MacDill Air Force Base
NearTampa, Florida in theUnited States
The main gate at MacDill AFB, with aKC-135R Stratotanker overhead.
Site information
Type	US Air Force Base
Owner	Department of Defense
Operator	US Air Force
Controlled by	Air Mobility Command (AMC)
Condition	Operational
Website	www.macdill.af.mil
Location
MacDill AFB Show map of Florida MacDill AFB Show map of the United States MacDill AFB Show map of North America
Coordinates	27°50′58″N082°31′16″W / 27.84944°N 82.52111°W /27.84944; -82.52111
Site history
Built	1939 (1939) (as Southeast Air Base, Tampa)
In use	1939–present
Garrison information
Current commander	Colonel Edward V. Szczepanik Chief Raun M. Howell (command chief)
Garrison	6th Air Refueling Wing (Host) 927th Air Refueling Wing
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: MCF,ICAO: KMCF,FAA LID: MCF,WMO: 747880
Elevation	14 feet (4 m)AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 05/23 11,421 feet (3,481 m) Asphalt
Source:Federal Aviation Administration[1]

MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) (IATA:MCF,ICAO:KMCF,FAALID:MCF) is an activeUnited States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtownTampa, Florida.

The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assigned to theEighteenth Air Force of theAir Mobility Command. The 6 ARW is commanded by Colonel Edward Szczepanik. The Wing Command Chief is Chief Master Sergeant Raun Howell.^[2]

MacDill Air Force Base, located in South Tampa, was constructed as MacDill Field, aU.S. Army Air Corps, laterU.S. Army Air Forces, installation just prior toWorld War II. With the establishment of the U.S. Air Force as an independent service in September 1947, it became MacDill Air Force Base. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was aStrategic Air Command (SAC) installation forB-47 Stratojet bombers. In the early 1960s, it transitioned to aTactical Air Command (TAC) installation, briefly operating theF-84 Thunderstreak jet fighter before transitioning to theF-4 Phantom II. During the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s, it operatedF-4 Phantom II fighters under various fighter wings, followed byF-16 Fighting Falcons in the mid-1980s to early 1990s.^[3]

MacDill became anAir Mobility Command installation in 1996 and home to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, its310th Airlift Squadron flying the C-37A, and its50th Air Refueling Squadron and91st Air Refueling Squadron flying the KC-135. The 6 ARW is further augmented by theAir Force Reserve Command's927th Air Refueling Wing and63d Air Refueling Squadron also flying KC-135s.

MacDill AFB is also home to the headquarters for two of the U.S. military'sunified combatant commands: Headquarters,United States Central Command, and Headquarters,United States Special Operations Command. Both commands are independent from one another and each is commanded by a respective four-star general or admiral.

Two additional subunified commands are also headquartered at MacDill AFB: Commander,United States Marine Corps Forces Central Command, commanded by a three-star general, andUnited States Special Operations Command Central commanded by a two-star general or admiral.

Port Tampa Cemetery “was one of several African American cemeteries in the area that had been forgotten or purchased for redevelopment,” according to a historical marker established within the base.^[4] In 2019, the Air Force received information about the existence of a formerAfrican-American graveyard on the grounds of the base from theTampa Bay History Center.^[5] Archival city records indicated that there was asegregation era burial site for Black families between 1840 and 1920. A non-intrusive archaeological survey using ground penetrating radar and cadaver dogs found evidence of a cemetery by a contractor hired by the base.^[4] On 19 January 2024, Air force officials announced that potentially 121 unmarked graves had been discovered. The search continues along with outreach to the community on how to best document the site and pay respect to the people buried there.^[6]

MacDill AFB was originally established in 1939 asSoutheast Air Base, Tampa. It is named in honor ofColonelLeslie MacDill (1889–1938).

