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Established about 10 km from Clovis, in the eastern part of New Mexico, Cannon AFB is run by the Air Force and responsible with testing operations, tactics and new techniques with the latest aircrafts in the Air Force. It can also provide full support to all the SOF operations, as well as surveillance and intelligence. The base wasn’t too lucky at the 2005 commission for base realignment. It was supposed to be closed. However, the political pressure applied by a local senator and governor brought in a positive effect. These days, the base runs for almost 70 years, without any major interruptions. Some of the most advanced aircrafts stationed there include MQ 9 Reaper, CV 22 Osprey and MC 130 W Combat Spear.
History
The base is named after John K. Cannon, who performed and led multiple armies during World War II. He decided to retire in 1954 and died one year later. The place was established around 1920, as Portair Field. It was used for small civilian flights, but mostly for commercial reasons. The base received a military status after the United States of America joined World War II. The first unit arrived there in 1943. Over the war, the base became a bomber storage, maintenance and training site.
After World War II, the base was inactivated, just like dozens of other military bases. It was reactivated one year later though, in 1947, when the 509-th Airdrom Group was deployed on site. Multiple units joined the base throughout the Cold War. Many of them were involved in conflicts around Cuba, Germany, France, South Korea or Japan. At the same time, a few of them were deployed in these places for maintenance and without involving in any conflicts. During the Vietnam war, Cannon AFB and the aircrafts stored there played a major role in the jungle war, supporting the ground operations of the US troops.
These days, the base is involved in some of the latest operations led by the United States of America in the Middle East. It helped with Operation Southern Watch in southwestern Asia, as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the Iraqi invasion, it was responsible for carrying close to a million pounds of ammunition.
Units
The host unit at Cannon AFB is the 27-th Special Operations Wing. It is there since 2007. It consists of four different groups – medical, mission support, maintenance and special operations. Each of them includes more squadrons, turning this unit into a widely ramified one. At the same time, the place hosts the wing staff agencies as well. Finally, there are a few associate tenant units too, but they are deployed for short periods of time.
Housing
The housing office at Cannon AFB is able to deal with multiple forms of accommodation, from houses to dormitories or apartments, depending on your rank, budget and deployment time. When hosted on site, you benefit from a wide category of advantages that do not apply to the off site privatized system. However, this option is just as good when you cannot find a home due to a large number of applications.
