MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base, located on the the southern peninsula of Tampa, is host to Central Command, Special Operations Command and the 6th Air Mobility Wing. It is the only military base to host two unified commands.
MacDill's Major Components:
 6th Air Mobility Wing
Central Command
Special Operations Command
NOAA Aircraft Operations Center
MacDill Airfest 2004
• History
Nov. 8, 1939: WPA crews begin clearing Catfish Point, site of MacDill Field (now
MacDill Air Force Base). The 5,767 acre base is named for Col. Leslie MacDill, an Air Corps officer who died in a 1938 plane crash.
March 11, 1940: The first Army Air Corps contingent of 50 men arrives at MacDill Field. Col. Clarence L. Tinker becomes MacDill's first base commander, charged with a 600-man garrison and 15 planes.
April 16, 1941: MacDill Field dedication ceremonies are held.
1947: MacDill Field becomes MacDill Air Force Base.
1960: Plans to close the base arise.
1961: The U.S. Strike Command is based at MacDill, integrating members from all military branches.
1963: MacDill becomes a Tactical Air Command base.
1972: The U.S. Strike Command becomes the U.S. Readiness Command.
1979: F-16 aircraft arrive at the base.
March 1, 1980: Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) formed at MacDill.
January 1, 1983: The deactivated RDJTF is replaced by Central Command (USCENTCOM) at MacDill.
April 16, 1987: Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) established at MacDill.
1991: The Base Closure and Realignment Commission requires MacDill Air Force Base to end flying operations by 1993, a move widely believed to be preparation for closure.
1993: The 56th Tactical Training Wing and their F-16s move to Luke AFB Arizona. The U.S. Defense Department requests that the 1991 decision be reversed clearing the way for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to use MacDill's runways for flight operations.
1995: MacDill stays off another closing list from the Base Closure and Realignment Commission.
October 1, 1996: The 6th Air Refueling Wing officially transfers to MacDill Air Force Base.
2001: The reactivated 310th Airlift Squadron, tasked with ferrying top military commanders worldwide, is based at MacDill. The 6th Air Refueling Wing is renamed the 6th Air Mobility Wing. In October, the base becomes a focal point in the war on terrorism.
2002: U.S. Central Command head Tommy Franks presses Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to move the command closer to war zones of the Middle East.
2005: MacDill stays off the base closure list again.
- Tribune Files
• Intelligence Agencies
• U.S. Forces in the Middle East 
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CentCom Leaders
From Robert C. Kingston to John P. Abizaid, review the leadership at U.S. Central Command.
• Click here
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