The U.S. military has hundreds of military installations around the world, including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps installations that project American military power. The Air Force, on its own, has dozens of domestic facilities under its command (nothing compared to how many bases it has internationally), which include a number of joint bases that the service shares with other military branches and Department of Defense units. Every Air Force base serves not just those on campus, but those in the immediate vicinity, as well. It’s truly a community. In some respects, bases in the continental U.S. also serve Air Force personnel worldwide, regardless of each base’s mission.
As the U.S. Air Force says, “The mission of the United States Air Force is to fly, fight and win — airpower anytime, anywhere. Whether full time, part time, in or out of uniform, everyone who serves plays a critical role in helping us achieve mission success.” For the purposes of this article, the number of retirees was excluded from the population count because they most likely live off base or don’t visit the base regularly.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey (42,000)
In 2009, as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure process, the Department of Defense combined McGuire AFB, Fort Dix Army Base, and Lakehurst Naval Air Station to create Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst — that’s a mouthful. It is also the only tri-service joint base under the Department of Defense. As you might imagine, a single base that used to be multiple separate bases accounts for a large population, and JB MDL is no exception, as it has over 42,000 active duty personnel, civilians (federal officers from different agencies and contractors), and family members.
The 87th Air Base Wing assumed command of JB MDL after the three bases were combined and, on top of keeping the base running, it “provides mission-ready, expeditionary Airmen to support Unified Combatant Commanders in on-going military operations,” per the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst website. The 87th is just one unit operating in the base’s 3,900 facilities. It has over 80 mission partners from multiple military branches, including the Navy, Army, and Marine Corps.
Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada (46,842)
It’s not the myth-filled Area 51, but it’s not too far away from the legendary facility. Nellis Air Force Base covers 14,000 acres of land within a 5,000-square-mile area in the middle of the Nevada desert, a mere 8 miles north of Las Vegas. In a way, Nellis serves as the Air Force’s own TOPGUN, as it’s home of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, affectionately known as the “Home of the Fighter Pilot.” When you have 7,700 miles of airspace to the north and east of the base reserved strictly for military training, it’s hard not to be the place for the best of the best fighter pilots to train…