View source for Maxwell Air Force Base

{{Short description|United States Air Force base in Montgomery, Alabama}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Maxwell Air Force Base
| ensign =
| ensign_size =
| native_name =
| partof = <!-- for elements within a larger site -->
| location = [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]], [[Alabama]]
| nearest_town = <!-- used in military test site infobox -->
| country = the [[United States of America]]
| image = File:908th Airlift Wing C-130 over Maxwell AFB Alabama.jpg
| alt = A C-130 Hercules aircraft of the 908th Airlift Wing takes off from Maxwell Air Force Base with the wing's maintenance hangars in the background.
| caption = A [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|C-130 Hercules]] aircraft of the [[908th Airlift Wing]] takes off from Maxwell AFB with the wing's maintenance hangars in the background.
| image2 = [[File:Air Education and Training Command.svg|100px]]
| alt2 =
| caption2 =
| type = US Air Force base
| coordinates = {{coord|32|22|45|N|86|21|45|W|display=inline,title}}
| gridref =
| image_map =
| image_mapsize =
| image_map_alt =
| image_map_caption =
| pushpin_map = USA Alabama # USA # North America
| pushpin_mapsize =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption =
| pushpin_relief = y
| pushpin_image =
| pushpin_label = Maxwell AFB
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_mark = Roundel of the USAF.svg
| pushpin_marksize = 20
| ownership = [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]
| operator = [[United States Air Force|US Air Force]] (USAF)
| controlledby = [[Air Education and Training Command]] (AETC)
| open_to_public = <!-- for out of use sites/sites with museums etc -->
| site_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| site_other = <!-- for other sorts of facilities – radar types etc -->
| site_area = <!-- area of site m2, km2 square mile etc -->
| code = <!--facility/installation code, applies to US -->
| built = {{Start date|1910}} (as the [[Wright Flying School]])
|| used =1910 – present <!---{{End date|1946}} -->
| builder =
| materials =
| height = <!-- height of tallest part, not above sea level -->
| length = <!-- for border fences or other DMZs -->
| fate = <!--changed from demolished parameter-->
| condition = Operational
| battles =
| events =
| current_commander = [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] Ryan Richardson
| past_commanders = <!-- past notable commander(s) -->
| garrison = [[42d Air Base Wing|42nd Air Base Wing]] (host)
| occupants = <!-- squadrons only -->
| designations =
| website = [http://www.maxwell.af.mil/ www.maxwell.af.mil]
<!-- begin airfield information -->
| IATA = MXF
| ICAO = KMXF
| FAA = MXF
| TC =
| LID =
| GPS =
| WMO = 722265
| elevation = {{Convert|52.1|m|0}}
| r1-number = 15/33
| r1-length = {{Convert|2440.8|m|0}}
| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]]
| r2-number = Landing zone
| r2-length = {{Convert|918.9|m|0}}
| r2-surface = asphalt
| h1-number =
| h1-length = <!-- {{Convert|918.9|m|0}} -->
| h1-surface =
| airfield_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| airfield_other = <!-- for other sorts of airfield facilities -->
<!--  end airfield information   -->
| footnotes = '''Source:''' [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/1909/00274ad.pdf#nameddest=(MXF)|title=Airport Diagram – Maxwell AFB (KMXF)|date=15 August 2019|website=Federal Aviation Administration | publisher = [[U.S. Department of Transportation]] |access-date=25 August 2019}}</ref>
}}

'''Maxwell Air Force Base''' {{airport codes|MXF|KMXF|MXF}}, officially known as '''Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base''', is a [[United States Air Force]] (USAF) installation under the [[Air Education and Training Command]] (AETC). The installation is located in [[Montgomery, Alabama]], United States. Occupying the site of the first [[Wright Flying School]], it was named in honor of Second Lieutenant [[William C. Maxwell]], a native of [[Atmore, Alabama]].

The base is the headquarters of [[Air University (United States Air Force)|Air University]] (AU), a major component of [[Air Education and Training Command]] (AETC), and is the U.S. Air Force's center for Joint Professional Military Education (PME). The host wing for Maxwell-Gunter is the [[42d Air Base Wing]] (42 ABW).

The [[Air Force Reserve Command]]'s [[908th Flying Training Wing (formerly Airlift Wing)]] (908 AW) is a tenant unit and the only operational flying unit at Maxwell. The 908 AW and its subordinate [703d Helicopter Squadron (703 HS)[357th Airlift Squadron]] (357 AS) operates eight [[C-130 Hercules|C-130H Hercules]] aircraft for theater airlift in support of combatant commanders worldwide. As an AFRC airlift unit, the 908th is operationally gained by the [[Air Mobility Command]] (AMC).

