General Mitchell Air National Guard Base

General Mitchell Air National Guard Base is situated on the eastern section of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The installation is named in honor of Brigadier General William Mitchell, a Milwaukee native recognized as the father of the United States Air Force. The original airfield was established in 1920 as Hamilton Airport and was purchased by Milwaukee County in 1926. In January 1945, the War Department leased the site for use as a World War II prisoner-of-war camp.

The base is operated by the Wisconsin Air National Guard and hosts the 128th Air Refueling Wing (128 ARW), an Air Mobility Command (AMC)-gained unit. The wing is composed of approximately 1,000 personnel, including Active Guard and Reserve (AGR), Air Reserve Technicians (ART), and traditional guardsmen. Its mission includes both federal and state requirements and worldwide deployment.

The 128 ARW operates Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers. Infrastructure at the base includes a KC-135 flight simulator used for training by the 128 ARW, other Air National Guard refueling wings, the Air Force Reserve Command, and the Regular U.S. Air Force.

The southwestern portion of the airport formerly housed the General Mitchell Air Reserve Station, which hosted the 440th Airlift Wing (440 AW). This Air Force Reserve Command unit operated C-130H Hercules aircraft until its relocation in 2007 under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission action. Following the relocation, the former reserve facilities were transferred to the Air National Guard.