Muñiz Air National Guard Base

Muñiz Air National Guard Base is an operational Air National Guard installation located within the grounds of Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico. It was built in 1956, consolidating the Puerto Rico Air National Guard's operations from Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport. The base was renamed in 1963 in honor of Lieutenant Colonel José Antonio Muñiz, a co-founder of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. The Department of Defense owns the base, with the US Air Force as its operator, controlled by the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.

The base provides support for local emergencies and facilitates the mobilization of U.S. military troops from Puerto Rico for worldwide deployments. It also offers airlift support for U.S. Southern Command missions and joint military exercises. The main unit stationed at Muñiz ANGB is the 156th Wing, which includes the 198th Airlift Squadron. The 156th Wing's mission, since 1997, focuses on air mobility support for the U.S. Southern Command, utilizing C-130 aircraft. This includes participating in operations like Coronet Oak, which provides continuous theater airlift support throughout Central and South America.

Historically, the base experienced an attack in 1981, when ten LTV A-7 Corsair IIs and one Lockheed F-104 Starfighter were damaged or destroyed. It has also served as a reception site for notable visits, including Pope John Paul II in 1984 and President Barack Obama in 2011. The base hosts the STARBASE Youth Program, an educational initiative in science and mathematics for K-12 students. Facilities at the base include a hangar, maintenance shops, command offices, and a Base Exchange. The airfield shares its runways with Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, featuring two runways: 8/26 with an asphalt surface and 10/28 with a concrete surface.