McGuire Air Force Base

McGuire Air Force Base Part of Air Mobility Command (AMC)
Airphoto of base, taken 16 April 1995
Map of McGuire AFB in Burlington County
IATA: WRI ICAO: KWRI FAA LID: WRI
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	U.S. Air Force
Location	Wrightstown, New Jersey
Commander	Col Balan Ayyar, USAF
Website	http://www.mcguire.af.mil

McGuire Air Force Base (IATA: WRI, ICAO: KWRI, FAA LID: WRI) is a United States Air Force Base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC).

McGuire is located in Burlington County in south central New Jersey, approximately 15 miles from Trenton, 45 minutes from Philadelphia and 90 minutes from Atlantic City and New York City.

Overview

Team McGuire Logo

McGuire Air Force Base is home to the 305th Air Mobility Wing (305 AMW) and the Air Force Reserve Command's 514th Air Mobility Wing (514 AMW) which comprises C-17 Globemaster III and KC-10 Extender aircraft. The C-17A is the Air Force's newest heavy airlifter, capable of delivering over 170,000 pounds (77 metric tons) of cargo. Combined with the KC-10, the largest tanker aircraft in the Air Force fleet, the C-17 can fly refueled anywhere in the world. McGuire is also home to the 108th Air Refueling Wing (108 ARW) - an Air Mobility Command-gained unit of the New Jersey Air National Guard, flying the KC-135 Stratotanker. This makes McGuire the only base in both the Air Mobility Command and the entire U.S. Air Force hosting three AMC-gained flying wings of the Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard.

McGuire is also host to:

• United States Air Force Expeditionary Center (USAF EC) - physically located on Fort Dix, but is considered a tenant unit to McGuire AFB.
• 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force [1] (EMTF)
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing [2] (CRW)
• 373rd Training Squadron (373 TRS), Detachment 1
• AMC Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES)

One of the critical jobs McGuire Air Force Base accomplishes is hosting the flying needs of next-door neighbor Fort Dix Army installation. For years, Fort Dix has been a gateway for U.S. Army personnel shipping out to overseas locations. Air Force and civilian AMC-contracted aircraft use McGuire's two runways to facilitate this mission. Many hundreds of thousands of Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps personnel have left the United States for overseas locations from McGuire Air Force Base.

McGuire Air Force Base is part of the Navy Lakehurst / Fort Dix / McGuire AFB Complex.

History

Major Commands to which assigned

• First Air Force, 3 Jul 1942
• Air Service Command, 13 Oct 1942
• First Air Force, 1 May 1944
• Air Transport Command*, 1 Jun 1945
• Strategic Air Command*, 30 Apr 1947
• Continental Air Command, 1 Oct 1949
• Air Defense Command

Eastern Air Defense Force, 1 Jan 1951

• Military Air Transport Service

Eastern Transport Air Force, 1 Jul 1954

• Redesignated: Military Airlift Command

Twenty-First Air Force, 8 Jan 1966

• Air Mobility Command

Twenty-First Air Force, 1 Jun 1992 - 1 Oct 2003

Eighteenth Air Force, 1 Oct 2003 - Present

* McGuire put on temporary inactive status, 15 Feb 1946; inactive status, Mar 1946; transferred to jurisdiction of Selfridge Fld, Michigan, 1 May 1947; transferred to jurisdiction of Andrews AFB, Maryland, 1 Aug 1947; transferred from jurisdiction of Andrews Fld to Topeka AFB, Kansas, 16-28 Aug 1948; reactivated as primary installation, 29 Aug 1948. During inactive status, field remained under major command jurisdiction.

Major Units assigned

• 59th Observation Gp, 1 Nov 1941 - 18 Oct 1942
• 95th Air Base Sq, 10 Feb 1942

Redesignated: 95th Base HQ and Air Base Sq, 20 Jun 1942 - 1 Apr 1944

• 14th Fighter Group, 19 Jul - 6 Aug 1942
• 377th Bombardment Group, 14 Oct - 9 Dec 1942
• Eighth Air Force, 29 Jun - 5 Aug 1942
• 4107th AAF Base Unit, 1 Apr - 1 May 1944
• 116th AAF Base Unit, 1 Jun 1944 - 31 May 1945
• 453d Bombardment Group, 12 Jun - 12 Sep 1945
• 455th Bombardment Group, 9 Jun - 12 Sep 1945
• 4149th AAF Base Unit, 1 Dec 1944 - 26 Feb 1946
• 592d AAF Base Unit, 25 May 1945 - 15 Feb 1946
• 4202d Base Service Sq, 1 Aug - 10 Nov 1948
• 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 20 Jul 1948 - 30 Sep 1949
• 52d Fighter Wing, 4 Oct 1949 - 6 Feb 1952
• 84th Fighter Wing, 10 Oct 1949 - 2 Jun 1951
• 568th Air Defense Group, 1 Feb 1952 - 8 Jul 1954
• 4709th Air Defense Wing, 1 Feb 1952 - 1 Oct 1956
• 1611th Air Transport Wing, 1 Jul 1954 - 8 Jan 1966
• 332d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 18 Aug 1955 - 9 Jul 1959

