| Continental Air Defense Command | |
|---|---|
 Until 1963, CONAD HQ was located in the four-story former National Methodist Sanitorium building (background, behind sign) | |
| Active | September 1, 1954 – June 30, 1975 |
| Type | Unified Combatant Command |
| Role | Air defense |
| Part of | United States Department of Defense |
| Garrison/HQ | Colorado Springs, CO |
Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) was a Unified Combatant Command of the United States Department of Defense, tasked with air defense for the Continental United States. It comprised Army, Air Force, and Navy components. It included Army Project Nike missiles (Ajax and Hercules) anti-aircraft defenses and USAF interceptors (manned aircraft and BOMARC missiles). The primary purpose of continental air defense during the CONAD period was to provide sufficient attack warning of a Soviet bomber air raid to ensure Strategic Air Command could launch a counterattack without being destroyed. CONAD controlled nuclear air defense weapons such as the 10 kiloton W-40 nuclear warhead on the CIM-10B BOMARC.[1] The command was disestablished in 1975, and Aerospace Defense Command became the major U.S. component of North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).
- ^ Maloney, Sean M. (2007). Learning to Love the Bomb: Canada's Nuclear Weapons During the Cold War (Google Books). ISBN 9781574886160. Retrieved 2014-06-20.