'''[[Gunter Annex]]''' is a separate installation under the 42 ABW. Originally known as Gunter Field, it later became known as '''Gunter Air Force Station''' (Gunter AFS) when its runways were closed and its operational flying activity eliminated. It was later renamed '''Gunter Air Force Base''' (Gunter AFB) during the 1980s. As a hedge against future [[Base Realignment and Closure]] (BRAC) closure actions, Gunter AFB was consolidated under Maxwell AFB in March 1992 to create a combined installation known as Maxwell/Gunter AFB.

Maxwell AFB is also the site of [[Federal Prison Camp, Montgomery]], a minimum security facility for male inmates.

== History ==

===Origins===
Toward the end of February 1910, the [[Wright Brothers]] decided to open one of the world's earliest flying schools at the site that would subsequently become Maxwell AFB. The Wrights taught the principles of flying, including take-offs, balancing, turns, and landings. The [[Wright Flying School]] closed on May 26, 1910.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title =Wright Brothers Flying School |encyclopedia =[[Encyclopedia of Alabama]] | publisher = Alabama Humanities Foundation |url =http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1364 |access-date = 10 December 2009 |url-status =dead |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100621132955/http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1364 |archive-date =June 21, 2010 }}</ref>

The field served as a repair depot during [[World War I]]. In fact, the depot built the first plane made in Montgomery and exhibited it at the field on September 20, 1918. Repair activity at the depot was sharply curtailed at the end of the war.

===Interwar years===
The Aviation Repair Depot's land was leased by the [[U.S. Army]] during World War I, and later purchased on January 11, 1920 for $34,327. Diminished postwar activity caused the U.S. War Department in 1919 to announce that it planned to close thirty-two facilities around the country, including the Aviation Repair Depot. In 1919, the Aviation Repair Depot had a $27,000 monthly civilian payroll, and was a vital part of the city's economy. The loss of the field would have been a serious blow to the local Montgomery economy. The field remained open into the early 1920s only because the War Department was slow in closing facilities. After this initial reprieve, the War Department announced in 1922 that facilities on the original closure list would indeed close in the very near future. City officials were not surprised to hear that Aviation Repair Depot remained on the list, because 350 civilian employees had been laid off in June 1921.

[[File:Ltmaxwel.jpg|thumb|Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell, for whom the base is named|alt=|left]]

On November 8, 1922, the [[United States Department of War|War Department]] redesignated the depot as '''Maxwell Field''' in honor of Atmore, Alabama native, Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell. On 12 August 1920, engine trouble forced Lieutenant Maxwell to attempt to land his [[DH-4]] in a sugarcane field in the [[Philippines]]. Maneuvering to avoid a group of children playing below, he struck a flagpole hidden by the tall sugarcane and was killed instantly. On the recommendation of his former commanding officer, Major Roy C. Brown, the Montgomery Air Intermediate Depot, [[Montgomery, Alabama]], was renamed Maxwell Field.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} In 1923, it was one of three [[U.S. Army Air Service]] aviation depots. Maxwell Field repaired aircraft engines in support of flying training missions such as those at [[Taylor Field (Alabama)|Taylor Field]], southeast of Montgomery.

Maxwell Field, as most Army air stations and depots developed during World War I, was on leased properties with temporary buildings being the mainstay of construction. These temporary buildings/shacks were built to last two to five years. By the mid-1920s, these dilapidated wartime buildings had become a national disgrace. Congressional investigations also showed that the manning strength of the U.S. Army's air arm was seriously deficient. These critical situations eventually led to the Air Corps Act of 1926 and the two major programs that dramatically transformed Army airfields. The Air Corps Act changed the name and status of the Army Air Service to the [[U.S. Army Air Corps]] and authorized a five-year expansion program. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, this program and its companion, the 1926 Army Housing Program, produced well-designed, substantial, permanent buildings and infrastructure at all Army airfields retained after World War I.

Taking up the cause of Maxwell Field was freshman Congressman [[J. Lister Hill]], a World War I veteran who served with the 17th and 71st U.S. Infantry Regiments. He, as well as other Montgomery leaders, recognized the historical significance of the Wright Brother's first military flying school and the potential of Maxwell Field to the local economy. In 1925 Hill, a member of the House Military Affairs Committee, affixed an amendment to a military appropriations bill providing $200,000 for the construction of permanent buildings at Maxwell Field. This amendment did not have the approval of the War Department nor the Army Air Corps, but as a result of this massive spending on Maxwell Field, the War Department kept it open. Hill recognized that to keep Maxwell Field open, it needed to be fiscally or militarily valuable to the War Department.

