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Los Angeles Air Force Base is located in El Segundo, California. The base is located very near the Los Angeles Airport. The base is garrisoned by the 61st Air Base Wing, and is home to the Air Force Space Command’s Missile Systems Center headquarters also known as SMC or Space Missile Command. In 1961, the Air Force developed a plan for consolidation of the Space Systems Division and the Research and Development Center of the Aerospace Corporation. The Aerospace Corporation was founded in 1960 to support all Air Force space programs. In the early 1960’s, the Air Force acquired the properties surrounding an aircraft plant owned by the Navy at the intersection of El Segundo and Aviation boulevards in Los Angeles. By 1964, these properties collectively were named Los Angeles Air Force Station. The properties were renamed in 1987 and are now known as Los Angeles Air Force Base.
Los Angeles Air Force Base and Space Missile Command have a yearly budget of over $6.5 billion each year. The base employs 1,500 military personnel, 1,500 civilians, and nearly 1,000 contractors around the world. The vase is responsible for multiple $50 and $60 billion contracts at any given time.
Los Angeles AFB has a fairly large population. There are approximately 869 Active Duty Officers, 534 Active Duty Enlisted, over 1,600 family members, 11,000 Air Force Retirees, and 1,500 Air Force Civilians. Los Angeles Air Force Base has a total of 644 units of family housing including Pacific Heights, Pacific Heights II, Pacific Crest, San Fernando and Fort MacArthur. Some of the Space Missile Command (SMC) facilities are housed at other bases including Philips Lab, Kirtland Air Force Base, and Norton Air Force Base.
Los Angeles Air Force Base has a large Commissary for its residents shopping needs. They also have one shoppette and one exchange. Los Angeles AFB also has a large new food court featuring Charley’s Grilled Sub Sandwiches, Anthony’s Pizza, Robin Hood Sub Sandwiches, and a Burger King.
There is a library and a recreation center on base. There is a fully operational gym on base at both Fort MacArthur and Los Angeles Air Force Base. There are no schools on base, however, there is a child care center and seven approved home child care centers on base. The waiting period may be three months or longer. Medical and dental care is available on base at Los Angeles Air Force Base, and there is a pharmacy on base. There is a satellite medical clinic at Fort MacArthur; however, neither of these facilities is for life-threatening emergency care.
Your family will find plenty of fun and exciting things to see and do off base in Los Angeles as well. You can head out to the beach, go to Disneyland or Universal Studios Hollywood, visit Knott’s Berry Farm, or visit Six Flags Magic Mountain. Don’t forget to check out Rodeo Drive and Hollywood you might even see a star! If you are looking for a night out on the town for the grown-ups you might enjoy the night life that Sunset Boulevard has to offer.
