| Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms | |||||||
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| NearTwentynine Palms,California in theUnited States | |||||||
.jpg) Aerial image of the main camp | |||||||
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| Site information | |||||||
| Type | Training center | ||||||
| Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||
| Operator | US Marine Corps | ||||||
| Controlled by | Marine Corps Training and Education Command | ||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||
| Website | 29palms.marines.mil | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
  MCAGCC Twentynine Palms Location in the United States | |||||||
| Coordinates | 34°13′54″N116°03′42″W / 34.23167°N 116.06167°W /34.23167; -116.06167 | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1952 (1952) | ||||||
| In use | 1952 – present | ||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||
| Current commander | Brigadier GeneralMark H. Clingan | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: NXP,ICAO: KNXP,FAA LID: NXP,WMO: 690150 | ||||||
| Elevation | 625.1 metres (2,051 ft)AMSL | ||||||
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| Airfield name | Strategic Expeditionary Landing Field (SELF) | ||||||
| Source:Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||||||
TheMarine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), also known as29 Palms, is the largestUnited States Marine Corps base. The base covers a total area of 1,102 square miles.
It was acensus-designated place (CDP) officially known asTwentynine Palms Base located adjacent to the city ofTwentynine Palms in southernSan Bernardino County, California. As of the 2000 census, the base had a total population of 8,413. The Zip Code of the base is 92278; the base housing's Zip Code is 92277. The CDP was discontinued prior to the 2010 census.
From 1942 through July 1944, duringWorld War II, theairfield at Twentynine Palms was utilized by theU.S. Army Air Force for primary flight training. What is now the "Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center" was taken over by theEleventh Naval District, headquartered inSan Diego, asNaval Auxiliary Air Station Twentynine Palms, in July 1944.[2][3] After the war, its future was uncertain. Then, on August 20, 1952,Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Headquarters issued Post Order 343 creating theMarine Corps Training Center, Twentynine Palms.
During theKorean War, it became obvious that more live-fire training ranges were needed. Pendleton's Marines looked to the abandonedCondor Field, a World War II Army and Navyglider base located in the vicinity of what is now mainside. The base was designated on February 6, 1953, as Marine Corps Training Center, Twentynine Palms. By February 1, 1957, it grew to base status and was designated asMarine Corps Base, Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Only 70 Marines comprised the detachment at the center. Manned by Marines from Camp Pendleton, its primary mission was to prepare the new base for the arrival of permanent personnel. By mid-December, 1952, a fresh3rd Marine Division, with assistance from the12th Marine Regiment, conducted the first large-scale, live-fire field exercise aboard the base. The exercise gave Marines a glimpse of the facility's potential and foreshadowed the large-scalecombined arms exercises for which the base is known.
In 1976, under the command of Brigadier General Ernest R. Reid Jr., work began to add anexpeditionary airfield to the base's growing infrastructure. Following completion of the expeditionary airfield, its name was changed toMarine Corps Air Ground Combat Training Center on October 1, 1978, and changed yet once more toMarine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) on February 16, 1979. It was also during this time that plans for thecombined arms exercises were conceived. Supplanting an earlier exercise known as Desert Palm Tree, the new combined arms exercises were remarkable in two respects: the practice of combined arms, and live-fire and movement during the exercises were unprecedented in scale. Just as noteworthy was the creation of a Tactical Exercise Control Center with the primary purpose of controlling, instructing and critiquing the exercises. In the words of base historian, Colonel Verle E. Ludwig, "Twentynine Palms was to be a permanent 'combined-arms exercise college' for all of the Marine Corps."