In September 1927, Hill met with Major General [[Mason M. Patrick]], chief of the Army Air Corps, and his assistant, Brigadier General [[James E. Fechet]], to discuss the placement of an attack group at Maxwell Field. Both made it clear that Maxwell Field was too close to Montgomery and was not a suitable location for an attack group. In fact, they asked Hill as "a friend of the Air Corps" not to "embarrass" the Corps by asking that the group be placed there. They warned that if he persisted, they would "very much oppose" the effort. However, General Patrick not wanting to alienate the new and up and coming Congressman (who was also a member of the House Military Affairs Committee) sought to appease Hill by offering to create an observation squadron at Maxwell Field. Hill welcomed the gesture; however, the creation of an observation squadron fell short of the long term on-going mission sought by Hill for Maxwell Field.

Hill continued to argue for the attack group to be placed at Maxwell Field. He argued that because of the permanent buildings scheduled to be built, it would be fiscally advantageous for the placement of the attack group at Maxwell Field. Hill's arguments were an extension of ones that had been presented to him by Major Roy S. Brown, former commandant of Maxwell Field from 1922 to 1925. In 1927, Major Brown was the commander of the [[Air Corps Tactical School]] located at [[Langley Field]], Virginia. Major Brown urged Hill to keep his name out of it because of the easily traceable insider information. Hill, frustrated with the lack of positive response from Generals Patrick and Fechet, moved up the chain of command and passed on the correspondence he had with General Fechet to Secretary of War Dwight Davis, Assistant Secretary of War for Air [[F. Trubee Davison]], and Army Chief of Staff [[Charles P. Summerall]]. His request to them was given the answer: that they would give the matter "full consideration."

The depot's first official flying mission was carried out after that. Observation missions originated there in 1927–1929. Pilots from the field were also involved in completing the first leg of a test designed to establish an [[airmail]] route between the [[Gulf Coast]] and the northern [[Great Lakes]] area. The successful test played a major role in the eventual establishment of permanent airmail service in the Southeast.

By early 1928, the decision of basing a new Army Air Corps attack group had come down to [[Shreveport, Louisiana]], and Montgomery. Both cities vied for the federal money to be spent in their respective local areas, but Shreveport the more economically developed city than its counterpart Montgomery won the day. In April 1928, Hill, via his contacts in the War Department, found out that Montgomery would not be getting the attack group. Flexing his congressional muscle, Hill persuaded Assistant Secretary Davidson and now chief of the Air Corps Major General Fechet to hold off the official announcement until Montgomery had a second look by the War Department. During the interim Montgomery leaders had set forth actions to acquire over {{convert|600|acre|km2|0}} for Maxwell Field's expansion in hopes of wooing the War Department into placing the attack group in Montgomery.

In May 1928 General [[Benjamin Foulois]], General Fechet's assistant, during an inspection visit with Third Army commander General Frank Parker to Maxwell Field mentioned that the Air Corps Tactical School would be moving from Langley Field to a still undecided location. During his stay General Foulois met with local Chamber of Commerce chairman Jesse Hearin and Maxwell Field post commandant, Major [[Walter Reed Weaver|Walter R. Weaver]]. Hearin and Weaver touted the feasibility of Maxwell Field and the Montgomery area for the placement of the attack group at Maxwell Field. However, General Foulois guided the conversation towards the impending movement of the Air Corps Tactical School and he favored Maxwell Field for the new home. Hearin immediately worked up an option on another one thousand acres (4&nbsp;km²) for the Air Corps Tactical School should Montgomery not be favored with the attack group.

In July 1928, word "via rumor" of the decision for the establishment of an attack group came out that Shreveport was indeed the victor of the final decision. In December 1928, after much debate and political maneuvering it was announced officially by the Assistant Secretary of War that Shreveport would be getting the attack group and that the Army Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS) would be coming to Maxwell Field. The move to Maxwell Field from Langley Field was initially expected to increase Maxwell Field's population by eighty officers and 300 enlisted. It was expected that the ACTS would be to the Army Air Corps what [[Fort Benning]], Georgia was to the infantry.

On January 15, 1929, it was announced that the ACTS would be twice as large as originally planned. On February 11, it was announced that $1,644,298 had been allowed for ACTS construction. This was not including an additional $324,000 the Secretary of War had approved previously for non-commissioned officer barracks and a school building after a conference with Congressman Hill. On March 12, a conference between a Major Kennedy, Chief of Buildings and Grounds of the Army Air Corps and commandant of the ACTS, and Congressman Lister Hill to determine the locations of the buildings and types of construction. In March 1929, personnel at Maxwell provided flood relief to citizens of Montgomery. This was the first time at which food and supplies were [[airdrop]]ped by U.S. military forces during a major civilian emergency.

