Dover Air Force Base

Dover Air Force Base is located two miles southeast of Dover, Delaware. Construction began in March 1941 as the Municipal Airport, Dover Airdrome. The facility opened on December 17, 1941, and converted to military use under the U.S. Army Air Corps. During World War II, the installation supported anti-submarine patrols and served as a training center for P-47 Thunderbolt squadrons and air-launched rocket testing. Following a period of inactivation starting in 1946, the airfield reactivated in August 1950. The facility was redesignated Dover Air Force Base on January 13, 1948. It transferred to the Military Air Transport Service in 1952 and became the first all-C-5 equipped wing in 1973. The base transitioned to Air Mobility Command in 1992. Historically, the base has served as a processing point for remains during the Vietnam War and following the 1978 Jonestown mass death, the 1986 Challenger disaster, and the 2003 Columbia disaster.

Air Mobility Command operates the base, which hosts the 436th Airlift Wing and the co-located 512th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command. Assigned flying units include the 3rd, 9th, 326th, and 709th Airlift Squadrons. These units operate fleets of C-5M Super Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. The base mission includes the management of a Department of Defense air freight terminal and global airlift support.

Infrastructure includes the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs, which functions as the military mortuary for the Department of Defense. The installation also houses the Joint Personal Effects Depot and the Air Mobility Command Museum. The museum is located in Hangar 1301, a facility listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Operational infrastructure includes an air traffic control tower commissioned in 2009.