The command was established in 1959, and reorganized as the “Army Artillery Command” in 1979, and was responsible for the air defense of the Taiwan Straits. The command was reorganized again on April 1, 2004 under the force streamlining guideline into the “Artillery Command”, and was assigned to the command of the Department of the General Staff. In phase II of the force streamlining program, this command was further reorganized on January 1, 2006 thereby the maritime and air defense units were assigned to the Navy and the Air Force with the establishment of the “Artillery Command” responsible for the buildup of the military missile defense stations. Further adjustment was made on February 16, 2012 with the “Artillery Command” as the parent in combination with the medium and high altitude air defense ballistic systems like the ATMB, HAWK, and patriots to form the “Department of General Staff Air Defense Artillery Command”. The new command is responsible for combat, missile defense, and joint air defense. The “Air Force Command Headquarters” has absorbed the command on March 1, 2016 for overall development and utilization of the missile force and proper integration of the intermediate and long-range missile force and the short-range air defense force to enhance the coordinated air defense combat capacity of “early warning, unified command, multiple interception, and effective defense.” This is critical for precision and effective combat. On September 1, 2017, the Air Force Missile Command and the Air Force Air Defense Artillery Command were merged to form and upgrade as the Air Force Air Defense and Missile Command.