| Andersen Air Force Base | |||||||||
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| Yigo in Guam | |||||||||
 AB-1B Lancer assigned to the9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron lands at Andersen AFB, 2007. | |||||||||
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| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | US Air Force Base | ||||||||
| Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||
| Operator | US Air Force | ||||||||
| Controlled by | |||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
  Andersen AFB Location in Guam | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 13°34′34″N144°55′28″E / 13.57611°N 144.92444°E /13.57611; 144.92444 | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1944 (1944) (as North Field) | ||||||||
| In use | 1944 – present | ||||||||
| Battles/wars | |||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Current commander | Brigadier General Thomas B. Palenske[1] | ||||||||
| Garrison | 36th Wing (Host) | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: UAM,ICAO: PGUA,FAA LID: UAM,WMO: 912180 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 188.3 metres (618 ft)AMSL | ||||||||
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| Source:FAA,[2] official site[3] | |||||||||
Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) (IATA:UAM,ICAO:PGUA,FAALID:UAM) is aUnited States Air Force base located primarily within thevillage ofYigo in theUnited States territory ofGuam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to thePacific Air ForcesEleventh Air Force. As a non-flying wing, the 36 WG's mission is to provide support to deployed air and space forces of USAF, foreign air forces to Andersen, and tenant units assigned to the base.[4]
Andersen AFB was placed under the installation management authority ofJoint Region Marianas in October 2009, along withNaval Base Guam.[4] The two bases are about 30 miles (48 km) apart at opposite ends of the island.[4] Established in 1944 after theLiberation of Guam asNorth Field, it is named forBrigadier GeneralJames Roy Andersen (1904–1945).[5][6]
The most important U.S. air base west of Hawaii, Andersen is one of the four Air Force Bomber Forward Operating Locations and the only base in the Western Pacific that can permanently service U.S. heavy strategic bombers,[7] includingB-1B,B-2, andB-52 bombers.[8] Andersen is one of two critical bases in the Asia-Pacific region, the other beingDiego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Due to Guam's almost unrestricted airspace and the close proximity of theFarallon de Medinilla Island, a naval bombing range 184 miles (296 km) north, the base is in an ideal training location.
Andersen Air Force Base was established on 3 December 1944, and is named for Brigadier GeneralJames Roy Andersen (1904–1945). Andersen graduated from theUnited States Military Academy in 1926, served at various army installations, and obtained his wings atKelly Field, Texas, in 1936. During 1943–1944 he served on the War Department General Staff. In January 1945, Andersen was assigned to HQ AAF, Pacific Ocean Area. He died on 26 February 1945 in the crash of aB-24 Liberator aircraft betweenKwajalein andJohnston Island while en route toHawaii.
Andersen Air Force Base's origin begins on 7 December 1941 when Guam was attacked by the armed forces ofImperial Japan in theBattle of Guam (1941) three hours after theAttack on Pearl Harbor. The United States Navy surrendered Guam to the Japanese on 10 December. At the height of the war, approximately 19,000Japanese soldiers and sailors were deployed to the island. Guam was liberated by theUnited States Marine Corps' 3rd Amphibious Corps on 21 July 1944, in theBattle of Guam (1944), after a 13-day pre-invasion bombardment.
The Japanese managed to contain the Marines on two beachheads, but their counter-attack failed. The Marines renewed their assault, and reached the northern tip of the island on 10 August 1944. Japanese guerrilla activities continued until the end of the war. Somewere holdouts for many years afterwards.
Guam was considered ideal to establish air bases to launchB-29 Superfortress operations against theJapanese Home Islands. TheMarianas Islands are about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) from Tokyo, a range which the B-29s could just about manage. Most important of all, it could be put on a direct supply line from the United States by ship. "North Field," as Andersen AFB was first named, was the first air base built in Guam after its liberation. Its construction began in November 1944 and was supported by theUnited States NavySeabees. North Field and its co-locatedNorthwest Field was a massive installation, with four main runways, taxiways,revetments for over 200 B-29s, and a large containment area for base operations and personnel.
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The first host unit at North Field was the314th Bombardment Wing,XXI Bomber Command,Twentieth Air Force. The 314th arrived in Guam on 16 January 1945 from Peterson Field, Colorado. The 314th controlled four operational B-29 bomb groups, the19th (Square M),29th (Square O),39th (Square P), and330th (Square K).
B-29 Superfortress missions from North Field were attacks against strategic targets in Japan, operating in daylight and at a high altitude to bomb factories, refineries, and other objectives. In March 1945, the XXI Bomber Command changed tactics and started carrying out low-level night incendiary raids on area targets. During the Allied assault onOkinawa, groups of the 314th Bomb Wing attacked airfields from which the Japanese were sending outsuicide planes against the invasion force.
