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| Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst | |||||||||
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| NearWrightstown andLakehurst,New Jersey in theUnited States | |||||||||
 AC-17A Globemaster III from the305th Air Mobility Wing performs touch and go landings while another C-17A prepares for take-off at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. | |||||||||
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| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | US military Joint Base | ||||||||
| Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||
| Operator | US Air Force | ||||||||
| Controlled by | Air Mobility Command (AMC) | ||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
  JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst  JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst  JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°00′56″N074°35′30″W / 40.01556°N 74.59167°W /40.01556; -74.59167 (Air Base) 40°01′09″N74°31′22″W / 40.01917°N 74.52278°W /40.01917; -74.52278 (Army Base) 40°02′00″N074°21′13″W / 40.03333°N 74.35361°W /40.03333; -74.35361 (Naval Station) | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1916 (asCamp Kendrick) 1917 (asCamp Dix) 1937 (asFort Dix Airport) | ||||||||
| In use | 2009 (2009) – present (as Joint Base) | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Current commander | Colonel Anthony L. Smith (USAF) | ||||||||
| Garrison |
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| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: WRI,ICAO: KWRI,FAA LID: WRI,WMO: 724096 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 42.9 metres (141 ft)AMSL | ||||||||
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| Other Facilities | SeeLakehurst Maxfield Field for its airfield data. | ||||||||
| Source:Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||||||||
Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL) is a United States military facility located 18 miles (29 km) southeast ofTrenton, New Jersey. The base is the only tri-service base in theUnited States Department of Defense and includes units from all six armed forces branches.
The facility is an amalgamation of theUnited States Air Force'sMcGuire Air Force Base, theUnited States Army'sFort Dix and theUnited States Navy'sNaval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst, which were merged on 1 October 2009.
It was established in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the 2005Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The legislation ordered the consolidation of the three facilities which were adjoining, but separate military installations, into a singlejoint base, one of 12 formed in the United States as a result of the law.
The installation commander is Air Force Colonel Anthony L. Smith.[2]
The 42,000-contiguous acres of JB MDL are home to more than 80 mission partners and 40 mission commanders providing a wide range of combat capability. The base spans more than 20 miles, from east to west. It is situated inthe two largest counties in New Jersey,Burlington andOcean, and includes portions of eight municipalities: the borough ofWrightstown and the townships ofNew Hanover,North Hanover,Pemberton, andSpringfield, in Burlington County, and the townships ofJackson,Manchester, andPlumsted in Ocean County. The87th Air Base Wing provides installation management support for 3,933 facilities with an approximate value of $9.3 billion in physical infrastructure. More than 44,000 airmen, soldiers, sailors, marines, Coast Guardsmen, civilians, and their family members live and work on and around JB MDL, which has an economic impact on the state of New Jersey.[3]
The base originated in 1941 asFort Dix Army Air Force Base. Closed briefly afterWorld War II, it reopened in 1948 asMcGuire Air Force Base. The base was named after MajorThomas B. McGuire, Jr.,Medal of Honor recipient, and the second leading ace in American history.[4]
McGuire grew famous as the Air Force's "Gateway to the East", when its core mission became global mobility in 1945. In 1992, it became part of the newly reorganized Air Mobility Command.[4]
The305th Air Mobility Wing served as the host wing from October 1994 to March 2009, when the newly activated 87th Air Base Wing assumed installation command. The 305th, along with the108th Air Wing (NJANG),621st Contingency Response Wing, and the514th Air Mobility Wing (AFRC), has supported every major type of air mobility mission over the past 15 years.[4]
Source:[4]
The facility originated in 1917 asCamp Dix, named in honor of Major GeneralJohn Adams Dix, a veteran of theWar of 1812 and theCivil War, and a formerUnited States Senator,Secretary of the Treasury andGovernor of New York.[7] It was renamedFort Dix in 1939.
Dix has a history of mobilizing, training and demobilizing Soldiers from as early asWorld War I through the present day. In 1978, the first female recruits entered basic training at Fort Dix. In 1991, Dix trainedKuwaiti civilians in basic military skills so they could take part in their country's liberation.[7]
Dix ended its active Army training mission in 1988 due toBase Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations. It began a new mission of mobilizing, deploying and demobilizing Soldiers and providing training areas forArmy Reserve andArmy National Guard Soldiers.[7]
In 1994, theUnited States Air Force Expeditionary Center was established as theAir Mobility Warfare Center on Dix.[7]
Source:[7]
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Lakehurst history begins as a munitions-testing site for theImperial Russian Army in 1916. It was then gained by the United States Army asCamp Kendrick duringWorld War I. TheUnited States Navy purchased the property in 1921 for use as an airship station and renamed itNaval Air Station Lakehurst.[8]
The Navy's lighter-than-air program was conducted at Lakehurst through the 1930s. It was the site of the 1937LZ 129 Hindenburgairship disaster. DuringWorld War II, anti-submarine patrol blimps were operated from Lakehurst. Since the 1950s,Aviation Boatswain's Mates have been trained at Lakehurst to operate catapults and arresting systems on aircraft carriers. Lakehurst conducts the unique mission of supporting and developing the Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment and Support Equipment for naval aviation. The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and the Advanced Arresting Gear system that will replace the existing steam catapults and the Mk-7 arresting gear are being developed and tested at Lakehurst at full-scale shipboard representative test facilities here.[8]
Source:[8]
TheHindenburg disaster took place on Thursday, 6 May 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the then-Naval Air Station Lakehurst.[citation needed]
TheU.S. Census Bureau lists "Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst" in Burlington County as having its own school district.[9] Students attend area school district public schools, as theDepartment of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) does not operate any schools on the joint base. Students in Lakehurst are zoned toLakehurst School District andManchester Township High School (ofManchester Township School District). Students on McGuire and Dix may attend one of the following, with all siblings in a family taking the same choice:North Hanover Township School District (Pre-Kindergarten through grade 6),Northern Burlington County Regional School District (grades 7-12), andPemberton Township School District (K-12).[10]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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