Maxwell Air Force Base

Maxwell Air Force Base, officially designated Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation located in Montgomery, Alabama. Operated by the Air Education and Training Command, the base occupies the 1910 site of the Wright Flying School. The United States Army purchased the land in 1920, and the depot was redesignated Maxwell Field in 1922 in honor of Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell. During the interwar period, the installation hosted the Air Corps Tactical School, which began training at the site in 1931. In 1940, the facility was designated a pilot-training center and served as the Southeast Air Corps Training Center during World War II. The installation was renamed Maxwell Air Force Base in September 1947.

The 42nd Air Base Wing serves as the host wing for the installation, which includes the Gunter Annex. The base is the headquarters for Air University, a component of the Air Education and Training Command that manages Joint Professional Military Education. The 908th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command is a tenant unit and the only operational flying unit at the base. The wing operates C-130H Hercules aircraft and supervises the 703d Helicopter Squadron. Detachment 3 of the 58th Operations Group is also stationed at the base for MH-139A Grey Wolf training operations.

Infrastructure at the installation includes the Academic Circle education complex, the Muir S. Fairchild Research Information Center, and the Air Force Historical Research Agency. The base also hosts the national headquarters of the Civil Air Patrol, the Air Force Officer Training School, and the Federal Prison Camp, Montgomery. The Gunter Annex houses the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and components of the 688th Cyberspace Wing. Additional organizations stationed at the base include the 960th Cyberspace Wing, the Space Delta 13 Detachment 2, and the Montgomery Military Entrance Processing Station. Support facilities include maintenance hangars and the National Analytical Radiation Environmental Laboratory.