| Andersen Air Force Base | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yigo in Guam | |||||||||
 A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron lands at Andersen AFB, 2007. | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
  Andersen AFB Location in Guam | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 13°34′34″N 144°55′28″E / 13.57611°N 144.92444°E | ||||||||
| Type | US Air Force Base | ||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Owner | Department of Defense | ||||||||
| Operator | US Air Force | ||||||||
| Controlled by | |||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1944 (as North Field) | ||||||||
| In use | 1944 – present | ||||||||
| Battles/wars | |||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Current commander | Brigadier General Thomas B. Palenske[1] | ||||||||
| Garrison | 36th Wing (Host) | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: UAM, ICAO: PGUA, FAA LID: UAM, WMO: 912180 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 188.3 metres (618 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Source: FAA,[2] official site[3] | |||||||||
Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) (IATA: UAM, ICAO: PGUA, FAA LID: UAM) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific Air Forces Eleventh Air Force. As a non-flying wing, the 36 WG's mission is to provide support to deployed air and space forces of USAF, foreign air forces to Andersen, and tenant units assigned to the base.[4]
Andersen AFB was placed under the installation management authority of Joint Region Marianas in October 2009, along with Naval Base Guam.[4] The two bases are about 30 miles (48 km) apart at opposite ends of the island.[4] Established in 1944 after the Liberation of Guam as North Field, it is named for Brigadier General James Roy Andersen (1904–1945).[5][6]
The most important U.S. air base west of Hawaii, Andersen is one of the four Air Force Bomber Forward Operating Locations and the only base in the Western Pacific that can permanently service U.S. heavy strategic bombers,[7] including B-1B, B-2, and B-52 bombers.[8] Andersen is one of two critical bases in the Asia-Pacific region, the other being Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Due to Guam's almost unrestricted airspace and the close proximity of the Farallon de Medinilla Island, a naval bombing range 184 miles (296 km) north, the base is in an ideal training location.
- ^ "Brigadier General Thomas B. Palenske". Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for UAM PDF. Retrieved 15 March 2007
- ^ "Andersen Air Force Base web page". Andersen.af.mil. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ a b c "History of Joint Region Marianas". Cnic.navy.mil. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ "Andersen AFB". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ "Historian". Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ Stanley Consultants Incorporated. "Air Force Base Runway Replacement Supports Global War on Terrorism". Stanley Consultants.
- ^ "Why Is North Korea So Fixated on Guam?". popularmechanics.com. 9 August 2017. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.