On July 9, 1929, Captain Walter J. Reed and a battery of attorneys checked titles for the land. The War Department also announced the same day that the plan had changed to where the ACTS would now be four times as large as originally planned with 200 officers and 1,000 enlisted men. At the time, this made Maxwell Field the largest (as far as personnel) Army Air Corps installation in the southeast. Approximately 300 signatures to the deed of the land occupied by the Air Corps Tactical School were signed, of which one was signed by a minor. Chairman of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce James Hearin said, "...several cases had to be taken to court." Despite the obvious rush for signatures, by October 5, deeds to the land were signed and mailed to the War Department.

On December 17, 1929, Congressman Lister Hill introduced a bill to appropriate $320,000 for the acquiring of {{convert|1075|acre|km2|0}} of land in [[Montgomery County, Alabama|Montgomery County]] as a part of an expansion program for Maxwell Field. This was a particularly bold move at the time by Hill because of the stock market crash. Effects of the crash had yet to take place; however, the panic caused by the crash had certainly captured Montgomery's attention.

[[File:Austin Hall.jpg|thumb|[[Building 800-Austin Hall|Austin Hall]] was built in 1931 to serve as the Air Corps Tactical School's main building.]]

On January 25, 1930, President [[Herbert Hoover]] asked Congress to re-appropriate an additional $100,000 for the main school building at Maxwell Field. President Hoover's policy was to speed public works to offset unemployment. In February 1930, Congressman Hill's resolution was passed in the House of Representatives and {{convert|80|acre|m2}} were to be added to Maxwell Field for expansion purposes. George B. Ford and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., were hired by the [[Quartermaster Corps (United States Army)|Army Quartermaster Corps]] and they designed the overall layout of ACTS at Maxwell. Ford used an approach that clustered similar functions together. This technique provided plenty of open space and gave each cluster a distinct appearance.

On September 17, 1931, the first ACTS training occurred at Maxwell Field. Forty-one students met at 8:40&nbsp;a.m. in the operations office conference room for general instruction. Classes were divided into sections, with some pilots sent on check flights, while others were sent out to become familiar with the surrounding countryside to become familiar with emergency landing field locations.

On the morning of September 22, 1931, opening exercises of the Air Corps Tactical School were held. On September 24, the Air Corps Tactical School was officially launched. The address was made by Major General James E. Fechet, chief of the Army Air Corps also attending were Congressman Lister Hill and commandant of the Air Corps Tactical School, Major John F. Curry. General Fechet, along with announcing his impending retirement, declared that the forty-one student officers could be future generals of the Air Corps. At a later luncheon, General Fechet also lauded Montgomery's attitude toward the Air Corps.

[[File:Maxwellfield-al-21oct1937.jpg|thumb|Overhead Maxwell Field in 1937|alt=|left]]

The 1931-1932 faculty included Army Air Corps (AC), Army Infantry (Inf), Army Chemical Warfare Service (CWS), and Army Field Artillery (FA) instructors. Initially, the school's curriculum reflected the dominating influence of [[Brigadier General]] [[Billy Mitchell]]. Mitchell was a strong believer in the importance of gaining and maintaining air superiority during a conflict. He argued strongly for pursuit (e.g., "fighter") aircraft in combination with bombers and regarded enemy pursuit forces as the most serious threat to successful bombing operations and felt that the task of American pursuit was not necessarily to escort bombers, but to also seek out and attack enemy fighters. During the first five years of the school's operation, Mitchell's beliefs formed the basis for instruction at the tactical school. However, by the mid-1930s the school's emphasis had shifted from pursuit to bombardment aviation.

On July 16, 1933, Congressman Lister Hill secured approval from the War Department for $1,650,075 for immediate spending at Maxwell Field. Hill's request was justified by increased enrollment at the Air Corps Tactical School and the desperate need for employment for the local Montgomery population. At the start of October 1933 bids opened for four construction projects that were to start immediately; 1933-1934 construction at Maxwell Field later employed an average of more than 500 workers.

The [[Air Corps Tactical School]] opened July 15, 1931. The school evolved into the Army Air Corps (later, [[U.S. Air Force]]'s) first tactical center until the imminence of American involvement in [[World War II]] forced a suspension of classes in June 1940 that resulted in permanent closure of the school. One of the school's notable achievements was its development of two aerial acrobatic teams: the "Three Men on a Flying Trapeze", put together by then-Captain [[Claire L. Chennault]] in 1932, and the Skylarks in 1935.

