MacDill Air Force Base

MacDill Air Force Base, located 4 miles south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida, is an active United States Air Force installation. Established in 1939 as Southeast Air Base, Tampa, it was renamed MacDill Field in December 1939 and became MacDill Air Force Base in January 1948. The base currently operates under the Air Mobility Command, with the 6th Air Refueling Wing serving as the host unit, supported by the Air Force Reserve Command's 927th Air Refueling Wing. Both wings operate the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker for aerial refueling missions.

Throughout its history, MacDill AFB has hosted various units and aircraft. During World War II, it was a U.S. Army Air Corps/Forces installation. In the 1950s and 1960s, it served as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) base for B-47 Stratojet bombers before transitioning to Tactical Air Command (TAC) and operating fighter aircraft like the F-4 Phantom II and F-16 Fighting Falcon. The base was nearly closed in 1960 but was repurposed following the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, which underscored its strategic importance. In 1996, it transitioned to an Air Mobility Command installation.

MacDill AFB is also home to the headquarters of two unified combatant commands: United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) and United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), along with their sub-unified commands, United States Marine Corps Forces Central Command (MARCENT) and United States Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT). Other tenant units include the Navy Operational Support Center Tampa, the Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE), and the 598th Range Squadron. The base supports approximately 15,000 personnel and is scheduled to re-equip with Boeing KC-46 Pegasus aircraft in the coming years.