The B-26 earned the slogan "One a day in Tampa Bay" due to the number of early-model B-26 aircraft that ditched or crashed into the Tampa Bay waters surrounding MacDill Field.^[7] Early models of the B-26 aircraft proved hard to fly and land by many pilots due to its short wings, high landing speeds, and fighter-plane maneuverability. Improvements to the Block 10 version of the aircraft, known as the B-26B-10, added six feet of additional wingspan and upgraded engines that eliminated most of these problems.^[8]

Deliveries of the newBoeing B-47A Stratojet to the Air Force and SAC began in December 1950, and the aircraft entered service in May 1951 with the 306th Bombardment Wing.

The 809th Air Division (809th AD) took over host unit responsibilities for MacDill AFB on 16 June 1952.

In June 1952, the 305th upgraded to the all-jet Boeing B-47B Stratojet.

Although control of MacDill AFB would pass from SAC to TAC in the early 1960s, SAC continued to maintain a periodic presence at MacDill in the form of dispersal alert operations of B-52 and KC-135 aircraft from other SAC bombardment wings, using the extant SAC Alert Facility at MacDill. These operations continued until the early 1980s.

The first attempt to close MacDill AFB was made in 1960, when the impending phaseout of SAC's B-47 bombers caused it to be listed as surplus and slated for closure. However, theCuban Missile Crisis of 1962 highlighted the base's strategic location and its usefulness as a staging area. As a result, the cuts were stayed and the base repurposed for a tactical mission with fighter aircraft. In response to the crisis, theUnited States Strike Command was also established at MacDill as a crisis response force; it was one of the first unified commands, a command that draws manpower and equipment from all branches of the U.S. military.

In 1962, MacDill AFB was transferred from SAC to TAC. Bomber aircraft remained home-based at MacDill until the 306th Bombardment Wing's transfer toMcCoy AFB, and SAC continued to maintain a tenant presence at MacDill through the 1980s, using their alert facility as a dispersal location for B-52 and KC-135 aircraft. But for all practical purposes, the 1960s marked MacDill's transition from a bomber-centric SAC base to a fighter-centric TAC installation. Under TAC, MacDill AFB remained afighter base for almost 30 years, but other changes went on in the background.

On 17 April 1962, the15th Tactical Fighter Wing was activated at MacDill and assigned to 9th Air Force. Initially equipped with the F-84F Thunderjet, in 1964 the 15th TFW subsequently upgraded to the tail-coded McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II. In 1970, U.S. Strike Command was renamed United States Readiness Command.

They were to also press napalm and rocket attacks against surface-to-air missile sites at Mariel and Sagua La Grande, as well as the airfields at Santa Clara, Los Banos, and San Julien.

On 10 January 1970, the1st Tactical Fighter Wing was reassigned without personnel or equipment to MacDill. In 1972, the 1st TFW standardized all of its aircraft with the common wing tail code "FF".

In 1980, the newRapid Deployment Joint Task Force was activated, and in 1983, it becameUnited States Central Command. Also in 1987,United States Special Operations Command was activated at MacDill AFB, occupying the former facilities of USREDCOM.

AtSuper Bowl XVIII and again atSuper Bowl XXV, both played atTampa Stadium, 56th Tactical Training Wing aircraft performed theflyover andmissing man formation after thenational anthem.

By the early 1990s and the end of theCold War, the U.S. was looking to downsize the military and eliminate a large number of bases in the United States as a cost-savings measure. MacDill AFB figured prominently in this; theTampa area had seen substantial increases in commercial air traffic at the two international airports within 10 nautical miles of MacDill, creating hazardous conditions for F-16 training, and the noise associated with the high-performance jets was deemed unsuitable for high-density residential areas such as those around MacDill. As a result, the 1991 DefenseBase Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) ordered that all flight-line activities cease at MacDill AFB by 1993.

As a result of the BRAC decision, the F-16 training mission and the56th Fighter Wing were moved without personnel or equipment toLuke Air Force Base, outside ofPhoenix, Arizona, and was reassigned toAir Education and Training Command.

