1965
	January	The 4252nd Strategic Wing, SAC was activated at Kadena AB, Okinawa to provide KC-135 Stratotanker air refuelling for Pacific Air Force fighter-bombers engaged in air operations over Vietnam.
	February	The Military Aircraft Storage and Disposal Center (MASDC) was established at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, to 'process' surplus aircraft, helicopters and missiles from allbranches of the Department of Defence.
	13 February	The president authorised Operation Rolling Thunder, the sustained bombing of targets in North Vietnam associated with Viet Cong support of armed attacks on South Vietnam.
	4 June	A US space endurance record of 97hr 30min was set by USAF Majors James A. McDivitt and Edward H White on the Gemini 4 mission. Major White became the first American to 'walk' in space'.
	18 June	Operation Arc Light commenced with the first Boeing B-52s attacked targets in North Vietnam; 27 B-52Fs of the 7th and 302th Bombardment Wings flying from Andersen AB in Guam to attack the Binh Duong area.
	10 July	The first USAF air-to-air kills in Vietnam occured when two F-4C Phantoms of the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron based at Ubon downed two MiG-17s of the North Vietnamese AF with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.
	23 July	The first F-4C Phantom was brougt down by a Soviet SA-2 Guideline missile south of Hanoi.
	23 October	The Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter arrived in Vietnam with the 4503rd Tactical Fighter Squadron.
	26 October	The first four F-100F Super Sabre Wild Weasel alectronic countermeasures aircraft deployed to Vietnam commenced operations with the 388th TFW at Korat.
	8 December	Plans were announced to phase out all Convair B-58A Hustlers and Boeing B-52C, D, E and F models by June 1971.
	15 December	The first daylight USAF gunship missions took place over Vietnam by Douglas FC-47s (later AC-47s) of the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Bien Hoa. The gunships were fitted with three General Electric SUU-11A 7.62-mm Miniguns. These were followed by the first night sorties on 23 December.