Eglin Air Force Base

Eglin Air Force Base, located near Valparaiso, Florida, is a United States Air Force installation established in 1935 as the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Base. It was renamed in honor of Lt. Col. Frederick I. Eglin. The base serves as the focal point for all Air Force armaments, responsible for the development, acquisition, testing, deployment, and sustainment of air-delivered non-nuclear weapons. It also conducts severe-weather testing of aircraft and equipment at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory.

The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing, which is the test and evaluation center for Air Force air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, and command and control systems. Other major units include the 33d Fighter Wing, a joint graduate flying and maintenance training wing for the F-35 Lightning II, and the 53d Wing, which focuses on operational test and evaluation of armament and avionics. The base also hosts the U.S. Army's 7th Special Forces Group and the 6th Ranger Training Battalion, along with various other tenant units from the Air Force, Space Force, and Navy, such as the 20th Space Control Squadron and the Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal.

Eglin AFB shares its airfield with Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS), providing scheduled passenger airline service. The base features two main runways: 12/30, measuring 3,658.8 meters (12,004 ft) with an Asphalt/Concrete surface, and 01/19, measuring 3,051.7 meters (10,012 ft) with an Asphalt surface. The installation covers 463,128 acres and includes several auxiliary fields, some of which were used for training during World War II and for various testing and training activities today. The base also contains significant longleaf pine forests, including old-growth areas, and is home to numerous threatened species.