In August 1992, just prior to the landfall ofHurricane Andrew in southern Florida, the31st Fighter Wing (31 FW) and theAir Force Reserve's482d Fighter Wing, both based atHomestead AFB, executed an emergency hurricane evacuation of all of their flyable F-16C and F-16D aircraft, with the bulk of those aircraft temporarily staging at MacDill. Given the level of destruction at Homestead AFB, these fighter aircraft remained at MacDill for several months thereafter.

In 1993, with the help of local RepresentativeBill Young (R-FL), the flight-line closure order for MacDill was rescinded and theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration transferred from their former aircraft operations center atMiami International Airport to Hangar 5 at MacDill AFB to use the base and its flight line as their new home station for weather reconnaissance and research flights.

On 1 January 1994, theAir Combat Command's 6th Air Base Wing (6 ABW) stood up at MacDill AFB to operate the base and provide support services for the large and growing number of tenant units, as well as to provide services for transient air units. Later that year, the base served as the primary staging facility forOperation Uphold Democracy inHaiti.

This staging was considered evidence of the quality and usefulness of the MacDill runway and flight line, even in light of the high civilian air traffic levels in the Tampa Bay area from nearbyTampa International Airport,St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, andPeter O. Knight Airport. With further congressional prodding and lobbying, MacDill was chosen as the site for a KC-135 air refueling mission. With the arrival of 12 KC-135R tankers and the 91st Air Refueling Squadron fromMalmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, the 6 ABW was renamed the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW) on 1 October 1996 and transferred from ACC to theAir Mobility Command (AMC).

In January 2001, the 310th Airlift Squadron (310 AS) was activated at the base, flying theCT-43A andEC-135Y, the former aircraft providing executive transport to the commander ofUnited States Southern Command in Miami and the latter aircraft providing executive transport and airborne command post capabilities to the commanders of USCENTCOM and USSOCOM at MacDill. NewC-37A aircraft were delivered starting in 2001, and the CT-43 and EC-135s were subsequently removed from service. The 310th's primary mission is dedicated airlift support for the commanders of USCENTCOM, USSOCOM, and USSOUTHCOM. With the addition of the 310 AS, the wing was given its current designation as the6th Air Mobility Wing (6 AMW).

In April 2008, pursuant to BRAC action, the Air Force Reserve Command's927th Air Refueling Wing relocated fromSelfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan, to MacDill AFB, where it became an associate wing to the 6 AMW, also flying KC-135R aircraft.

In late 2003/early 2004,U.S. Naval Forces Central Command vacated its Tampa "rear headquarters" at MacDill AFB, a complex that was established in the early 1990s following the firstGulf War and commanded by aflag officer, either an upper half or lower halfrear admiral concurrently assigned as the USNAVCENT/US 5th Fleet Deputy Commander (DEPCOMUSNAVCENT/DEPCOMFIFTHFLT), and his staff when they were not forward deployed to thePersian Gulf region. In vacating the MacDill AFB facility, all USNAVCENT staff activities were consolidated at COMUSNAVCENT/COMFIFTHFLT headquarters inManama, Bahrain.

NAVCENT's facility at MacDill AFB was subsequently turned over to the Deputy Commander,U.S. Marine Forces Central Command (DEPCOMUSMARCENT), and his staff. It would later become the overall Headquarters,U.S. Marine Forces Central Command, while the Commanding General for MARCENT (COMUSMARCENT) would remain a dual-hatted function of the Commanding General,I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) atCamp Pendleton, California. From late 2003 until 2012, the Commanding General remained in California, while his MARCENT staff primarily resided at MacDill AFB with an additional forward element atNaval Support Activity Bahrain in Manama, Bahrain. In 2012, the COMUSMARCENT and CG I MEF billets were broken into separate billets and COMUSMARCENT took up full-time residency in MARCENT's headquarters facility at MacDill AFB, upgrading the facility to a 3-star headquarters. This continued until 2021 when MARCENT was downgraded to a 2-star headquarters.