=== World War II ===
[[File:Army Air Forces - Postcard - Maxwell Field Alabama.jpg|thumb|World War II Maxwell Field postcard|alt=|left]]

In 1940, it was announced that the installation was to be converted into a pilot-training center. On 8 July 1940 the Army Air Corps redesignated its training center at Maxwell Field, Alabama as the [[Southeast Air Corps Training Center]]. The Southeast Air Corps Training Center at Maxwell handled flying training (basic, primary and advanced) at airfields in the Eastern United States.

An Air Force Pilot School (preflight) was also activated which instructed [[Aviation Cadet Training Program (USAAF)|Aviation Cadets]] in the mechanics and physics of flight and required the cadets to pass courses in mathematics and the hard sciences. Then the cadets were taught to apply their knowledge practically by teaching them aeronautics, deflection shooting, and thinking in three dimensions. In June 1941, the Army Air Corps became the [[U.S. Army Air Forces]]. On 8 January 1943, the War Department constituted and redesignated the school as the [[74th Flying Training Wing (U.S. Army Air Forces)|74th Flying Training Wing]] handling pre-flight training.

During following years, Maxwell was home to six different schools that trained U.S. military aviators and their support teams for wartime service. As [[World War II]] progressed, the number of required pilot trainees declined, and the [[United States Army Air Forces|Army Air Forces]] decided not to send more aircrew trainees to Maxwell Field. The following known sub-bases and auxiliaries were constructed to support the flying school:
* Passmore Auxiliary Field {{Coord|32|21|30|N|86|32|00|W}}
* [[Troy Municipal Airport|Troy Auxiliary Field]] {{Coord|32|51|44|N|86|00|45|W}}
* Autaugaville Auxiliary Field {{Coord|32|25|30|N|86|41|10|W}}

[[File:Maxwell Field Alabama photo pictorial.pdf|thumb|220px|Maxwell Field 1943 photo pictorial]]

On 31 July 1943, the Southeast Air Corps Training Center was redesignated as the Eastern Flying Training Command. Also in July, the Army Air Forces announced a specialized school for pilots of four-engine aircraft. The first [[B-24 Liberator]] landed at the field later that month and in early 1945, [[B-29 Superfortress]] bomber training replaced the B-24 program.

===Cold War===

Training at Maxwell continued until 15 December 1945, when the Eastern Flying Training Command was inactivated and was consolidated into the Central Flying Training Command at [[Randolph Field]], [[Texas]].

[[Air University (United States Air Force)|Air University]], an institution providing continuing military education for Army Air Forces personnel, was established at Maxwell in 1946, prior to the [[U.S. Air Force]] becoming an independent service the following year. Today, it remains the main focus of base activities at Maxwell.

Maxwell Field was renamed '''Maxwell Air Force Base''' in September 1947 when the Air Force was created.
<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.maxwell.af.mil/News/Commentaries/Display/Article/1287636/maxwell-air-force-base-and-the-42nd-air-base-wing-through-the-years/|title=Maxwell Air Force Base and the 42nd Air Base Wing through the Years |date=23 August 2017 | first = Robert B. | last = Kane |website=Maxwell AFB | publisher = United States Air Force |access-date=3 July 2021 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240818202434/https://www.maxwell.af.mil/News/Commentaries/Display/Article/1287636/maxwell-air-force-base-and-the-42nd-air-base-wing-through-the-years/ | archive-date = 18 August 2024}}</ref>

In 1992, the [[502d Air Base Wing|3800th Air Base Wing]] (3800 ABW) was disbanded and the [[502d Air Base Wing]] (502 BW) took over as the host wing, which two years later gave way to the current [[42d Air Base Wing]].

As home of the Air University, Maxwell became the postgraduate academic center of the U.S. Air Force. Air University evolved first as an institution influenced by air power as shaped in World War II, then by the [[Cold War]] under the threat of nuclear annihilation, and by air power as applied during the Cold War's Korean and Vietnam conflicts. In the early twenty-first century, the emphasis shifted to air power's role in confronting international and transnational terrorism by both state-sponsored and non-state actors. AU grew materially from inadequate quarters, classrooms, and instructional technology into a campus that is as modern and up-to-date as those of any other in the U. S. armed forces. Construction of Maxwell's Academic Circle, Air University's primary education complex, began in the 1950s. Its centerpiece was the Air University Library, eventually one of several major libraries on a military installation.

