Eglin Air Force Base

Eglin AFB is situated on the Gulf Coast of Florida, also referred to as the Emerald Coast. The base is three miles from Valparaiso, Florida which is in Okaloosa County. The population of Valparaiso is 5,840. Nearby is the city of Niceville and a short distance west is Fort Walton Beach. The command unit at Eglin is the 96th Air Base Wing which falls under the Air Force Material Command. The wing purpose is to support deployment of weaponry all over the world. The 46th Test Wing is also located at Eglin. This is the evaluation center for bombs, missiles, navigation and guidance systems. Eglin is ideal for the mission because there is 130,000 square miles of ocean to flyover. The available land space of Eglin is 463,128 acres. The base population of military and family totals over 8,000 people. Also located on the base are the Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal and the 6th Ranger Training Battalion which conducts the final training phase of Army Rangers.

History

In 1935 when the base initially opened, the name of the facility was the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base. It was designated as an Air Corps training center until 1942 when it became an Army Air Corp proving ground and munitions center. After World War II when the Air Force became a separate branch of service, the base was renamed Eglin AFB. The base was a pioneer in missile development. The base was assigned the duty of launch testing, handling and developing of missiles because of the Cold War. Eglin became the site of major missile development and testing on a new type of field that was highly instrumented. Over the course of several years, the base has designed and developed ten separate fields for testing, flights, or training maneuvers. All of the fields are still being used today. Most can be found outside the boundaries of the base and all have been named for war heroes.

What Role it Plays

Eglin Air Force Base is one of three produce centers in the USAF’s Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) and the home of the Air Armament Center (AAC). The AAC is the center which is responsible for the acquisition, development, testing and deployment of all weapons that are delivered by Air. It is also responsible for sustaining these weapons.

Some of the center’s other duties are to plan, direct and conduct tests of navigation and guidance systems, Air Armament, and command control systems belonging to the U.S. and its allies. It is also responsible for supporting the biggest single Base mobility commitment in the USAF. It is the focal point for all Armaments belonging to the Air Force, and is also where the most advanced Armament products in the world are handled. Some of the things the center does regarding these Armaments includes: Scientific research, Operational performance, Business management, System management, Customer and engineer support, Requirements definition, Materiel identification, Field support activities, Technology planning.

There are several programs that this center manages. Some of these include the HARM Targeting System, the Joint Direct Attack Munition, the Miniature Air Launched Decoy, the High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile, the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, and the Small Diameter Bomb.

Units on the Base

The Eglin Air Force Base is home to many major units in the USAF. Besides the Air Armament Center (AAC), the center in charge of planning, directing, testing and evaluating U.S. and allied Air Armament and other systems, the center also hosts other units.

These include:

• 46th Test Wing (46TW), which is the test and evaluation center for Air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, Air Force Special Operations Command systems, and Command and Control systems.
• 96th Air Base Wing (or the 96th Wing), which supports the AAC with traditional services offered by the military as well as what a small city would offer.
• 33d Fighter Wing, consisting of the 58th Fighter Squadron and the 60th Fighter Squadron.
• 53d Wing, which tests all of the unmanned aerial vehicles, fighters, bombers, and associated weapon systems in the Air Force
• 308th Armament Systems Wing.
• 7th Special Forces Group, which conducts special operations which take place in Latin America.

The Base also hosts other minor units, including the 919th Special Operations Wing (919 SOW), 20th Space Control Squadron, 6th Ranger Training Battalion, the Joint Fires Integration and Interoperability Team, the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC), the 728th Air Control Squadron (which is the largest Air Control Squadron in the Air Force), and the Naval School of Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD), which is jointly staffed by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

Housing

Housing is available on-base for E-1 through officer if they are accompanied by a family. The housing is blended. This means that there are no areas reserved for rank. An E-1 could live next to an O-5. There are 2359 units available on-base and the sizes of the homes vary from 2 to 4 bedrooms. Stove and refrigerators are included. A waiting list is in place for housing.

Schools

There are no schools on base but several in the immediate area. Four elementary schools are located close to the base along with one middle school and two high schools. There are also private schools available in the area as well as religious schools.

Medical Care

The Eglin Regional Medical Center is one of the largest and busiest in the Air Force. Other air force bases refer patients to Eglin on a regular basis for health care problems they do not have the specialists to cover. The hospital has four separate units to handle medical, surgical, obstetrics and psychiatric hospitalizations. In addition to the large hospital and medical staff, the base also has a 62 chair dental clinic.

Shopping

The commissary has 45,000 square feet of space and several specialty counters such as deli, bakery, special foods and a lunch bar.

The Base Exchange operates a total of 14 retails stores including the main Base Exchange. The BX is set-up like a mall and has a food court with several fast food options. Services include an optical shop, barber shop and beauty salon. There are two shoppettes on base.

Surrounding Area

The climate is warm and subtropical. Annual rainfall varies between 25 to 60 inches. Most days are sunny which allows for year around outdoor recreation. White sand beaches are nearby. One of the welcoming packets handed out to newcomers reads “welcome to paradise.”