Flying out of Guam aboard a B-29,S/Sgt Henry E Erwin of the 29th Bombardment Group was awarded theMedal of Honor for actions during a mission overKoriyama, Japan, on 12 April 1945. When a phosphorus smoke bomb exploded in the launching chute and shot back into the plane, Sgt Erwin picked up the burning bomb, carried it to a window, and threw it out, saving the plane and all aboard her.
After the war, B-29s from North Field dropped food and supplies to Allied prisoners and participated in several show-of-force missions over Japan. The 29th, 39th and 330th Bombardment Groups returned to the United States and inactivated in December 1945. The 19th remained in Guam to become the station's host unit after the 314th Bombardment Wing moved toJohnson Air Base, Japan for occupation duty.
After the end ofWorld War II,Guam served as a collection point for surplus war goods that had accumulated in thePacific Theater.
The19th Bombardment Wing (BW) was formed at North AFB in 1948 from the resources of the former North Guam Air Force Base Command (Provisional). The 19th BW operatedAndersen AFB and continued utilizing B-29s. In May 1949, the headquarters of the Twentieth Air Force moved from Guam toKadena Air Base, Okinawa. Its former staff was assigned to the 19th BW.
At Andersen, the wing assumed responsibility for supervising two active bases and one semi-active base, an assortment of communication, weather, radar, rescue and other facilities and units, including the Marianas Air Material Area, a wing size unit.[9] Many of the units and facilities were closed or inactivated within a few months.
In October 1949, the 19th Wing was transferred to the 20th Air Force's command. The remaining units in the Marianas and Bonin Islands were shifted to other organizations. From 17 October 1949 until 28 June 1950, the wing continued B-29 training, operation of Andersen Air Force Base, and rescue and reconnaissance missions.
Three days afterNorth Korea invadedSouth Korea in 1950, the 19th Bomb Group deployed B-29s to Andersen to begin bombing targets throughout South Korea. A few days later, the group was detached from the 19th BW and deployed to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. The rest of the wing remained at Andersen, providing maintenance for transient aircraft and operating ammunition dumps until 1953.
In 1951, theStrategic Air Command (SAC) selected several overseas bases to support rotational unit deployments of its bombers from stateside bases, starting with B-29 units and later includingB-36 Peacemaker,B-47 Stratojet,B-50 Superfortress bombers andKB-29 refueling tankers.
With decreased hostility inKorea, the 19th BW headquarters was relocated to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa in 1953 and was replaced by the 6319th Air Base Wing of theFar East Air Forces (FEAF). FEAF Bomber Command's 19th Bomb Wing and SAC's 98th and 307th Bomb Wings were inactivated in 1954. Its three B-29 wings returned to the contiguous United States and were replaced with B-47s.
The 3rd Air Division was activated on 18 June in its place. Its objective was to control all SAC units in the Far East. The division operated as a tenant unit from June 1954 until April 1955 and received host-base support services from the 6319th until that unit was inactivated on 1 April 1955. The 6319th was replaced with the SAC-aligned 3960th Air Base Wing.
SAC continued its 90-day unit rotational training program and began to take control of the base from the FEAF. After the 1 April 1955 base transfer and activation of the 3960th Air Base Wing, B-47s replaced the B-36s in the rotations. The 43rd Bomb Wing fromDavis-Monthan Air Force Base,Arizona, operated from July to October 1957, which eventually became Andersen's host unit. The 3960th Air Base Wing was redesignated on 1 July 1956 as the 3960th Air Base Group.
The41st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of thePacific Air Forces, along with itsF-86s, was stationed at Andersen from August 1956 until it was inactivated in March 1960. After that, the air defense mission was provided by deployments ofFifth andThirteenth Air Force units flying theF-102 aircraft.[10]
Andersen's rotational duties concluded when the B-47 was phased out and replaced by theB-52 Stratofortress.[11] The first B-52, the "City of El Paso," arrived from the 95th Bomb Wing atBiggs Air Force Base, Texas in March 1964. It was followed byKC-135 Stratotankers.
With the start ofOperation Arc Light in June 1965, B-52Fs and KC-135As began regular bombing missions overVietnam and continued until 1973, with a break between August 1970 and early 1972.
In support of Operation Arc Light, SAC activated the4133rd Bombardment Wing (Provisional) on 1 February 1966. The3960th Strategic Wing, which was originally activated in 1955 as the 3960th Air Base Wing, continued as the base's host wing until it was inactivated and replaced by the43rd Strategic Wing on 1 April 1970. The 43rd assumed the mission of the 4133rd on 1 July 1970.[12]
It continued in this capacity until the 57th Air Division (Provisional) and 72nd Strategic Wing (Provisional) were activated in June 1972 in support ofOperation Bullet Shot[12] (military operation name fortemporary duty assignment of US-basedtechnicians — "the herd shot 'round the world."[13]). The 303rd Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Wing (Provisional) was activated in July 1972. All of the provisional units remained at Andersen until bombing missions ceased on 15 November 1973.