Over the years, other activities were established or relocated to Maxwell AFB, to include Headquarters, [[Civil Air Patrol]] – [[USAF]]; the Air Force Reserve's 908th Tactical Air Support Group (908 TASG), which evolved into the present day 908th Airlift Wing; the Ira C. Eaker Center for Professional Development; the Air Force Financial Systems Operation office (SAF/FM); the Center for Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education (CADRE); and the Air Force Historical Research Agency, a support organization and repository for air power scholars and AU students. In 1994, [[Air Force Officer Training School]] (OTS) was also relocated from [[Lackland AFB]]/Medina Annex, Texas to Maxwell AFB, joining the national headquarters of the Air Force's other non-Academy officer accession source, [[Air Force ROTC]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1337|title=Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex |website=[[Encyclopedia of Alabama]] | date = 17 June 2014 | publisher = Alabama Humanities Foundation |access-date=14 July 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027020555/http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1337|archive-date=27 October 2014}}</ref>

Detachment 3 of the [[58th Operations Group]] activated at Maxwell during January 2024 to train crews on the [[AgustaWestland AW139|MH-139A Grey Wolf]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roney |first=Marty |date=31 January 2024 |title=Maxwell Air Force Base unit to train new helicopter pilots in Montgomery |url=https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/local/2024/02/01/maxwell-unit-to-train-new-helicopter-pilots-in-montgomery/72402681007/ |access-date=1 February 2024 |newspaper=Montgomery Advertiser |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Based units==
Flying and notable non-flying units based at Maxwell Air Force Base:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mybaseguide.com/air_force/52-1099/maxwell_gunter_afb_our_military|title=Maxwell-Gunter AFB|date=10 August 2018|website=MyBaseGuide|publisher=MARCOA Media|access-date=25 August 2019|archive-date=25 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190825213145/https://www.mybaseguide.com/air_force/52-1099/maxwell_gunter_afb_our_military|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/|title=Air University (AU) |website=Air University|publisher=US Air Force|access-date=25 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.908aw.afrc.af.mil/|title=Units|website=908th Airlift Wing|publisher=US Air Force|access-date=25 August 2019}}</ref>

=== United States Air Force ===
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
'''[[Air Education and Training Command]]''' '''(AETC)'''
* [[42nd Air Base Wing]] (host wing)
** 42nd Mission Support Group
*** 42nd Communications Squadron
*** 42nd Contracting Squadron
*** 42nd Force Support Squadron
*** 42nd Logistics Readiness Squadron
*** 42nd Operations Support Flight
*** 42nd Security Forces Squadron
** 42nd Medical Group
*** 42nd Health Care Squadron
*** 42nd Medical Operations Squadron
* [[Air University (United States Air Force) |Air University]]
** Headquarters Air University
** Air Force Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies
** Air Force Culture and Language Center
** Air Force Cyber College
** Air Force Judge Advocate General's School
** Air Force Negotiation Center
** Air Force Research Institute
** Carl A. Spaatz Center for Officer Education
*** [[Air Command and Staff College]]
*** [[USAF Air War College]]
*** International Officer School
*** [[Squadron Officer School]]
** Curtis E. LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education
** Ira C. Eaker Center for Professional Development
*** Air Force Personnel Professional Development School
*** Commanders' Professional Development School
*** Defense Financial Management and Comptroller School
*** US Air Force Chaplain Corps College
** Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development
*** Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps
*** Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
*** Officer Training School
** Muir S. Fairchild Research Information Center
** [[School of Advanced Air and Space Studies]]
** Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education
*** Air Force Career Development Academy
*** Air Force Enlisted Heritage Research Institute
*** Air Force Senior Non-commissioned Officer Academy
*** [[Airman Leadership School]]
*** [[Community College of the Air Force]]
*** Non-commissioned Officer Academy
*** USAF First Sergeant Academy
** USAF Center for Strategic Deterrence Studies
** USAF Center for Strategic Leadership Communication
** USAF Center for Strategy and Technology
* [[Nineteenth Air Force]]
** [[58th Special Operations Wing]]
*** [[58th Operations Group]]
**** Detachment 3 – [[AgustaWestland AW139|MH-139A Grey Wolf]]

'''[[Air Combat Command]] (ACC)'''
* [[First Air Force]]
** Civil Air Patrol-U.S. Air Force (CAP-USAF)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104475/civil-air-patrol-us-air-force/ | title=Civil Air Patrol-U.S. Air Force | publisher = United States Air Force | date = | access-date = 25 August 2024}}</ref>
* [[Sixteenth Air Force]]
** [[688th Cyberspace Wing]]
*** [[26th Cyberspace Operations Group]]
**** [[26th Network Operations Squadron]] (GSU)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.16af.af.mil/Units/688CW/ | title= 688th CW Leadership : 688th Cyberspace Wing | website = Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) | publisher = United States Air Force | date = | access-date = 25 August 2024}}</ref>

