Major General Edward M. Nichols, Jr. was vice commander of the Fifteenth Air Force, March AFB, CA, one of the Strategic Air Command’s three numbered Air Force command units, with jurisdiction over SAC bases in the Midwest region. See Air Force Link biographies at: http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=6604. The Numbered Air Force (NAF) is a tactical echelon directly under an operational Major Command (MAJCOM; in this case, Strategic Air Command) that provide operational leadership and supervision.