• 539th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 18 Aug 1955 - 31 Aug 1967
• Aerial Port of Embarkation, 15 Apr 1955 - 15 Feb 1978
• Atlantic Division, Military Air Transport Service

Redesignated: Twenty-First Air Force, 1 Jun 1955 - 1 Oct 2003

Redesignated: 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, 1 Oct 2003 - Present

• 462d Air Defense Wing (New York Air Defense Sector), 1 Apr 1956 - 1 Apr 1966
• 4730th Air Defense Group, 8 Feb 1957 - 1 Aug 1959
• Naval Air Transport Squadron Three (VR-3), 16 Jul 1957 - 30 Jun 1967
• Naval Air Transport Wing, Atlantic, 15 May 1968 - 30 Jun 1967
• 46th Air Defense Missile Squadron, 1 Jan 1959 - 31 Oct 1972
• 305th Air Refueling Squadron, 15 Jan 1960 - 25 Mar 1965
• 514th Military Airlift (later Air Mobility) Wing, 15 Mar 1961 - Present
• 903d Troop Carrier (later Military Airlift) Group, 28 Dec 1962 - 1 Jul 1973
• 108th Tactical Fighter (later Air Refueling) Wing, 1 Jul 1965 - Present
• 438th Military Airlift (later Airlift) Wing, 8 Jan 1966 - 1 Oct 1994
• 305 Air Mobility Wing, 1 Oct 1994 - Present
• 621st Contingency Response Wing, Mar 2005 - Present

Operational History

Flight operations to support Camp Dix at an adjacent airfield, carved from pasture land, took place as early as 1926. Facilities and runways to adequately support an ongoing air mission began in 1937 as a Civilian Conservation Corps project on newly acquired land for the great Army Air Forces expansion approved by the Roosevelt Administration. This nascent airfield and accompanying wooden structures was named "Rudd Field." To meet the requirements for a possible World War, Rudd Field was renamed Fort Dix Army Air Base in 1939, and underwent massive expansion from 1940-1941. This base had its first permanent Army Air Force occupant by June 1941. The base closed in February 1946, and for two years it remained on the inactive installations list until the Cold War caused the newly created USAF to reopen many former Army Air Force installations to meet its burgeoning operational requirements.

As the Air Force prepared to reopen by the installation as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) installation, Fort Dix AAB was renamed McGuire AFB in January 1948 in honor of USAAF Maj. Thomas B. McGuire, Jr., a World War II P-38 pilot, fighter ace, and Medal of Honor recipient, The U.S. Air Force officially reopened McGuire AFB as a primary installation 29 August 1948.

While initially a combat base, operating primarily bombers and fighters of SAC and the Air Defense Command (ADC), the strategic airlift mission and the Eastern Division of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) (later the 21st Air Force and today's 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force) transferred to McGuire from Westover AFB, MA, in 1954. Under MATS (later Military Airlift Command (MAC) and Air Mobility Command (AMC)), McGuire became the "Gateway to the East," serving the U.S. Military and its allies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa with cargo and transportation. Over the years McGuire's mission aircraft have been dominated by the greatest air mobility aircraft of their day: the C-54, C-118, C-135 (McGuire was the first base to operate the world's first all-jet strategic airlifter), C-130, C-141 and C-17 airlifters, as well as KC-97, KC-135 and KC-10 tanker aircraft. From 1967 through 2004, McGuire was the best known C-141 base in the world, possessing up to a quarter of AMC's fleet of that historic aircraft.

Team McGuire has provided key support in almost every major American contingency operation from 1955 through the present day, including Operation SAFE HAVEN, Vietnam, NICKEL GRASS, the Grenada rescue effort, Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM in 1990, and Operation DESERT CALM following the first gulf war. In 1992, McGuire AFB became a major part of the newly activated Air Mobility Command (AMC). A newly created concept, an air mobility wing (AMW) possessing both tankers and airlift aircraft, activated on McGuire in 1994. The storied 305th Air Refueling Wing, "Can Do!" moved to McGuire to become the host 305 AMW on 1 October 1994. The 21st Air Force, coupled with the stand up of the 621st Air Mobility Operations Group (621 AMOG) and its later reorganization to the 621st Contingency Response Wing (621 CRW), partnered with the 305 AMW and spear-headed virtually every contingency over the past 14 years, from Operation JOINT ENDEAVOR in the Balkans to Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. McGuire itself, through its support organizations, has also been a key component in the onward transport of materials and personnel to crisis points all over the world: in 1999, McGuire served as the lead staging base for the evacuation of Kosovo refugees in Operation OPEN ARMS; McGuire was the rally and staging point for FEMA operations in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attacks; in 2005, the base lent key support for Hurricanes Kartrina and Rita. In 2006, McGuire AFB hosted over 1,800 Lebanese Americans evacuated from the battles there between Israel and Hezbollah insurgents. In 2008, McGuire assumed responsibility for the no-fail "Red Ball Express" aerial port mission, supplying and re-supplying coalition efforts in ENDURING FREEDOM.

