| Joint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos | |||||||||
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JFTB | |||||||||
| Los Alamitos, California, in United States | |||||||||
 An aerial view of JFTB Los Alamitos during 2015 | |||||||||
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| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | Joint forces training base | ||||||||
| Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||
| Operator | US Army | ||||||||
| Controlled by | California National Guard | ||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
| Website | Official website | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
  Los Alamitos Location in the United States | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 33°47′24″N118°03′05″W / 33.79000°N 118.05139°W /33.79000; -118.05139 | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1942 (1942) (as NAS Los Alamitos) | ||||||||
| In use | 1942 – 1973 (US Navy) 1973 – present (US Army) | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Current commander | Lieutenant Colonel Manju Vig | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | ICAO: KSLI,FAA LID: SLI | ||||||||
| Elevation | 10.8 metres (35 ft)AMSL | ||||||||
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| Other facilities | AndersonDrop Zone | ||||||||
| Sources:Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||||||||
Joint Forces Training Base – Los Alamitos is ajoint base inLos Alamitos, California, United States. Formerly operated as anaval air station, the base contains theLos Alamitos Army Airfield and is sometimes called by that name. The base is also known asJFTB – Los Al or justJFTB. The base covers 1,319 acres and "supports 850 full-time employees and more than 6,000National Guard andReserve troops."[2]
JFTB has anMWR with billeting, apub, and abanquet hall.[3] Fiddler's Green is the last remaining military pub in Orange County.[4]
JFTB has significant training facilities, including anEngagement Skills Trainer, a Virtual Convoy Operations Trainer, aHMMWV Egress Assistance Trainer, a Laser Marksmanship Training System, and a Close Combat Tactical Trainer.[5]
The airfield has tworunways:
The airfield is home to Company A,1st Battalion (Assault), 140th Aviation Regiment.
The JFTB Aquatics Training Center is anOlympic-size swimming pool 50 m by 25 m, which offers year-round lap swimming, swim lessons, and fitness classes. Thewomen's national water polo team regularly practices at the facility.[6]
In 1942, the current JFTB was established asNaval Air Reserve Base Los Alamitos, providing advanced training for U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corpsfighter pilot in addition to hosting units from nearby Naval Air Station Terminal Island/Reeves Field in San Pedro.[7] The following year, it was renamedNaval Air Station Los Alamitos and began supporting fleet carrier air groups. In the post-World War II war period, its focus changed to support of Naval Air Reserve units following the release from active duty of manyNaval Aviators, enlisted Naval Aircrewmen, and support personnel and their subsequent affiliation in the Naval Reserve. The air station continued this mission through the early years of theCold War into theKorean War and theVietnam War.
On 16 July 1957, then-MajorJohn H. Glenn Jr.,USMC, set atranscontinental air speed record, flying aF8U-1P Crusader from NAS Los Alamitos toNAS Floyd Bennett Field, New York, in 3 hours, 23 minutes, and 8.4 seconds. Project Bullet, as the mission was called, provided both the first transcontinental flight to average supersonic speed, and the first continuous transcontinentalpanoramic photograph of the United States. Glenn was awarded his fifthDistinguished Flying Cross for the mission.[8]
Prior to 1970, all Naval Air Reserve aircraft belonged to the local Naval Air Reserve Training Unit (NARTU), in this case NARTU Los Alamitos, or to those naval air stations under Naval Air Reserve control. Except for those squadrons recalled to active duty, as was the case during the Korean War, no Naval Reserve aviation squadrons "owned" their aircraft, as the aircraft were assigned to the NARTU or naval air station. From the end of World War II until 1956, aircraft assigned to NARTU Los Alamitos carried to the tail code "L" on their vertical stabilizer or empennage. This tail code was changed to "7L" in 1956 and continued until 1970. In 1970, during the reorganization of the Naval Air Reserve into the "Reserve Force" concept, each new squadron was made independent of the NARTU and assigned to either a concurrently established Reserve carrier air wing or a shore-based air wing, paralleling its active duty Navy counterparts. Following this reorganization, most Naval Air Reserve units at NAS Los Alamitos relocated to active duty fleet naval air stations in California, most operating the same type of aircraft such asNAS Miramar,NAS North Island,NAS Point Mugu,NAS Lemoore, andNAS Alameda.[9]
In 1972, severalCalifornia Army National Guard andU.S. Army Reserve aviation assets transferred to NAS Los Alamitos, resulting in yet another name change toNaval Air Station Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center. This was followed in 1973 by the California Army National Guard taking operational control of the airfield from the U.S. Navy and naming the installationLos Alamitos Army Airfield. The remainder of the base came under California Army National Guard control in 1977 and the current name ofJoint Forces Training Base - Los Alamitos (JFTB), was adapted in 2000 to reflect its multiple uses by the California Army National Guard,California Air National Guard, the U.S. Army Reserve, and other federal reserve component units.[8]
The senior command on post is the40th Infantry Division (Mechanized), headquartered in the large, prominent building facing the flagpole and main entrance artery.
The base served as the starting line for the14th season of the hit CBS reality TV showThe Amazing Race.[10] The base's status as an alternative landing area for Air Force One was mentioned in an episode ofThe West Wing.
The base leases the airfield to the City of Los Alamitos's for the annualSouthland Credit Union Los Alamitos "Race on the Base", a charity event including a 5K Run, 5K Walk, 10K Run, 10K Skate/ Handcycle / Wheelchair, Mission: 1K Kids Run, Jr. Reverse Triathlon and Reverse Triathlon. This is the largest reverse triathlon event in the country.[11]
On the south edge of Runway 22L is the Navy Golf Course, whereTiger Woods honed his game as a youth.[12][13][14] The 18-hole Destroyer Course opened in 1966 and an executive nine holes was later added. The former military-only facility opened for public play in 2004.
In 2014,President Barack Obama landed at Los Alamitos Army Airfield inAir Force One in order to give thecommencement speech atUC Irvine.[8]
In April 2015,Brig Gen Nathaniel S. Reddicks became the first installation commander from theCalifornia Air National Guard.[15] After this command, Reddicks retired from federal service and joined theCalifornia State Military Reserve, "making him the first federallyrecognized general officer to join the CSMR since the Korean War."[2]
In October 2016, Brig. Gen. John W. Lathrop took command of the base.[2]
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