Also in late 2004/early 2005, Naval Reserve Center Tampa vacated its obsolescent waterfront location in downtown Tampa, consolidated with the former Naval Reserve Center St. Petersburg adjacent toCoast Guard Air Station Clearwater, and relocated to a newly constructed facility on the south side of MacDill AFB. In 2006, this facility was renamed Navy Operational Support Center Tampa, concurrent with the shift in name of theU.S. Naval Reserve to theU.S. Navy Reserve and its greater integration into the Fleet and shore establishment of the Regular Navy. Under the command of an active duty full-time support (FTS) U.S. NavyCaptain with a staff of approximately 40 active duty FTS officer and enlisted personnel, NOSC Tampa provided administrative support for all of the +/- 1000 part-time Navy Reserve personnel assigned to both local independent Navy Reserve units at NOSC Tampa and to the various joint and service commands and activities at MacDill AFB,CGAS Clearwater and Marine Corps Reserve Center Tampa. In late 2021, the facility was renamed Navy Reserve Center Tampa and the FTS personnel redesignated back to their historical designation as Training and Administration of the Reserve (TAR) persopnnel.

TheJoint Communications Support Element (JCSE) is a joint command headquartered at MacDill AFB that deploys to provide en route, early entry, scalable command, control, communications and computer (C4) support to the geographicalUnified Combatant Commands, theU.S. Special Operations Command, and other military commands and U.S. Government agencies as directed. On order, JCSE provides additional C4 services within 72 hours to support larger Commander, Joint Task Force/Commander, Joint Special Operations Task Force (CJTF/CJSOTF) headquarters across the full spectrum of operations. JCSE is commanded by a U.S. ArmyColonel and consists of a Headquarters Support Squadron (HSS), a Communications Support Detachment (CSD), three active-duty joint communications squadrons: the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Joint Communications Squadrons, and the 4th Joint Communications Squadron, the 4th being aU.S. Army Reserve squadron. All are located on the JCSE compound at MacDill AFB. JCSE also includes two additional joint communications support squadrons from theAir National Guard: the 224th Joint Communications Support Squadron (224 JCSS) of theGeorgia Air National Guard in Brunswick, Georgia, and the 290th Joint Communications Support Squadron (290 JCSS) of theFlorida Air National Guard located in its own compound separate from JCSE at MacDill AFB.^[9]

As mentioned above, the 290th Joint Communications Support Squadron (290 JCSS) of theFlorida Air National Guard is another tenant unit at MacDill AFB. The 290 JCSS providesChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed globally deployable, en route, and early entry communications support to geographiccombatant commands, theUnited States Special Operations Command, individual U.S. armed services, other Department of Defense activities and combat support agencies, other U.S. Government agencies, and the State of Florida. The squadron deploys modular, scalable support to large Joint and Combined War-fighting Command and Control (C2) headquarters nodes. Under its Title 10 USC "Federal" mission, the 290 JCSS is associated with theU.S. Transportation Command's Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC) and the Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE). As a USAF organization, the 290 JCSS is operationally gained by theAir Mobility Command (AMC). Under its Title 32 USC "state" mission, the squadron reports to the Governor of Florida via the Assistant Adjutant General for Air (ATAG-Air) and The Adjutant General (TAG) of theFlorida National Guard./^[10]

The newest tenant command at MacDill AFB is the598th Range Squadron (598 RANS), anAir Combat Command (ACC) unit that was activated at the MacDill AFB Auxiliary Field atAvon Park Air Force Range, Florida on 22 September 2015. The 598 RANS replaced Detachment 1,23d Fighter Group, which had previously managed the range and additional facilities at MacDill AFB. The 598 RANS operates both the Avon Park Air Force Range (APAFR) and the23rd Wing Deployed Unit Complex (DUC) located at MacDill AFB. The DUC is a separate flight line facility on the west side of MacDill AFB for transient military flight crews, maintenance crews and fighter and attack aircraft utilizing the APAFR. This permits visiting squadrons to have ready access to APAFR while concurrently taking advantage of the more robust billeting, messing and aircraft maintenance support capabilities at MacDill AFB. This combination of facilities between MacDill AFB and the APAFR provides extensive, diversified and convenient training airspace and ranges with unique training capabilities for military air, ground and air-to-ground training. The squadron's higherheadquarters, the23d Fighter Group, is located atMoody Air Force Base, Georgia.^[11]