Operation Linebacker II continued the mission of Operation Arc Light, and was most notable for its 11-day bombing campaign between 18 and 29 December 1972, in which more than 150 B-52s flew 729sorties in 11 days. The B-52s at Andersen, combined with other bombers stationed atU-Tapao Field in Thailand, constituted about 50 percent of SAC's total bomber force and 75 percent of all combat crews. Two bases contained the equivalent of 13 stateside bomber wings.
A ceasefire came into effect in Vietnam on 27 January 1973. The B-52s continued to fly missions overCambodia andLaos until those were halted on 15 August 1973. With the end of these runs, more than 100 B-52s, both D and G Models, were deployed elsewhere in the world by October 1973. TheEighth Air Force moved toBarksdale Air Force Base,Louisiana, and the 3rd Air Division was reactivated on 1 January 1975.
When the North Vietnamese forces overran South Vietnam later in 1975, the base provided emergency relief and shelter for thousands ofVietnamese evacuees as a part ofOperation New Life. After theFall of Saigon, Andersen received almost 40,000 refugees and processed another 109,000 for transportation to the United States.[14]
The base returned to routine operations by the late 1970s, but continued to serve as one of SAC's strategic locations. Crews and aircraft were regularly sent to sites between Australia,Alaska and South Korea and supported sea surveillance operations support for the U.S. Navy.
Andersen was also home to the54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron "Typhoon Chasers" during the 1960s through the 1980s. Air crews flyingWC-130s tracked and penetrated typhoons, providing advanced warnings to military and civilian populations throughout the western Pacific. During the Vietnam War, the 54th also providedcloud seeding capability along theHo Chi Minh Trail and synoptic reconnaissance, deploying fromUdorn RTAFB when not in Guam. The 54th WRS was inactivated in September 1987.
In 1983, the 43rd completed its transition from theB-52D to theB-52G and became one of only two SAC bomber wings equipped with theHarpoon anti-ship missile.
The base saw a major change in 1989, when control transferred from SAC toPacific Air Forces. The 633rd Air Base Wing activated on 1 October 1989, which led to the inactivations of the 43rd Bombardment Wing on 26 March 1990 and the 60th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 30 April 1990.
In August 1990, Andersen personnel began shipping over 37,000 tons of munitions to forces in thePersian Gulf in support ofOperations Desert Shield andDesert Storm.[15]
With the eruption ofMount Pinatubo in June 1991, Andersen was instrumental in caring for American evacuees and their pets as a part ofOperation Fiery Vigil. In December, Andersen became home to the Thirteenth Air Force, which had evacuated fromClark Air Base in thePhilippines after the eruption.
The host unit was changed on 1 October 1994, when the 633rd Air Base Wing was inactivated. The 36th Air Base Wing took over host operations and was redesignated as the36th Wing on 12 April 2006. In October 1994, the U.S. Navy's Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Five (HC-5) relocated to Andersen from the now-closedNaval Air Station Agana, Guam. HC-5 was later redesignated as Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Twenty-Five (HSC-25) following its transition from theCH-46 to theMH-60S.
The base was one of thefew places in the world where theNASASpace Shuttle was permitted to land, serving as an Augmented Emergency Landing Site for the Shuttle orbiter.[16]
In 2007, the condition of the 50-year-old South Runway was found to have deteriorated, and complete removal and replacement of the runway was necessary to maintain safety. It was replaced via a 50 million-dollar Design-Build project from theAir Force Civil Engineer Support Agency to the Tutor-Perini Corporation and its local subsidiary, Black Construction Company.[7] The project's scope included demolition and reconstruction of the existing runway, which was 11,185 feet by 200 feet, as well as repairs and tie-ins to existing taxiway intersections, removal and replacement of degraded airfield lighting, realigning arresting gear and reconstruction.
On 23 February 2008, a USAFB-2 Spirit stealth bomber, one of the most expensive military aircraft in the world (valued at $1.4 billion),crashed on the base moments after takeoff, due to a mechanical failure. Both pilots ejected safely. This was the first time a B-2 had crashed.[17]
On 21 July 2008, a B-52crashed into the sea while on a training mission that was to fly over a parade in Guam commemorating the U.S. liberation of the island from Japanese occupation in 1944.
