There are hundreds of military bases across the 50 states and Washington D.C. Used as areas to train military personnel and develop strategies, these installations are crucial to our nation’s security.
More than 1.3 million active-duty personnel serve in the U.S. military. While about 160,000 of them are deployed abroad, the majority are stationed at one of over 450 military installations in the U.S. Some military bases date back to the 1700s, but the majority were built in the first part of the 20th century, around the time of the two world wars. A few are also considerably newer. (Also see: This is the newest American military base overseas.)
For the most part, military installations can last centuries with regular maintenance, modernization, and expansions, which perhaps explains why just 11 new bases have been built since 1950. This includes the U.S. Marine Corps Ground Combat Center in 29 Palms, California, which was opened in 1952 during the Korean War. (These are the biggest U.S. military bases.)
To find America’s newest military bases, constructed since 1950, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed and independently verified the history of active military installations listed on MilitaryBases.com. Bases were ordered by the year they opened, from least to most recently opened. The number of active-duty personnel assigned to each base came from the 2019 Demographics Report, compiled by Defense Department contractor Military OneSource. Installations with less than 1,000 active duty personnel or where that data is classified, or those outside the 50 states were not considered. Newly joined bases were also not included.
Why This Matters
Source: Drazen Zigic / iStock via Getty Images
Military installations affect the economy on national and statewide levels. Nationally, defense spending creates job opportunities across a range of industries. Locally, military outposts often employ civilians, increase residents, and encourage spending in locally made goods. We’re covering the newest military bases to help you understand how a new military installation could affect your personal wealth.
Scroll below to see the newest American military base in the United States:
11. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year opened: 1952
- Location: Twentynine Palms, California
- Total active-duty personnel: 9,490
- Military branch: Marines
About the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
This base was built at the site of a former airbase used to train glider crews and Army pilots during World War II and was later as a bombing range for the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Marine Corps took over the site in 1952 as a training center. Today, the combined arms training facility also trains Marines in communications and electronics.
10. Little Rock Air Force Base
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year opened: 1955
- Location: Jacksonville, Arkansas
- Total active-duty personnel: 3,536
- Military branch: Air Force
About the Little Rock Air Force Base
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Little Rock AFB is not only home to the largest fleet of C-130s, this base is also home to numerous wings and groups of the U.S. Air Force, including the 19th Airlift Wing that can deploy massive transport aircraft throughout the world. The base trains aircrews, including members of the Coast Guard and service members from dozens of foreign nations.
9. Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay
Source: usnavy / Flickr
- Year opened: 1979
- Location: Camden County, Georgia
- Total active-duty personnel: 2,918
- Military branch: Navy
About the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
The NSB Kings Bay is the home port for the U.S. Navy Atlantic Fleet’s ballistic missile nuclear subs armed with Trident nuclear missiles. The base is the home port for six Ohio-class Trident submarines and the USS Florida and USS Georgia guided missile subs.
8. Grand Forks Air Force Base
- Year opened: 1957
- Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota
- Total active-duty personnel: 1,659
- Military branch: Air Force
About the Grand Forks Air Force Base
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
The Grand Forks AFB is home to the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, which provides operational and infrastructural support for the Global Hawk high-altitude remotely piloted surveillance aircraft. The Global Hawk is still used over Afghanistan in intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance operations following the U.S. pullout of ground forces in August 2021.
7. Minot Air Force Base
![54th at sunset [Image 2 of 6] by DVIDSHUB](https://247wallst.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/imageForEntry34-88o.jpg "54th at sunset [Image 2 of 6] by DVIDSHUB")
- Year opened: 1957
- Location: Ward County, North Dakota
- Total active-duty personnel: 5,625
- Military branch: Air Force
About the Minot Air Force Base
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
The Minot AFB is the headquarters of the 5th Bomb Wing Mission and its fleet of B-52H Stratofortress bombers, which can be deployed anywhere in the world to deliver precision nuclear-guided bombs and other types of ordnance and munitions. Base units also maintain and operate the Minuteman III ICBMs located in underground launch facilities scattered across the northwest part of the state as well as other advanced cruise missiles.
6. Naval Air Station Meridian
- Year opened: 1961
- Location: Meridian, Mississippi
- Total active-duty personnel: 1,126
- Military branch: Navy
About the Naval Air Station Meridian
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Initially opened as an airfield in 1961, the NASM grew to become an official Naval Air Station in 1967. It is one of the U.S. Navy’s air strike fighter pilot training centers and operates a military airport for this purpose. The base also has a counterdrug training center and a support center for naval operations.
5. Naval Air Station Lemoore
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year opened: 1961
- Location: Kings County, Fresno County, California
- Total active-duty personnel: 6,590
- Military branch: Navy
About the Naval Air Station Lemoore
Source: usnavy / Flickr
NAS Lemoore was initially established to support the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet and provides support to the Strike Fighter Wing Pacific that maintains combat-ready carrier- or shore-based warplanes in the Pacific Rim. Lemoore was identified as an ideal central California location because it has ideal year-round weather for aircraft deployment and less air traffic.
4. Los Angeles Air Force Base
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year opened: 1964
- Location: El Segundo, California
- Total active-duty personnel: 1,435
- Military branch: Space Force
About the Los Angeles Air Force Base
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
The Los Angeles AFB was first designated as an Air Force air station on the site of a former air research development command center dating back to 1954. It was re-designated as an Air Force base in 1987. The base includes Fort MacArthur, 20 miles to the south of the main base. The base supports U.S. Space Force operations.
3. Naval Support Activity Saratoga Springs
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year opened: 1974
- Location: Saratoga Springs, New York
- Total active-duty personnel: 3,000
- Military branch: Navy
About the Naval Support Activity Saratoga Springs
Source: Bumble Dee / Shutterstock.com
NSA Saratoga Springs supports naval command activities in New York’s Capital Region in upstate New York. The base provides support to the nearby Naval Propulsion Training Unit in Ballston Spa, New York, one of two facilities used to train officers in the design, operation, and maintenance of nuclear propulsion systems used by submarines and aircraft carriers.
2. Schriever Space Force Base
- Year opened: 1985
- Location: El Paso County, Colorado
- Total active-duty personnel: 1,853
- Military branch: Space Force
About Schriever Space Force Base
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Though the U.S. Space Force was established in 2019 as the eighth and most recent U.S. military branch, the Schriever Space Force Base was always intended to be part of military space programs dating back to the 1970s when the Department of Defense sought to consolidate operations involving military satellites. The name of the base was changed in 2021 to reflect its realigned affiliation from the Air Force to the new Space Force.
1. Naval Station Everett
Source: usnavy / Flickr
- Year opened: 1994
- Location: Everett, Washington
- Total active-duty personnel: 2,576
- Military branch: Navy
About Naval Station Everett
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
NS Everett was selected as an ideal location on the West Coast for homeporting a naval battle group. The base is currently the home port of seven guided missile destroyers, including the USS John McCain, and two Coast Guard ships used for patrolling the Northwest coast and tending to navigational buoys.
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