Today the men and women of McGuire AFB continue to be in the forefront of high visibility operations with regular deployments of airlift and aerial refueling aircraft as well as support elements for combat operations. McGuire hosted a rapidly assembled STRATCOM Joint Task Force satellite recovery team with no prior notice in February 2008, winning praise for its flexibility and support. Team McGuire remains heavily engaged in providing direct combat support to two regional conflicts and provided personnel, resources and aircraft.

The future of McGuire is bright-indeed, as part of a Department of Defense (DoD) initiative, McGuire will be the lead service in the first ever tri-service Joint super-base, combining its infrastructure support with the support of Fort Dix (Army) and Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst (Navy). Additionally, the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) commission identified several units to be added to Team McGuire over the next few years, including contingents from every service branch. Construction of many new facilities, an intense beautification effort, and rapidly proliferating, new and spacious privately owned contract family housing, make McGuire one of the premier Air Force installations.

Aircraft Flown

	Years
C-54	19XX-19XX
C-118	19XX-19XX
C-135	19XX-19XX
C-130	19XX-19XX
C-141	1967-2004
C-17	2004-Present
KC-10	1994-Present
KC-135	19XX-Present
KC-97	19XX-19XX

Joint Basing

Base Realignment and Closure is a congressionally authorized process the Department of Defense has previously used to reorganize its base structure to more efficiently and effectively support the US forces, increase operational readiness and facilitate joint basing. The current process began with a threat assessment of the future national security environment, followed by the development of a force structure plan and basing requirements to meet these threats. BRAC law set into effect the Joint Base initiative which will establish Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. McGuire will receive assets and support functions from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, which will be closed by BRAC.

Under BRAC law, McGuire and Fort Dix, will be host to a multitude of Army, Navy and Marine Corp assets and will build new structures to support these additions in accordance with the BRAC initiative. New support facilities will include; Navy Fleet Logistics Operations Facility, C-130 flight simulator, Marine Air Group Headquarters and helicopter hangar, Aviation Support Division/ Aviation Intermediate Maintenance division facility, munitions facility and a joint use reserve training center.

Once the BRAC initiative is complete, McGuire will be home to 37 new aircraft including; C-130s, C-9s, C-12s, AH-1 Cobras, CH-53 Super Stallions and UH-1 Hueys. The initiative will also bring over 1,700 joint support personnel.

Under a BRAC-directed Joint Base initiative, Fort Dix and NAES Lakehurst will be combined with McGuire AFB to support the three installations as a single entity. While each installation will maintain its own operational identity, the consolidation will streamline installation support, while increasing mission effectiveness in supporting the war-fighter.

Although the installation management functions will consolidate, the missions of each of the three installations will continue. The Air Force will still provide global mobility and expeditionary combat support; the Army will mobilize and train soldiers; and the Navy will continue to assure fixed and vertical wing aircraft operate safely and effectively worldwide. McGuire has a long history of providing a total force global mobility capability. BRAC and Joint Basing provide the opportunity to grow this into a joint capability. The Joint Base initiative will make McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst the world’s premier tri-service joint base.

Hazardous Waste

In July 2007, the United States Environmental Protection Agency issued an order to the US military to clean up the contaminants at McGuire AFB. Areas that need cleanup include landfills, fire training areas, pesticide mixing shops, fuel storage and leak areas, underground tanks and fuel lines, a PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) spill site, and a wastewater treatment plant sludge disposal area. [3]

Education

The North Hanover Township School District serves children in public school for grades K - 6 from North Hanover Township and from McGuire Air Force Base. Schools are located on the base and in Jacobstown.

The Northern Burlington County Regional School District serves children in public school for grades 7 through 12. Students are served from Chesterfield Township, Mansfield Township, North Hanover Township and Springfield Township, along with children of USAF personnel based at McGuire Air Force Base.

See also

• New Jersey World War II Army Airfields
• Eastern Air Defense Force (Air Defense Command)

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Sources

• McGuire Air Force Base (Official Web site)
• McGuire AFB - Retiree Activities Office (Official Web site)
• Air Mobility Command (Official Web site)

External links

• "The Last Great Ace" book written about Maj. Thomas B. McGuire written by Charles A. Martin