'''[[Air Force Materiel Command]] (AFMC)'''
* [[Air Force Life Cycle Management Center]]<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.aflcmc.af.mil/Portals/79/AFLCMC-Org-Chart-Aug-15-2022-No-Phone.pdf | title = AIR FORCE LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT CENTER (AFLCMC) ORGANIZATIONAL CHART | date = 11 August 2022 | publisher = Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, United States Air Force | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221209174737/https://www.aflcmc.af.mil/Portals/79/AFLCMC-Org-Chart-Aug-15-2022-No-Phone.pdf | archive-date = 9 December 2022 | access-date = 25 August 2024}}</ref>
** Detachment 5 (GSU)
** Business & Enterprise Systems Directorate (GSU)
*** Enterprise Logistics Readiness Division
*** Mission Support Systems Division
*** Operations Division
*** Service Management Division
*** Program Execution Group Division
*** Cybersecurity Division
*** Technical Services Division
*** Financial Services Division
*** Contracting Services Division
*** Legal Services Division

{{Col-break}}

'''[[Field Operating Agency|Field Operating Agencies]]'''
* [[Air Force Historical Research Agency]]
* [[Air Force Logistics Management Agency]]

'''[[Air Force Reserve Command]] (AFRC)'''
* [[Twenty-Second Air Force]]
** [[908th Airlift Wing]]
*** 908th Operations Group
**** [[357th Airlift Squadron]] – [[C-130 Hercules|C-130H Hercules]]
**** 908th Operations Support Squadron
**** 908th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
*** 908th Maintenance Group
**** 908th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
**** 908th Maintenance Squadron
*** 908th Mission Support Group
**** 25th Aerial Port Squadron
**** 908th Civil Engineering Squadron
**** 908th Force Support Squadron
**** 908th Logistics Readiness Squadron
**** 908th Mission Support Squadron
**** 908th Security Forces Squadron
*** 908th Aeromedical Staging Squadron
* [[Tenth Air Force]]
** [[960th Cyberspace Wing]]
*** [[960th Cyberspace Operations Group]]
**** 689th Network Operations Squadron (GSU)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.960cyber.afrc.af.mil/About-Us/Units/ | title=Units | website = 960th Cyberspace Wing | publisher = United States Air Force | date = | access-date = 25 August 2024}}</ref>

'''[[Civil Air Patrol]] (CAP)'''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/cap-unit-locator | title=CAP Unit Locator | website = Civil Air Patrol | publisher = Civil Air Patrol | date = 2024 | access-date = 25 August 2024}}</ref>
* Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters (NHQ-NHQ-001)
** Civil Air Patrol Overseas Group (NHQ-NHQ-902)
* South East Region
** [[Alabama Wing Civil Air Patrol|Alabama Wing]]
*** Maxwell Composite Squadron (SER-AL-032)

=== United States Space Force ===
'''[[Space Training and Readiness Command]] (STARCOM)'''
* [[Space Delta 13]]
** [[13th Delta Operations Squadron]]
** Detachment 2

=== United States Army ===
'''[[Military Entrance Processing Command]] (USMEPCOM)'''
* Eastern Sector
** 8th Battalion
*** Montgomery Military Entrance Processing Station (GSU)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mepcom.army.mil/Units/Eastern-Sector/8th-Battalion/Montgomery/ | title=Montgomery AL Military Entrance Processing Station | website = USMEPCOM: United States Military Entrance Processing Command | publisher = United States Military Entrance Processing Command, United States Army | date = | access-date = 25 August 2024}}</ref>

=== Department of Defense ===
'''[[Defense Information Systems Agency]] (DISA)'''
* Defense Information Systems Agency - Montgomery<ref>{{citation | url = https://www.disa.mil/~/media/Files/DISA/News/AFCEA-2017/4-%20Lindeman-DODIN%20Network%20Operations%20panel.pdf | title = DODIN OPERATIONS: (Department of Defense Information Network) Operations | publisher = Defense Information Systems Agency | date = 10 May 2017 | access-date = 25 August 2024}}</ref>

=== [[Environmental Protection Agency]] ===
* National Laboratories
** National Analytical Radiation Environmental Laboratory<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-epas-national-analytical-radiation-environmental-laboratory-narel | title=About EPA's National Analytical Radiation Environmental Laboratory (NAREL) | website = EPA | publisher = United States Environmental Protection Agency | date=18 January 2024 | access-date = 25 August 2024}}</ref>

=== [[U.S. Department of Justice]] ===
* [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]]
** [[Federal Prison Camp, Montgomery]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/mon/ | title=FPC Montgomery | website = Federal Bureau of Prisons | publisher = United States Department of Justice | date = | access-date = 25 August 2024}}</ref>
{{Col-end}}

