Southeast Air Defense Sector The Southeast Air Defense Sector ( SEADS ) , was a unit of the US Air Force located at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City , Florida . It provided air defense and surveillance of the southeastern region of the US . SEADS closed in winter 2006 , giving up surveillance and control of their airspace to the Eastern Air Defense Sector ( EADS ) and the former Northeast Air Defense Sector ( NEADS ) . History . Cold War . The origins of the Southeast Air Defense Sector ( SEADS ) are in September 1957 with the formation of its predecessor organization , the Montgomery Air Defense Sector ( MoADS ) by Air Defense Command ( ADC ) . It was established in September 1957 with a mission to train and maintain tactical flying units in state of readiness in order to defend the Southeastern United States , assuming control of former ADC Central Air Defense Force units . Its original region consisted of ADC atmospheric forces ( fighter - interceptor and radar units ) located east of the Mississippi River , south of the 34th parallel north and east to a designated line west of the 86th meridian west , southeast to the southernmost point of Key Largo Island , Florida . It was consolidated on 1 January 1959 with the Shreveport and Miami Air Defense Sectors , defining a region south of 34th parallel north , bordering on the east along the intersection of the parallel southeast along the Georgia – South Carolina border to the Atlantic coastline . In the west , the sector was responsible for most of Eastern Texas south of the 34th parallel north , including the state of Louisiana , eastwards . It operated a Manual Air Direction Center ( MDC ) at Dobbins AFB , Georgia . The sector ' s mission was to train and maintain tactical flying units in state of readiness in order to defend the northeast United States while initially continuing to operate the MDC . Beginning on 1 July 1958 , it began operations of a SAGE ( Semi - Automatic Ground Environment ) Direction Center DC - 09 at Gunter AFB , Alabama . On 1 April 1966 , MoADS was inactivated , as were the other 22 sectors in the country . Most of its assets were assumed by the 32d Air Division ; the 33d Air Division assumed assets in eastern North and South Carolina . The DC - 09 SAGE Direction Center was assigned to the 32d Air Division , remaining in operation until 31 December 1969 . Today it is used as offices by Air University , Air Education and Training Command at Gunter AFB . Modern era . On 1 July 1987 , the Montgomery Air Defense Sector ( MOADS ) was reactivated , and co - located with the 23d Air Division . The 23d Air Division was inactivated and all atmospheric defense assets of the Division were transferred to the MOADS , re - designated the Southeast Air Defense Sector ( SEADS ) . SEADS was responsible for the atmospheric defense of approximately of airspace and of coastline extending from Virginia to Texas . It was the busiest of the air defense sectors comprising the NORAD Continental United States North American Aerospace Defense Command Region . It operated a Sector Operations Control Center ( SOCC ) at Tyndall AFB , part of the Joint Surveillance System ( JSS ) which had replaced SAGE in 1983 . This system , using the latest advances in computerized airspace control , relied 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 . More than 2 , 000 aircraft were detected and identified each day by SEADS technicians and operators . On 1 October 1995 , the Southeast Air Defense Sector was reassigned to the Florida Air National Guard ; SEADS re - designated Southeast Air Defense Sector ( ANG ) . It came under the Continental NORAD Region ( CONR ) Headquarters at Tyndall AFB , Florida . On 1 November 2005 , SEADS ceased air defense operations and its duties were absorbed into the Northeast Air Defense Sector which is now known as the Eastern Air Defense Sector . The SEADS transformed into the 601st Air and Space Operations Center and currently performs the duties as the Air Operations Center for AFNORTH . Known Air National Guard units with an air defense mission under EADS were :