On October 1, 2000, after 21 years as MCAGCC, the command was designated asMarine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Twentynine Palms, California. This designation accompanied a change in policy that placedMAGTF Training Command under the auspices of Training and Education Command,Headquarters Marine Corps,MCCDC,Marine Corps Base Quantico,Virginia. The expeditionary airfield and surroundingspartan accommodations for visiting units was named "Camp Wilson".[4]
The base is currently home to one of the largest military training areas in the nation. The program known as Mojave Viper[5] has become the model of pre-Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment training. The majority of units in the Marine Corps deploying toIraq were trained at Mojave Viper or a mixed training venue using theMountain Warfare Training Center (south ofLake Tahoe) forAfghanistan. Live fire exercises, artillery, tank, andclose air support training are used for training, in addition to the sprawling "Combat Town," a 274-acre (1,110,000 m2) fabricated Middle Eastern village, complete with amosque, native role-players, an "IED Alley," and other immersive touches.
In August 2008, the Marine Corps submitted a land withdrawal application to theBureau of Land Management for approximately 422,000 acres (1,710 km2) contiguous to base as part of an ongoing study by the Marine Corps for possible base expansion, along with the establishment of corresponding special-use airspace, necessary to train aMarine expeditionary brigade at the Combat Center.[6]
Twentynine Palms Base is located within theMorongo Basin and theHigh Desert region of theMojave Desert inSouthern California.[7] MCAGCC Twentynine Palms is approximately 98 miles from theMarine Corps Logistics Base Barstow,Barstow, California.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2). This area is all land with none covered by water. This area covers only the main cantonment, which includes the base housing; the entire installation is far larger, with 931.7 sq mi (2,413 km2) of surface area, all land. There was a resident population of 14,090 on this territory as of the2000 census.
The terrain is consistent, with steeply sloped mountains and flat valleys running northwest–southeast, with elevations ranging from 1,800 to 4,500 feet (1,400 m) abovesea level. The training area is also characterized with ancientlava flows, as well asdry lake beds andarroyos (orwadis) that fill quickly during rain, presenting the danger of powerful floods andwashouts that can movearmored vehicles. Manyabandoned mines dot the terrain, as well asunexploded ordnance andshrapnel, making unauthorized travel in the training areas dangerous.
The climate is described best asarid anduplanddesert. Summer temperatures can peak at 120 °F and bottom at 15 °F in the winter, with an annual average of 67 °F. Precipitation averages four inches (100 mm) annually, most often in the fall and winter months. Weather is generally clear and sunny with low humidity.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5,647 | — | |
| 1980 | 7,079 | 25.4% | |
| 1990 | 10,606 | 49.8% | |
| 2000 | 8,413 | −20.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1970[9] 1980[10] 1990[11]2000[12] 2010[13] | |||
The residential portion of the base was listed ascensus designated place under the nameTwentynine Palms Base in the1970 U.S. census.[9] The CDP was annexed to the city ofTwentynine Palms prior to the2010 U.S. census.[13]
As of thecensus[14] of 2000, there were 8,413 people, 912 households, and 904 families residing on the base. Thepopulation density was 2,287.5 people/km2 (5,925 people/sq mi). There were 1,006 housing units at an average density of 273.5 units/km2 (708 units/sq mi). The racial makeup of the base was 70.3%White, 10.4%African American, 1.4%Native American, 3.1%Asian, 0.3%Pacific Islander, 9.5% fromother races, and 5.1% from two or more races. 19.6% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 912 households, out of which 73.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 94.5% weremarried couples living together, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 0.8% were non-families. 0.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and <0.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.4 and the average family size was 3.4.
The age distribution of the base is: 15.4% under the age of 18, 67.0% from 18 to 24, 16.8% from 25 to 44, 0.7% from 45 to 64, and <0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females, there were 404.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 596.3 males. These statistics were consistent with the area's military status.
The median income for a household on the base was $29,500, and the median income for a family was $29,594. Males had a median income of $14,111 versus $17,014 for females. Theper capita income for the base was $12,615. 12.1% of the population and 11.9% of families were below thepoverty line. Out of the total population, 14.0% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Twentynine Palms Base is in theCalifornia's 23rd congressional district, represented byRepublican Jay Obernolte.[15]
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