B-2s and B-52 aircraft from the13th Bomb Squadron and393d Bomb Squadron have taken turns in order to provide a continuous bomber presence at the base. One four-month deployment involving four B-2s began in March 2009.[18]
In March 2009, the base announced that it would investigate allegations made by a whistleblower of environmental violations within theprotected area of the base. The allegations included poaching, illegal trapping of coconut crabs and resale of trophy deer, paving beaches, and stripping vegetation used for nesting by endangered hawksbill turtles and green sea turtles.Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) said, "The Air Force program for protecting Guam's natural resources has utterly broken down."[19] The Department of Defense Inspector General (DOD IG) determined that the Air Force responses to the PEER allegations adequately addressed the issues raised. Consequently, DoD IG determined further investigation was not warranted.
The strategic importance of Andersen AFB was brought to the forefront on Tuesday, 12 February 2013 when the base was circled by two RussianTupolev Tu-95 Bear-H bombers hours prior toPresident Obama'sState of the Union Address. Their flight was monitored by USF-15 fighter jets. The Russian bombers later left the area in a northbound direction.[20]
As tensions escalated between the U.S. and the North Korean regime, the latter threatened to strike the island.[21] A total of 816,393 munitions assets valued at over $95 million were delivered to Andersen Air Force Base between 21 August and 30 September 2017.[22]
In early 2019, the main operational and flying units on the base included the 36th Wing (PACAF), elements of the624th Regional Support Group,[23] the 734th Air Mobility Support Squadron (Air Mobility Command),[24] Detachment 1,69th Reconnaissance Group, flying theNorthrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk,[25] and the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two-Five (HSC-25), U.S. Navy, flying theSikorsky MH-60S.
In April 2020, sixteen years of continuous bomber presence (CBP) at Andersen ended when the USAF announced it was no longer permanently basing strategic bombers outside the continental United States. Since 2004,B-1B Lancer, B-2A Spirit and B-52G Stratofortress aircraft deployed to Guam on a rotational basis. Despite the move, bombers are expected to continue to deploy on an ad hoc basis.[26]
As part of the establishment ofMarine Corps Base Camp Blaz, additional facilities are being constructed on Andersen to house Marines to be stationed there. In addition, the North Ramp on Andersen is being converted for Marine Corps air operations and the abandoned housing facility Andersen South (south of the base proper) is being converted to an urban training compound.[27]
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TheU.S. Census Bureau puts it into its owncensus-designated place in Guam.[29]
Flying and notable non-flying units based at Andersen Air Force Base.[30][31][32]
Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Andersen, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF)
Air Combat Command (ACC)
| Air Mobility Command (AMC)
Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC)
Air National Guard (ANG)
United States Navy[edit]Commander, Naval Air Forces (COMNAVAIRFOR) United States Space Force[edit]Space Operations Command (SpOC)
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Andersen Air Force Base is home to Andersen Elementary School andAndersen Middle School, both operated by theDepartment of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). High school students in the DoDEA system attendGuam High School inAgana Heights, Guam. From the base, there is only school bus service to the high school.[33]
Higher educational opportunities are available for those in the military, Department of Defense employees, and family members at Andersen through contracted academic institutions such as The Asian Division ofUniversity of Maryland University College (UMUC)[34] and The Pacific Far East Division ofCentral Texas College.[35]
Andersen Middle School caters to a population of 6th to 8th graders fromAmerican military families. The school is within theDepartment of Defense Education Activity school system and the subsystem DDESS Guam. It has a 5-year accreditation obtained from theNorth Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In September 1997, DoDEA opened its own schools for children of military personnel.[36]
Andersen Middle School's sports include volleyball, cross country, softball, soccer, and basketball.
Andersen Middle School was founded in 1997 and was scattered across Andersen Air Force Base. Classes for the original school were held in former Air Force dormitories. Many rooms had walls knocked out in order to accommodate class sizes. The original library for the elementary school was shared with the base library for its first year. As of 2012, it is now permanently located in an air conditioned building.
Andersen Middle School adopted theblock scheduling system. The required core classes arephysical education,mathematics,science,social studies,ELA,Spanish, andlanguage arts. The elective classes includeband,study skills,video production,culture,various art classes anddrama. The school offers both aspecial education program and opportunities to take high school courses, such asalgebra andgeometry.
.... Participated in Operation Bulletshot (known affectionately as the herd shot 'round the world). We were given a 48-hour notification to launch the first aircraft from Dyess, bombers going to Guam and tankers to Okinawa.... We left on 89-day TDY orders and came back to Dyess for 30 days, then cycled back over, repeatedly till the end of the war. It was done that way for budgetary issues....
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency This article incorporatespublic domain material fromAndersen Air Force Base.United States Air Force.
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