Fort Allen, officially Fort Allen Training Center, is a

Puerto Rico National Guard The Puerto Rico National Guard (PRNG; ) is the national guard of the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions, which includes to provide ...

military installation A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and Military operation, operations. A military base always provides ...

located on a facility in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico.

History

Losey Field was established by the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

in 1941 and was used during World War II by fighter & bomber units. It was named for Captain Robert M. Losey, an aeronautical meteorologist who in April 1940 became the United States' first military casualty in World War II. Units assigned were: * 4th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (13th Composite Wing, 72nd Observation Group) 1 April 1941 – 27 October 1943 * 20th Troop Carrier Squadron (Sixth Air Force Base Command) 10 May–June 1942 * 36th Fighter Group (Headquarters), January 1941-May 1943 : 22d Fighter Squadron, 6 January-13 December 1941 (P-40 Warhawk) :

23rd Fighter Squadron The 23d Electronic Warfare Squadron (23 EWS) is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 350th Spectrum Warfare Group and stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. It was most recently activated on 18 April 2025. The 23 ...

, 6 January-31 May 1941; 15 November-13 December 1941(P-40 Warhawk) : 32d Fighter Squadron, 6 January 1941-19 February 1942; 9 March-14 June 1943 (P-40 Warhawk) * 417th Bombardment Squadron ( 25th Bombardment Group) 29 May 1943 – 24 March 1944 (B-18 Bolo) Subsequently: * 1944: After the departure of the 417th Bombardment Squadron in 1944, the airfield was turned over to Army ground forces. * 1949: Losey Army Airfield was transferred to

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

(USA) ground forces and became Camp Losey. * 1950: Camp Losey was renamed Fort Allen and provided operational support for the United States and

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...

troops during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. * 1959: Fort Allen was transferred to the Army's Caribbean Signal Agency. * 1963: The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

(USN) took control of the military post and redesignated as Naval Radio Station Fort Allen, Puerto Rico. * 1970: The Headquarters & Communications Center of Naval Communication Station (NAVCOMMSTA) Puerto Rico relocated from San Juan to Fort Allen. * 1980: The U.S. Navy moved the Naval Communication Station Puerto Rico Headquarters & Communication Center from Fort Allen to

Naval Station Roosevelt Roads Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, nicknamed Rosy Roads, is a former United States Navy base in the town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico. The site operates today as José Aponte de la Torre Airport, a public use airport. History In 1919, future US Presiden ...

. * 1980: On 16 November 1980 Fort Allen became the Headquarters for the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed ...

(USAR) 35th Expeditionary Signal Battalion. * 1981: The

United States Immigration and Naturalization Service The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was a United States federal government agency under the United States Department of Labor from 1933 to 1940 and under the United States Department of Justice from 1940 to 2003. Refe ...

(INS) under a presidential order reconfigured Fort Allen as a processing center for Cuban and Haitian refugees. * 1983: Fort Allen was officially transferred to the

(PRNG). The 35th Signal Battalion, along with other U.S. Army Reserve units remain as tenants. * 1985: The Puerto Rico National Guard Language Center (PRNGLC) relocated to Fort Allen. * 1997: The U.S. Navy built a receiver site for the Relocatable

Over-the-horizon radar Over-the-horizon radar (OTH), sometimes called beyond the horizon radar (BTH), is a type of radar system with the ability to detect targets at very long ranges, typically hundreds to thousands of kilometres, beyond the radar horizon, which is t ...

(ROTHR) on government land at Fort Allen. * 1999: The National Guard Youth Challenge Program was established on post. * 2007: Soldiers from the 35th Signal Battalion, 1st Mission Support Command, were deployed from Fort Allen to support

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

and

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

. * 2011: The Fort Allen Armed Forces Reserve Center (AFRC) was inaugurated and dedicated posthumously to the 6th Adjutant General of the Puerto Rico National Guard and founder of the Language Center at Fort Allen, Major General Salvador Padilla Escabi.

Current use

Since the Navy left Fort Allen in 1980 there's been no regular

Active Duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. Indian The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one of the largest active service forces in the world, with almost 1.42 million Active Standin ...

military personnel assigned on post, but the Puerto Rico Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve do have permanent

Active Guard Reserve The Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) is a United States Army and United States Air Force federal military program which places Army National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers and Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve airmen on federal active duty ...

personnel present. Fort Allen, while still a federally-owned facility, is operated by the Puerto Rico National Guard (PRNG). Its mission is educational in scope and that of providing support to the Puerto Rico Army National Guard and Army Reserve units stationed in southern Puerto Rico. There is not a

Commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

at Fort Allen but NGX operates a PX on base for authorized patrons.

Units and tenant units

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...

** 191st Regional Support Group ** 240th Military Police Company ** 192nd Support Battalion, C Company (Med) ** 105th Quartermaster Company ** 482nd Chemical Company ** 714th Quartermaster Company

LTC Hernan G Pesquera U.S. Army Reserve Center

LTC Hernan G. Pesquera United States Army Reserve Center (USARC) is located on within the grounds of Fort Allen, Puerto Rico. This facility is named after Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel and federal judge Hernan Gregorio Pesquera. Units at the LTC Hernan G. Pesquera United States Army Reserve Center (USARC) * Seal of the United States Army Reserve

** 35th Expeditionary Signal Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) ** 204 Transportation MDM Truck Company (POL 5K) (EAB LINEHAUL) ** 276th Maintenance Support Company

Major General Salvador Padilla Escabi Armed Forces Reserve Center

On March 4, 2011 a Armed Forces Reserve Center (AFRC) was inaugurated at Fort Allen to relocate the U.S. Army Reserve 8th Multifunctional of the 180th Division and retention office. The Puerto Rico Army National Guard 201st Regiment Multifunctional Training Brigade was located on the Fort Allen Armed Forces Reserve Center. A Unheated storage building was also built. It also has a fitness room, locker rooms, weapons simulator, classrooms and private offices, and an armory/vault. The Fort Allen Armed Forces Reserve Center can accommodate 150 Guard and Reserve Soldiers rotating and 126 military personnel per weekend. This facility was dedicated posthumously to the 6th Adjutant General of the Puerto Rico National Guard (PRNG) and founder of the Language Center at Fort Allen, Major General Salvador Padilla Escabi.

Officer Candidate School, NCO Academy & Language Center

The Puerto Rico Army National Guard

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. H ...

, NCO Academy and the Language Center for the Puerto Rico Army and Air National Guard recruits are located at Fort Allen.

Over-the-horizon radar

The

leases of the other than operational area for a Relocatable Over the Horizon (ROTHR) receiver site was built in 1997 on government land at Fort Allen as part of a surveillance network which is designed to monitor flights over an area encompassing more than in South America. The (ROTHR) radar consists of 34 antennas and support structure from to tall.

Youth Challenge Program

The National Guard Youth Challenge Program Community Outreach Youth Program came aboard to Fort Allen in 1999 to intervene and reclaim the lives of 16- to 18-year-old high school dropouts, producing program graduates with the values, life skills, education, and self-discipline necessary to succeed as productive citizens. Participants of the Youth Challenge Program live in Fort Allen during the program.

References

Bibliography

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . *

External links

* http://www.ngycp.org/state/pr_es/contactus.php * http://www.navy-radio.com/commsta/puerto-rico.htm * http://www2.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti-archive/msg09149.html
Fort Allen at GlobalSecurity.org

{{USAAF 6th Air Force World War II Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico Allen Allen, Puerto Rico Allen Military installations of the United States in Puerto Rico 1941 establishments in Puerto Rico