In September 2019, the310th Airlift squadron inactivated. The squadron had operated threeC-37A Gulfstream V and provided global special assignment airlift missions (SAAM) in support of the commanders of the unified combatant commands. As a result, with its primary mission now aerial refueling, the 6th Air Mobility Wing was re-designated as the 6th Air Refueling Wing.^[12]

The flyover and Missing man formations forSuper Bowl XXV,Super Bowl XXXV andSuper Bowl XLIII, played atRaymond James Stadium, came from KC-135 aircraft from MacDill's 6th Air Mobility Wing, with additional flyovers by aB-2 Spirit from the509th Bomb Wing andF-22 Raptor aircraft from the325th Fighter Wing. The former flyover was the first Super Bowl flyover to be telecast inhigh definition.

As the home forUSSOCOM, theunified combatant command that holds authority over the command and control of U.S.-based special operations forces,^[13] as well as the home ofSOCCENT, the geographic command responsible for executing special operations in the Central Command area of responsibility,^[14] MacDill has been used to conduct psychological operations, also referred to as Military Information Support Operations (MISO) including propaganda and information warfare.^[13][15][16] According toReuters, a facility within MacDill "remains the Pentagon’s clandestine propaganda factory."^[17]

In early 2011, several news outlets, primarily in the United Kingdom, reported thatNtrepid, a California software and hardware company, had been awarded a $2.76 million U.S. government contract to create false online personas to counter the threat of terrorism and could possibly run their operation from MacDill AFB.^[18]

In its 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Recommendations, DoD recommended to realignGrand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. It would distribute the319th Air Refueling Wing's KC-135R aircraft to the 6th Air Mobility Wing (6 AMW) at MacDill AFB, FL (four aircraft) and several other installations, increasing the number of KC-135R aircraft assigned to the 6 AMW from twelve to sixteen aircraft . Concurrent with this BRAC decision, the 6 AMW would also host a Reserve association with the Air Mobility Command-gained927th Air Refueling Wing (927 ARW) of theAir Force Reserve Command (AFRC), the latter of which would be realigned and relocated fromSelfridge ANGB, Michigan to MacDill AFB. Under the Reserve Associate arrangement, both the 6 AMW and the 927 ARW would share the same KC-135R aircraft, while the 927 ARW would turn over their KC-135R aircraft to the127th Wing (127 WG) of theMichigan Air National Guard at Selfridge ANGB. The 927 ARW began relocation from Selfridge ANGB to MacDill AFB in 2007 and formally established itself at MacDill in April 2008.^[19]

Long range USAF plans in the 2015 defense budget called for MacDill AFB to add eight additional KC-135R aircraft to its extant sixteen KC-135Rs in FY2018. The 6 AMW would also increase manning by approximately 300 personnel.^[20] These additional KC-135R aircraft would come from other Air Force,Air Force Reserve Command andAir National Guard units transitioning to theKC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft and the timeline would be contingent on those other units completing their transition and achieving operational capability with the KC-46.

