Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy

This document produces the history and legacy of the location and establishment of Air Force Base Sites and the historical rationales that have determined the location of USAF installations within the continental United States, excluding Alaska, from 1907 to 2004. The location and numbers of these bases have fluctuated according to the size of the air forces, the capabilities of available weapons systems, and the strategies contemplated for their employment.
The locations of modern Air Force installations owe much to the vision and foresight of early planners. In 1952, Secretary of the Air Force Thomas K. Finletter issued guidance to the Air Staff regarding the selection of air base sites. Observing that a basing decision would inevitably affect someone, he advised his staff to make their decisions on technical requirements while accommodating “other” interests once technical interests were satisfied. Secretary Finletter’s guidance reflected the wisdom of accumulated decades that his successors have also chosen to follow.