== Education ==
[[File:Maxwell Air Force Base Elementary Middle School Alabama.webp|thumb|Maxwell Air Force Base Elementary/Middle School]]
Maxwell Air Force Base is zoned to [[Department of Defense Education Activity]] (DoDEA) schools for grades K-8.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st01_al/schooldistrict_maps/c01101_montgomery/DC20SD_C01101.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Montgomery County, AL|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate= 4 July 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st01_al/schooldistrict_maps/c01101_montgomery/DC20SD_C01101_SD2MS.txt Text listing]: "Maxwell AFB School District" would mean the [[Department of Defense Education Activity]] (DoDEA) since that agency operates the on-base public schools.</ref> The DoDEA operates Maxwell Air Force Base Elementary/Middle School.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dodea.edu/maxwellafbems/index.cfm|title=Maxwell Eagles: Maxwell AFB EMS |publisher=[[Department of Defense Education Activity]] | accessdate= 25 August 2024}}</ref> For high school Maxwell AFB residents are zoned to Montgomery Public Schools facilities: residents of the main base are zoned to [[George Washington Carver High School (Montgomery, Alabama)|George Washington Carver High School]], while residents of the Gunner Annex are zoned to [[Dr. Percy L. Julian High School]]. Residents may attend magnet schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dodea.edu/americas/southeast/maxwell/index.cfm|title=Maxwell AFB Community|publisher=Department of Defense Education Activity|accessdate=4 July 2022|archive-date=5 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705200702/https://www.dodea.edu/americas/southeast/maxwell/index.cfm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Future ==
In November 2020, the Air Force announced that Maxwell AFB is its preferred choice for basing the [[AgustaWestland AW139|MH-139A Grey Wolf]] Formal Training Unit. The Grey Wolf training mission will replace the 908th Airlift Wing's C-130H Hercules mission, with the first of the new aircraft expected to arrive during 2023.<ref>{{Cite press release |date=20 November 2020|title=Maxwell AFB selected as location for MH-139 FTU|url=https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2423445/maxwell-afb-selected-as-location-for-mh-139-ftu/|access-date=24 November 2020| author = Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs | location = Washington | publisher = United States Air Force|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Popular culture==

Maxwell AFB appears in the [[video game]] ''[[Tom Clancy's EndWar]]'' as a possible battlefield.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://endwargame.us.ubi.com/locations.php |title=Tom Clancy's EndWar: Game Info // Locations |author=[[Ubisoft]] |publisher=[[Ubisoft]] |year=2008 |access-date=1 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017181704/http://endwargame.us.ubi.com/locations.php |archive-date=17 October 2008 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States<!--Federal facility-->|Alabama|Aviation}}
* [[Air Force Officer Training School]]
* [[Air Training Command]]
* [[Air and Space Basic Course]]
* [[Alabama World War II Army Airfields]]
* [[ROTC]]

==References==
{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}
{{Reflist|2}}

==Sources==
* Manning, Thomas A. (2005), ''History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002''.  Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas {{OCLC|71006954|29991467}}
* Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), ''Locating Air Force Base Sites, History's Legacy'', Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC. {{OCLC|57007862|1050653629}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base}}
{{Commons category|Maxwell Field (Airfield)}}
* [http://www.maxwell.af.mil Maxwell Air Force Base]
* [https://twitter.com/MaxwellAFB Maxwell Air Force Base on Twitter]
* [https://www.facebook.com/MaxwellAFB Maxwell Air Force Base on Facebook]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110430050248/http://www.maxwell.af.mil/units/au/ Air University]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120309005816/http://www.maxwell.af.mil/units/42abw/ 42nd Air Base Wing]
* [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/May2005/20050513_1081.html BRAC 2005: Closings, Realignments to Reshape Infrastructure]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/aviation/ Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary]
* [http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com: National HQ Civil Air Patrol homepage]
* [http://www.militarycampgrounds.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=38 Maxwell-Gunter AFB FamCamp Information]
* {{FAA-diagram|00274}}
* {{FAA-procedures|MXF}}

{{US-airport-mil|MXF}}

{{US Air Force navbox}}
{{United States Space Force}}
{{USAF Air Education and Training Command}}
{{USAAF Training Bases World War II}}
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{{ALMilitary}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Installations of the United States Air Force in Alabama]]
[[Category:1918 establishments in Alabama]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Service]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Corps]]
[[Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Alabama]]
[[Category:Montgomery, Alabama]]
[[Category:Airports in Montgomery County, Alabama]]
[[Category:Training installations of the United States Air Force]]
[[Category:Military installations established in 1918]]