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Beale Air Force Base (AFB) (IATA: BAB, ICAO: KBAB, FAA LID: BAB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately 8 miles (13 km) east of Marysville, California. The host unit at Beale is the 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) assigned to the Air Combat Command. The 9 RW collects intelligence essential for Presidential and Congressional decisions critical to the national defense. To accomplish this mission, the wing is equipped with the nation's fleet of U-2 and Global Hawk UAV reconnaissance aircraft and associated support equipment. The wing also maintains a high state of readiness in its combat support and combat service support forces for potential deployment in response to theater contingencies. Beale AFB was established in 1942 as Camp Beale and is named for Edward Fitzgerald Beale (1822–1893), an American Navy Lieutenant and a Brigadier General in the California Militia who was an explorer and frontiersman in California. It became a United States Air Force base on 1 April 1951. The 9 RW is commanded by Brigadier General Paul H McGillicuddy. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Peter B Stone. OverviewBeale AFB is home of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, and is also considered by many to be one of the show places of the United States Air Force. A base steeped in history, it is in the forefront of the Air Force’s future in high technology. Beale is located outside of Linda (the Meth capital of Northern California, as well as rated #5 in the country for hightest identity theft), about 10 miles (16 km) east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City and about 40 miles (64 km) north of Sacramento, the state capital. Beale is a large base in terms of land and has five gates providing access on all sides of the base. Visitors enter the base through a main gate that local merchants, individuals and the Beale Military Liaison Committee donated $100,000 to construct. The base, covering nearly 23,000 acres (93 km), is home for approximately 4,000 military personnel. Beale Air Force Base spans 23,000 acres (93 km) of rolling hills in northern California. The base's natural resources are as rich as its significant cultural and historical heritage. Native Americans lived on this land; the mortar bowls they carved into the bedrock lie embedded in a shallow stream. German prisoners of war were held captive on the base during World War II; a block of barred prison cells still stands at the base, and the drawings of the POWs remain vivid on the walls of the prison cells. To preserve these and other historic areas, the base proudly maintains 38 Native American sites, 45 homestead sites, and 41 World War II sites UnitsThe 9th Reconnaissance Wing is composed of four groups at Beale and various overseas operating locations.
HistoryDeclared surplus by War Department, 31 May 1947; War Assets Administration assumed custody, 29 September 1947; placed on active status, 1 April 1951. Under USAF control, Headquarters, Aviation Engineer Force administered base 1952-1956 (base in dormant status 1956-1959) Base inactivated 1 July 1956 and placed in construction status; runway declared operational 27 August 1958; First aircraft arrived July 1959. Status changed from under construction to active, 4 March 1964. Previous names
Major commands to which assigned
Base operating unitsMajor units assignedOperational historyThe base is named for Edward Fitzgerald Beale (1822–1893), an American Navy Lieutenant and a Brigadier General in the California Militia who was an explorer and frontiersman in California. In 1940, the "Camp Beale" area consisted of grassland and rolling hills and the 19th century mining town of Spenceville. Then Marysville city officials encouraged the Department of War to establish a military facility in the area. The U.S. government purchased 87,000 acres (352 km²) in 1942 for a training post for the 13th Armored Division, the only unit of its kind to be entirely trained in California. Camp Beale also held training facilities for the 81st and 96th Infantry Division, a 1,000-bed hospital, and a prisoner of war camp. Dredge materials from the area's abandoned gold mines were used to build streets at the Camp.
