forces in Japan until it was inactivated on 31 May 1946.

[4] The command was charged with control of "active agents" for air defense in its area of responsibility, which included interceptor aircraft, antiaircraft artillery and barrage balloons.

[6] However, 2nd Air Force was assuming a primary mission of training heavy bomber units,[7] and had little need for a fighter organization.

In September 1947, the command was transferred to the United States Air Force (USAF) in inactive status.