Until mid-2017, MacDill AFB also hosted theAircraft Operations Center (AOC) of theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Commissioned officers of theNOAA Corps and NOAA civil servants fly "Hurricane Hunter" missions in NOAA'sWP-3D Orion andGulfstream IV aircraft, as well as other research missions in these and other assigned fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

With the anticipated increase in KC-135R aircraft, to include establishment of a second air refueling squadron, and the need for additional maintenance hangar space, the Air Force informed NOAA in 2016 that they would no longer be able to host the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center, its aircraft, and the 110 NOAA personnel in Hangar 5 and its adjacent operations building at MacDill AFB. In May 2017, NOAA began relocation to a new facility atLakeland Linder International Airport, northeast of MacDill AFB, completing same in June 2017.^[21][22]

MacDill historically hosted an annual air show and "open house" enjoyed by thousands of spectators each year. There were no shows in 2002 and 2003 due to security concerns following the attacks on the United States of11 September 2001 and the initiation of OperationIraqi Freedom in 2003.^[23] The 2006 show was also canceled due to security concerns on base,^[24] but was reinstated in 2008. It was cancelled again in 2013 due to defense budget constraints, but was reinstated again in 2014 as a biennial event. AirFest 2016 was the first-ever airshow to feature a live webcast of the performers, including the headline act of theUnited States Air Force Thunderbirds.

An aerial view of MacDill Air Force Base, as seen from a commercial aircraft arriving atTampa International Airport.

• Established as Southeast Air Base, Tampa, c. 24 May 1939
• MacDill Field, 1 December 1939 (formally dedicated, 16 Apr 1941)
• MacDill Air Force Base, 13 January 1948

• HQ,Southeast Air District (later: Third Air Force), 18 December 1940 – January 1941
• HQ,III Bomber Command, 15 December 1941 – 8 April 1946
• 3d Bombardment Wing, 3 October 1940 – 5 September 1941
• 53d Pursuit Group, 15 January – 8 May 1941 (P-40)
• 29th Bombardment Group, 21 May 1940 – 25 June 1942 (B-17/B-18 Antisubmarine Patrols)
• 21st Bombardment Group, 27 June 1942 – 10 October 1943 (B-26 OTU)
• 336th Bombardment Group, 15 July – 10 August 1942; 13 October – 6 November 1943 (B-26 RTU)
• 488th Bombardment Group, 1 November 1943 – 1 May 1944 (B-17 RTU)

Re-designated: 326th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Heavy Bombardment) 1 May 1944 – 30 June 1944

Re-designated: 326th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Separation Station)

• 89th Combat Crew Training Wing, 19 June 1944 – 8 April 1946 (Reconnaissance Training)
• 11th Photographic Group, January-5 October 1944
• 323d Combat Crew Training Wing, 22 February 1945 – 4 August 1946 (Very Heavy Bomber)

• 311th Reconnaissance Wing, 17 April 1946 – 31 May 1947
• 8th Bomber Command, 14 May – 10 November 1946
• Eighth Air Force, 7 June – 1 November 1946
• Tactical Air Command, 21 March – 26 May 1946

The 6 ARW also has a collocated Air Force Reserve "Associate" wing at MacDill, the927th Air Refueling Wing (927 ARW) of theAir Force Reserve Command (AFRC). The 6 ARW and the 927 ARW operate and share the same assigned KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft.

The 6 AMW's 3,000-person force organized into four groups, in addition to the wing commander's immediate staff.

Approximately 15,000 people work at MacDill Air Force Base, with a significant number of military personnel and their families living on base in military housing, while remaining service-members and military families live off base in the Tampa Bay area. MacDill AFB is a significant contributor to Tampa's economy and the city is very supportive of the military community. In 2001 and 2003, the Tampa Bay area was awarded theAbilene Trophy, which annually honors the most supportive Air Force city inAir Mobility Command.

The base has a large visitor lodging facility known as the MacDill Inn, aDECA commissary, anAAFES base exchange, and numerousMorale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) activities such as the Surf's Edge all ranks club, a base swimming pool, movie theater, marina, the Raccoon Creek Family Camp for recreational vehicles, the SeaScapes Beach House and the Bay Palms Golf Course.