As a complete training environment, Camp Beale had tank maneuvers, mortar and rifle ranges, a bombardier-navigator training, and chemical warfare classes. During World War II, Camp Beale had 60,000 personnel. It also housed a POW camp for German POWs, and served as the main camp for a series of satellite POW camps around northern California. In 1948, Camp Beale became Beale Air Force Base, its mission being to train bombardier navigators in radar techniques. Beale AFB established six bombing ranges of 1,200 acres (4.9 km²) each and the U.S. Navy also used Beale for training. From 1951 on, Beale trained Aviation Engineers and ran an Air Base Defense School. These additional activities led to rehabilitation of existing base facilities and construction of rifle, mortar, demolition, and machine gun ranges. One year later, the installation stopped being used as a bombing range and the U.S. Government declared portions of Camp Beale/Beale AFB as excess, eventually transferring out 60,805 acres (246 km²). On December 21, 1959, 40,592 acres (164 km²) on the eastern side of the Base were sold at auction. An additional 11,213 acres (45 km²) was transferred to the State of California between 1962 and 1964, and now comprise the Spenceville Wildlife and Recreation Area. In 1964-1965, another 9,000 acres (36 km²) were sold at auction. In deeds for the former Camp Beale property, the Federal Government recommended that the property have surface use only. Beale is currently home of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) and is also considered by many to be one of the show places of the United States Air Force. A base steeped in history, it is in the forefront of the Air Force’s future in high technology. Located in northern California, Beale AFB is about 10 miles (16 km) east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City and about 40 miles (64 km) north of Sacramento, the state capital. Beale is a large base in terms of land and has five gates providing access on all sides of the base. Visitors enter the base through a main gate that local merchants, individuals and the Beale Military Liaison Committee donated $100,000 to construct. The base, covering nearly 23,000 acres (93 km), is home for approximately 4,000 military personnel. Beale Air Force Base spans 23,000 acres (93 km) of rolling hills in northern California. The base's natural resources are as rich as its significant cultural and historical heritage. Native Americans lived on this land; the mortar bowls they carved into the bedrock lie embedded in a shallow stream. German prisoners of war were held captive on the base during World War II; a block of barred prison cells still stands at the base, and the drawings of the POWs remain vivid on the walls of the prison cells. To preserve these and other historic areas, the base proudly maintains 38 Native American sites, 45 homestead sites, and 41 World War II sites. Although Beale AFB enjoys a wealth of historical significance and natural beauty, the results of poor environmental practices in the past are evident in some places. Rusted 55-gallon drums fill a trench located near Best Slough, a waterway that flows into the Bear River. The trench is found in a riparian preservation area that is hidden away from most base activity. The drums were discovered in 1985, but their exact origin remains unknown, and the environmental damage inflicted by the drums is decades old. Long-emptied, the drums serve as a reminder of the consequences of irresponsible environmental practices on future generations. Today, the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at the base achieves its mission in harmony with historical and environmental preservation efforts. Dozens of cattle graze on base lands because of a successful partnership between Beale AFB and local cattle ranchers, while flocks of wild turkeys abound alongside bushes and streams. Unlike most Air Force bases, which since the birth of the Air Force in September 1947 have carried the name of famous aviators, Beale AFB honors the man who founded the Army Camel Corps and who was one of California's largest landholders. Camp Beale opened in October 1942 as a training site for the 13th Armored and the 81st and 96th Infantry Divisions. During World War II, Camp Beale’s 86,000 acres (350 km) were home for more than 60,000 soldiers, a prisoner-of-war encampment and a 1000-bed hospital. In 1948, the camp transferred from the Army to the Air Force. The Air Force conducted bombardier and navigator training at Beale and, in 1951, reactivated the Beale Bombing and Gunnery Range for aviation engineer training. The base has been under several commands including: Air Training Command (ATC), Continental Air Command, Aviation Engineer Force, Strategic Air Command (SAC) and, on 1 June 1992, the newly created Air Combat Command (ACC). In May 1959, Colonel (later General) Paul K. Carlton assumed command of the recently activated 4126th Strategic Wing. The first two KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft arrived two months later on 7 July 1959. On 18 January 1960, the 31st Bombardment Squadron with its B-52s arrived at Beale to become part of the wing. The 14th Air Division (14 AD) moved to Beale from Travis Air Force Base one week later. On 1 February 1963, SAC redesignated the 4126th as the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing. That same year, the base and the wing also served as the location for