Western Air Defense Sector The Western Air Defense Sector ( WADS ) is a unit of the Washington Air National Guard located at Joint Base Lewis - McChord , Tacoma , Washington . As a state militia unit , the Western Air Defense Sector is not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command . It is under the jurisdiction of the Washington Air National Guard unless it is federalized by order of the President of the United States . It is operationally gained by Air Combat Command . The WADS is one of two Sectors responsible to the North American Aerospace Defense Command ( NORAD ) and the Continental NORAD Region for peacetime air sovereignty , strategic air defense , and airborne counter - drug operations in the continental United States . The other sector is the Eastern Air Defense Sector ( EADS ) . There was a third Sector , the Southeast Air Defense Sector , located at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida ; but it was closed in 2006 . Overview . WADS operates a Sector Operations Control Center ( SOCC ) at McChord AFB , as part of the Joint Surveillance System ( JSS ) which had replaced SAGE in 1983 . This system enjoins state - of - the - art air defense systems and cutting - edge computer technology to significantly increase surveillance and identification capabilities , and better protect the nation ' s airways from intrusion and attack . It relies on digitized radar inputs from Air Route Surveillance Radar ( ARSR ) sites jointly operated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Air Force , and tethered aerostat radar balloons . It is fully integrated with the E - 3A Airborne early warning and control ( AEW & C ) system and the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System ( E - 8 Joint STARS ) . The SOCC employs 27 NORAD contingency suites , and 31 Battle Control System - Fixed ( BCS - F ) displays . A next - generation air sovereignty system , BCS - F fuses data from airborne , ground and naval elements and civil air traffic sensors into an integrated air picture . This allows commanders to surveil and monitor the airspace above , beyond and within U . S . and Canadian borders , providing a major component for homeland defense . It also incorporates a newly - developed situational awareness system that gives WADS unprecedented tools and technology to assist state and local responders in dealing with natural disasters . It has the redundant capability to cover the EADS if the call arises . WADS is a Washington Air National Guard unit which reports directly to AFNORTH / 1st Air Force at Tyndall AFB , Florida . The Sector reports to Air Combat Command ( ACC ) and to NORAD headquarters , in Colorado Springs , Colorado in its federal role . NORAD is a bi - national United States and Canadian organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America . Other NORAD air defense organizations include the Eastern Air Defense Sector ( EADS ) , the Hawaii Region Air Operations Center ( HIRAOC ) , the Alaska Region Air Operations Center ( AKRAOC ) and the Canada Air Defense Sector ( CADS ) . Mission . The Sector ’ s primary mission is Guarding America ’ s Skies . This 24 / 7 guardian role involves the use of radar and communications systems to monitor air traffic from the Mississippi River west to the Pacific Ocean , and from the Canadian border south to the Mexican border . The WADS works closely with other federal agencies including the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) , Secret Service and U . S . Customs Service as well as its sister military services – the U . S . Navy , U . S . Army and U . S . Coast Guard . As part of the Washington Air National Guard , WADS reports to the Governor through the Washington National Guard offices at Camp Murray . The Sector works with state agencies to provide rapid response in the event natural or manmade disasters , and participate in disaster preparedness exercises . The Sector is able to provide an air picture to help in rescue operations in the event of disasters . Units . Air National Guard units aligned under 1AF ( AFNORTH ) with an air defense mission under WADS are : History . Cold War . The WADS predecessor unit , the Seattle Air Defense Sector was established by the USAF Air Defense Command on 8 January 1958 with a mission to train and maintain tactical flying units in state of readiness in order to defend the Seattle area , assuming control of former ADC Western Air Defense Force units located in western Washington west of the Cascade Range . The Sector was inactivated on 1 April 1966 as part of an ADC consolidation and reorganization ; and its units were reassigned to the 25th Air Division . Beginning on 1 July 1958 it began operations of a SAGE ( Semi - Automatic Ground Environment ) Direction Center DC - 12 at McChord AFB . It also operated a SAGE Combat Center ( CC - 03 ) . SAGE inactivated 31 August 1983 On 1 April 1966 , SEADS was inactivated , as did the other 22 sectors in the country . Most of its assets were assumed by the 25th Air Division . The DC - 12 SAGE Direction Center was assigned to the 25th Air Division , remaining in operation until 31 December 1969 . Today it is used as the Western Air Defense Sector ( WADS ) Joint Surveillance System ( JSS ) Sector Operations Control Center ( SOCC ) Modern era . On 1 July 1987 , the Seattle Air Defense Sector ( SEADS ) became the Northwest Air Defense Sector or NWADS , and was assigned to 25th Air Division , co - locating with the 25th AD . The 25th Air Division was inactivated on 30 September 1990 , transferring its assets and responsibility for atmospheric defense to NWADS . On 1 January 1995 , the Northwest Air Defense Sector consolidated with the Southwest Air Defense Sector , its counterpart at March AFB , California , to become the Western Air Defense Sector ( WADS ) . WADS assumed responsibility for the air sovereignty of the western United States from Texas around the west coast and across to North Dakota . Its area of responsibility is approximately 1 . 9 million square miles , about 63 % of the continental United States . On 1 October 1997 , the Western Air Defense Sector completed a seamless transition from the active duty Air Force to the Air National Guard . Citizen - soldiers of the Washington Air National Guard are currently guarding America ’ s skies . The Continental NORAD Region ( CONR ) has responsibility for the Western Air Defense Sector and Eastern Air Defense Sector . It is headquartered at Tyndall AFB , Florida . At the end of 2005 , the outdated Q - 93 radar system was replaced with modernized computer systems which was a major shift in how CONUS is defended since the Q - 93 system had been in use since 1983 . Also , in 2005 Western Air Defense Sector assumed responsibility of more airspace shifting from down the center of the US to East of Mississippi totalling roughly 75 % of the US airspace . There have been a few system updates since 2005 but only upgrades to the firmware and program versions , not the hardware itself like what happened in 2005 .