In June 2024, Reuters reported that a secretpropaganda campaign to disparage the ChineseCOVID-19 vaccine in thedeveloping world was conducted from MacDill AFB using fake social media accounts.^[17]

In December 2021, the Air Force announced that the 6th Air Refueling Wing would re-equip with 24 of the newBoeing KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft in the coming years.^[25]

The 6 ARW consists of:

• 6th Operations Group (6 OG)
  • 91st Air Refueling Squadron (91 ARS)
    Operates theBoeing KC-135R Stratotanker, conducting worldwide aerial refueling/air mobility support.
  • 50th Air Refueling Squadron (50 ARS)
    Established as an additional air refueling squadron in the 6 AMW in October 2017. Operates the Boeing KC-135R. Stratotanker.^[26]
  • 911th Air Refueling Squadron (911 ARS)
    The 911 ARS is a geographically separated unit (GSU) of the 6 AMW, operating the KC-135R Stratotanker as an "active associate" squadron with theAir Force Reserve Command's916th Air Refueling Wing (916 ARW) atSeymour Johnson AFB, NC. The 911 ARS flies the 916 ARW's aircraft, supporting US military operations worldwide.
  • 99th Air Refueling Squadron (99 ARS)
    The 99 ARS is a GSU of the 6 AMW, operating the KC-135R Stratotanker as an "active associate" squadron with theAlabama Air National Guard's117th Air Refueling Wing (117 ARW) atBirmingham Air National Guard Base, AL. The 99 ARS flies the 117 ARW's aircraft, supporting US military operations worldwide.
  • 6th Operations Support Squadron (6 OSS)
    Provides airfield management responsibilities for MacDill AFB, to include staffing and operation of the air traffic control tower, weather forecasting services, transient alert services and other flight operations and aircrew support functions.
• 6th Maintenance Group (6 MXG)
  • 6th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
  • 6th Maintenance Squadron
  • 6th Maintenance Operations Squadron
• 6th Medical Group (6 MDG)
  • 6th Medical Operations Squadron
  • 6th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
  • 6th Dental Squadron
  • 6th Medical Support Squadron
• 6th Mission Support Group (6 MSG)
  • 6th Communications Squadron
  • 6th Civil Engineering Squadron
  • 6th Comptroller Squadron
  • 6th Contracting Squadron
  • 6th Logistics Readiness Squadron
  • 6th Force Support Squadron
  • 6th Security Forces Squadron
• 6th Air Mobility Wing Staff Agencies (e.g., Safety, Wing Plans, Legal, Chaplain, Public Affairs, Historian, etc.)^[27]

The 927 ARW is anassociate unit of the6th Air Refueling Wing of theAir Mobility Command (AMC), with both wings sharing and flying the sameBoeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft, while ground support personnel augment their active duty counterparts in the 6 AMW. The 927 ARW is part of the4th Air Force (4 AF) ofAir Force Reserve Command (AFRC). If mobilized to active duty, the wing is operationally-gained by Air Mobility Command (AMC). The 927 ARW has approximately 1,000 personnel consisting of part-time Traditional Reservists (TR) and full-timeAir Reserve Technicians (ART) andActive Guard and Reserve (AGR).

The 927 ARW is commanded by Colonel Douglas Stouffer^[28] and the wing'sCommand Chief Master Sergeant is CMSgt Michael Klausutis.^[29]

The 927 ARW consists of:

• 927th Operations Group (927 OG)
  • 45th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
  • 63d Air Refueling Squadron (63 ARS)
    Operates theBoeing KC-135R Stratotanker. The KC-135R is a long-range aerial refueling (e.g., tanker) aircraft capable of refueling a variety of other aircraft in mid-air, anywhere in the world and under any weather conditions.
  • 927th Operations Support Squadron (927 OSS)
    Augments the 6 OSS in airfield management responsibilities for MacDill AFB, to include staffing and operation of the air traffic control tower, weather forecasting services, transient alert services and other flight operations and aircrew support.
• 927th Maintenance Group (927 MXG)
  • 927th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
  • 927th Maintenance Squadron
• 927th Mission Support Group (927 MSG)
  • 927th Logistics Readiness Squadron
  • 927th Force Support Squadron
  • 927th Security Forces Squadron
• 927th Air Refueling Squadrons not assigned to a group
  • 927th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
  • 927th Aeromedical Staging Squadron
• 927th Air Refueling Wing Staff Agencies (e.g., Safety, Wing Plans, Comptroller, Legal, Chaplain, Public Affairs, Historian, etc.)