the fictional "Carmody AFB" in the Rock Hudson film, A Gathering of Eagles, with the Air Force, SAC and the wing providing maximum support to the Universal Studios film crews. During the 1960s and 1970s, SAC used various Air Force Bases for dispersal. As part of this effort, the by then-redesignated 456th Bombardment Wing at Beale deployed its Detachment 1 to Hill AFB, Utah. Det 1 was activated 1 January 1973 and discontinued on 1 July 1975. A $2 million alert facility large enough to accommodate seven B-52 and KC-135 aircraft was constructed and the first of four B-52s assigned there arrived on 28 December 1973. On 15 October 1964, the Department of Defense announced that Beale would be the home of the new, supersonic reconnaissance aircraft, the SR-71 Blackbird. The 4200th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (4200 SRW) activated on 1 Janunary 1965 and the new wing received its first aircraft, a T-38 Talon, on 8 July 1965. The first SR-71 did not arrive until 7 January 1966. On 25 June 1966, the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (9 SRW) and its 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (1 SRS) replaced the 4200 SRW as Strategic Air Command's only SR-71 unit. On 30 September 1975, SAC's 456th Bombardment Wing (456 BW) inactivated and the 17th Bombardment Wing (17 BW) activated in its place. On 30 September 1976, the 17 BW inactivated and its B-52 aircraft distributed to other SAC units. The 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (100 SRW) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, which had been operating the U-2 aircraft, was identified for redesignation as the 100th Air Refueling Wing (100 ARW) and transfer to Beale to fly the KC-135Q. Concurrent with this action the 100th's U-2 aircraft would merge with the 9 SRW and its SR-71 operations at Beale. The first U-2 arrived from Davis-Monthan on 12 July 1976, and until 26 January 1990, when budget restrictions forced the retirement of the SR-71, Beale was the home of two of the world’s most unusual aircraft. The 100 ARW remained at Beale until 15 March 1983, when the Air Force inactivated the wing and consolidated its refueling mission and assets into the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. From 1959 until 1965, Beale was support base for three Titan I missile sites near Lincoln, Chico and the Sutter Buttes. On 30 January 1959, the Air Force announced plans to conduct surveys in the vicinity of Beale to determine the feasibility for missile bases. Site investigations, topographic explorations, and surveys were performed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District. On 17 September, Col (later Gen) Paul K. Calton, Commander of Beale’s 4126th Strategic Wing, announced that the base would be the fifth Titan I missile installation. Three complexes with three weapons each (3 x 3) were located 25 miles (40 km) southwest, 37 miles (60 km) west, and 71 miles (114 km) northwest of Beale near the respective communities of Lincoln, Live Oak, and Chico. The Army Corps of Engineers also oversaw the construction at Beale AFB of mechanical, pneudraulics, cryogenic, propulsion and liquid oxygen shops to support the nine deployed and one spare missile assigned. Bids were opened on 12 January 1960 in the Empire Room of Sacramento’s Hotel Senator. Peter Kiewit Sons’ Company won the contract to build the silos after submitting a low bid of approximately $30.2 million. Before the job was completed, some 400 modifications to the original plans boosted construction costs to over $40 million. Construction began on 22 January 1960. More than 600,000 cubic yards (460,000 m) of rock and earth had to be excavated and reused as backfill. By the time the project was completed, each of the three complexes had received 32,000 cubic yards (24,000 m) of concrete, 90 miles (140 km) of cables, 300 tons of piping, and 1,800 separate supply items. Supervision of the construction initially fell on the Sacramento District; however, this responsibility was shifted on 1 November 1960 to CEBMCO. There were six wild-cat work stoppages; only one caused an appreciable delay. In the wake of earlier labor strife at other missile sites, the Federal Government established Missile Site Relations Committees for each project. At Beale this mechanism contributed to successful management-labor relations and allowed construction to forge ahead. In addition to good labor relations, the Beale project enjoyed a good safety record. There was only one accident-related fatality. The first missile was moved to the 4A complex at Lincoln on 28 February 1962, where workers encountered some difficulty placing the missile in the silo. Follow-on missile installations went smoothly and the last missile was lowered into Chico complex 4C on 20 April 1962. On 16 May 1964, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara directed the accelerated phaseout of the Atlas and Titan I ICBMs. On 4 January 1965, the first Beale Titan I was taken off alert status and within 3 months the 851st Strategic Missile Squadron was deactivated. On 1 July 1979, the 7th Missile Warning Squadron (7 MWS) brought a Precision Acquisition Vehicle Entry Phased Array Warning System (PAVE PAWS) radar site to Beale, a Protection Level 1, 10-story structure that can detect possible attack by land-based and sea-launched ballistic missiles. Located in a cantonment area on the outskirts of Beale, the 7 MWS is now an Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) unit and it primarily uses its PAVE PAWS radar to detect submarine launched ballistic missiles and disintegrating spacecraft and space debris. Mock missile attacks, site emergencies and simulated equipment failures also keep the Canadian and American crew busy. 9th Security Forces Squadron provide security for the PAVE PAWS restriced area. On 1 September 1991, the 14th Air Division (14 AD) inactivated and the 2nd Air Force (2 AF), with a lineage stretching back to World War II, activated at Beale. Following the disestablishment of Strategic Air Command (SAC), 2 AF inactivated on 1 July 1993 and reactivated at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi as part of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) the same day. The 9 SRW was transferred to the newly established Air Combat Command (ACC) and was redesignated as the 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RQW), operating the U-2 and T-38 Talon, while its KC-135Q tanker assets and 350th Air Refueling Squadron (350 ARS) were transferred to the newly established Air Mobility Command (AMC). In July 1994, the 350 ARS transferred from Beale to McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, taking the last of the KC-135Q tankers with it. Tanker aircraft returned to Beale in 1998 when the 940th Air Refueling Wing (940 ARW), an Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) unit operationally gained by AMC, transferred to Beale with its KC-135R aircraft following the closure of its former home station, Mather AFB, California because of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 1988 action. Under the subsequent BRAC 2005, the 940 ARW's KC-135R aircraft were realigned and the last aircraft are currently scheduled to depart Beale by the end of 2008 as the 940th converts to an associate reconnaissance wing mission in partnership with the 9 RW, operating the RQ-4 Global Hawk. In early 2008 Beale AFB submitted their application package to be home to the new Air Force Cyber Command, the newest United States Air Force major command whose development was announced by the Secretary of the Air Force on November 2, 2006. DemographicsThe United States Census Bureau has designated the base as its own census-designated place for statistical purposes. As of the census of 2000, there were 5,115 people, 1,463 households, and 1,357 families residing in the base. The population density was 195.9/km² (507.5/mi²). There were 1,662 housing units at an average density of 63.7/km² (164.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the base was 71.53% White, 10.73% African American, 1.13% Native American, 5.20% Asian, 0.59% Pacific Islander, 5.08% from other races, and 5.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.20% of the population. There were 1,463 households out of which 70.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 85.8% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 7.2% were non-families. 5.0% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and the average family size was 3.38. In the base the population was spread out with 37.8% under the age of 18, 19.7% from 18 to 24, 40.6% from 25 to 44, 1.8% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 111.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.2 males. The median income for a household in the base was $33,944, and the median income for a family was $34,667. Males had a median income of $23,581 versus $18,839 for females. The per capita income for the base was $12,096. About 5.7% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over. PoliticsIn the state legislature Beale AFB is located in the 4th Senate District, represented by Republican Sam Aanestad, and in the 3rd Assembly District, represented by Republican Dan Logue. Federally, Beale AFB is located in California's 2nd congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +13 and is represented by Republican Wally Herger. Emerging Politics at Beale AFB, CA: As of early 2008, Beale AFB, California, has been placed into contention as one of the possible main military base locations for the new U.S. Air Force CYBER Command. The planned date for phase one of the AFCYBER stand up is Oct. 1, 2008. Upon formal activation, the Air Force Cyberspace Command (AFCYBER) will trace its historical lineage back to the USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC). Beale AFB and Camp Beale, CA is deeply steeped in all nature of US histories. Beale AFB's hidden history encompasses: Native American history, California environmental conservation history, California militia history, US Army history, USAF Strategic Air Command history and California's long US National Security history. In May 2008, in a second formal "request for hosting and basing location information", the Air Force informed the governors of the several states who are candidates to house the new command asking for specific information regarding existing conditions and infrastructure. The survey of sorts addresses the following issues:
The 18 governors who received letters are from Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Virginia A decision on AFCYBER basing was due to be released on 29 February 2008, but has been delayed until October 2009. These are the list of Air Force bases in competition to host the new Cyber Command headquarters, listed alphabetically by state:
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