MacDill has 28 "mission partners" (tenant units) according to the official MacDill AFB website.^[30] Among these are:

• Headquarters,United States Central Command (USCENTCOM)
• Headquarters,United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)
• Headquarters,United States Marine Forces Central Command (MARCENT)
• Headquarters, United StatesSpecial Operations Command Central (SOCCENT)
• Navy Operational Support Center Tampa (NOSC Tampa)
  • subordinate unit of theUnited States Navy Reserve (USNR)
• Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE)
  • subordinate unit of theJoint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC)
• 598th Range Squadron (598 RANS)^[31] of the23d Wing of theAir Combat Command (ACC)
  • Geographically separated unit (GSU) of the23d Fighter Group (23 FG),23d Wing (23 WG), atMoody AFB, Georgia
• 290th Joint Communications Support Squadron (290 JCSS)
  • subordinate unit of theFlorida Air National Guard (FL ANG)^[32]
• Joint Special Operations University (JSOU)
• Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC) Satellite Campus
  • Geographically separated field activity of JFSC at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Virginia
• a division of theNational Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
• Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL), a government-owned/contractor operated (GOCO) field activity of the Air Force Primary Standards Laboratory^[33] under theAir Force Metrology and Calibration Program Office (AFMETCAL)
• Florida Area Office and the MacDill AFB Resident Office of theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers^[34]

Previously designated as Detachment 1 of the23rd Wing (23 WG) until August 2014^[31] and Det 1 of the23d Fighter Group (23 FG) until August 2015,^[35] the598 RANS is unique among MacDill AFB's tenant units in that it operates both (1) the Deployed Unit Complex (DUC) at MacDill AFB, providing a separate flight line facility and support infrastructure for detachments ofUSAF,U.S. Navy,U.S. Marine Corps (to includeReserve andAir National Guard) andNATO/Allied fighter, attack and special operations aircraft utilizing the nearbyAvon Park Air Force Range (APAFR) facility, and (2) operates and maintains the entire 20,000 square mile APAFR facility approximately 65 miles east of MacDill AFB. AnAir Combat Command (ACC) organization, the 598 RANS reports to the Commander, 23d Fighter Group, atMoody Air Force Base, Georgia.

MacDill AFB also supports other Active Component and Reserve Component military activities and personnel of theU.S. Army,U.S. Navy,U.S. Marine Corps,U.S. Air Force andU.S. Coast Guard in the West Central Florida/Tampa Bay Region, as well as the large military retiree community in the Tampa Bay area and surrounding environs.\

Flying and notable non-flying units based at MacDill Air Force Base.^{[36][37][38][39][40]}

Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at MacDill, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

• On May 24, 2012, aCanadair CC-144A Challenger 600 (144601) of theRCAF hit a largeturkey vulture on approach to MacDill. The plane landed safely with no fatalities. Temporary repairs were made to the radome and forward bulkhead before it was ferried back to Canada on July 10. The plane has since been fully repaired.^[41]

• Florida World War II Army Airfields
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Wikimedia Commons has media related toMacDill Air Force Base.

• Official website
• 6th Force Support Squadron – base welfare, recreation and support services
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective October 30, 2025
• FAA Terminal Procedures for MCF, effective October 30, 2025

• Resources for this U.S. military airport:
  • FAAairport information for MCF
  • AirNavairport information for KMCF
  • ASNaccident history for MCF
  • NOAA/NWSlatest weather observations
  • SkyVectoraeronautical chart for KMCF

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