Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL) is a United States military facility located southeast of

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

. The base is the only tri-service base in the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

and includes units from all six armed forces branches. The facility is an amalgamation of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

's McGuire Air Force Base, the

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 ...

Fort Dix Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Fo ...

and 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 ...

's Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst, which were merged on 1 October 2009. It was established in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the 2005

Base Realignment and Closure Commission Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) was a process by a Federal government of the United States, United States federal government commission to increase the efficiency of the United States Department of Defense by coordinating the realignment and ...

. The legislation ordered the consolidation of the three facilities which were adjoining, but separate military installations, into a single joint base, one of 12 formed in the United States as a result of the law. The installation commander is Air Force Colonel Anthony L. Smith.

Overview

The contiguous of JB MDL (65+ square miles) are home to more than 80 mission partners and 40 mission commanders providing a wide range of combat capability. The base spans more than , from east to west. It is situated in the two largest counties in New Jersey, Burlington and

Ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

, and includes portions of eight municipalities: the borough of Wrightstown and the townships of New Hanover, North Hanover, Pemberton, and Springfield, in Burlington County, and the townships of Jackson,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, and Plumsted in Ocean County. The 87th Air Base Wing provides installation management support for 3,933 facilities with an approximate value of $9.3 billion in physical infrastructure. More than 44,000 airmen, soldiers, sailors, marines, Coast Guardsmen, civilians, and their family members live and work on and around JB MDL, which has an economic impact on the state of New Jersey.

McGuire/McGuire AFB

: ''See: McGuire Air Force Base for additional information and history.'' The base originated in 1941 as Fort Dix Army Air Force Base. Closed briefly after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it reopened in 1948 as McGuire Air Force Base. The base was named after Major Thomas B. McGuire, Jr.,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient, and the second leading ace in American history.Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst McGuire
McGuire grew famous as the Air Force's "Gateway to the East", when its core mission became global mobility in 1945. In 1992, it became part of the newly reorganized Air Mobility Command. The 305th Air Mobility Wing served as the host wing from October 1994 to March 2009, when the newly activated 87th Air Base Wing assumed installation command. The 305th, along with the 108th Air Wing (NJANG), 621st Contingency Response Wing, and the 514th Air Mobility Wing (AFRC), has supported every major type of air mobility mission over the past 15 years.

McGuire organizations

* 87th Air Base Wing (Host organization for JB MDL) * 305th Air Mobility Wing ( C-17 Airlift,

KC-46 Pegasus The Boeing KC-46 Pegasus is an American military aerial refueling and strategic military transport aircraft developed by Boeing from its 767 jet airliner. In February 2011, the tanker was selected by the United States Air Force (USAF) as the ...

Air Refueling) * 621st Contingency Response Wing (Rapid Response unit of Air Mobility Command) * 514th Air Mobility Wing ( C-17 Airlift,

Air Refueling) (

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...

) * 108th Wing (

Air Refueling, C-32B) ( New Jersey Air National Guard) * 57th Weapons Squadron (

USAF Weapons School The USAF Weapons School is a unit of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, assigned to the 57th Wing and Space Delta 1. It is located at Nellis AFB, Nevada. Mission The mission of the USAF Weapons School is to teach gradu ...

C-17 training unit, GSU from Nellis AFB, Nevada) * 314th Recruiting Squadron ( Air Force Recruiting Service) * HQ New Jersey Wing, Civil Air Patrol * Detachment 1, 373rd Training Squadron Source:

Dix

: ''See:

for additional information and history.'' The facility originated in 1917 as Camp Dix, named in honor of Major General

John Adams Dix John Adams Dix (July 24, 1798 – April 21, 1879) was an American politician and military officer who was Secretary of the Treasury, Governor of New York and Union major general during the Civil War. He was notable for arresting the pro-Southe ...

, a veteran of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, and a former

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

and

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

.Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Dix
It was renamed Fort Dix in 1939. Dix has a history of mobilizing, training and demobilizing Soldiers from as early as

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

through the present day. In 1978, the first female recruits entered basic training at Fort Dix. In 1991, Dix trained

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

i civilians in basic military skills so they could take part in their country's liberation. Dix ended its active Army training mission in 1988 due to

recommendations. It began a new mission of mobilizing, deploying and demobilizing Soldiers and providing training areas for Army Reserve and

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 ...

Soldiers. In 1994, the United States Air Force Expeditionary Center was established as the Air Mobility Warfare Center on Dix.

Fort Dix organizations

* Army Support Activity * Marine Aircraft Group 49 (MAG-49), Marine Air Reserve * Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 ( HMH-772), Marine Air Reserve * Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773 ( HMLA-773), Marine Air Reserve * 99th Regional Support Command, U.S. Army Reserve * 404th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), U.S. Army Reserve * 2d Brigade, 75th Innovation Command, U.S. Army Reserve * U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team * U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, Air Mobility Command * Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) Fort Dix * NCO Academy Fort Dix, U.S. Army Reserve * Navy Reserve Center Fort Dix, Navy Reserve Forces Command * 174th Infantry Brigade, U.S. Army Reserve * Fleet Logistics Support Squadron SIX FOUR (VR-64),

Naval Air Force Reserve The Naval Air Force Reserve (NAFR, also known by its head, the Commander, Naval Air Force Reserve, abbreviated CNAFR) is the naval aviation component of the United States Navy Reserve. Headquartered at Naval Air Station North Island, California ...

* 244th Aviation Brigade, Army Reserve Aviation Command * Battery G, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve * Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ), New Jersey Army National Guard (NJARNG) * NJARNG Observer Coach/Trainer Operations Group Source:

Lakehurst

: ''See: Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst for additional information and history.'' Lakehurst history begins as a munitions-testing site for the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

in 1916. It was then gained by the United States Army as Camp Kendrick during

. The

purchased the property in 1921 for use as an airship station and renamed it Naval Air Station Lakehurst. The Navy's lighter-than-air program was conducted at Lakehurst through the 1930s. It was the site of the 1937

LZ 129 Hindenburg LZ 129 ''Hindenburg'' (; Aircraft registration, Registration: D-LZ 129) was a German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship, the lead ship of Hindenburg class airship, its class, the longest class of flying machine and the largest airship ...

airship disaster. During

, anti-submarine patrol blimps were operated from Lakehurst. Since the 1950s, Aviation Boatswain's Mates have been trained at Lakehurst to operate catapults and arresting systems on aircraft carriers. Lakehurst conducts the unique mission of supporting and developing the Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment and Support Equipment for naval aviation. The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and the Advanced Arresting Gear system that will replace the existing steam catapults and the Mk-7 arresting gear are being developed and tested at Lakehurst at full-scale shipboard representative test facilities here.

Lakehurst organizations

NAVAIR The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) provides materiel support for aeronaval aircraft and airborne weapon systems for the United States Navy. It is one of the Echelon II Navy systems commands (SYSCOM), and was established in 1966 as the succe ...

* NAWCAD * Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Detachment Lakehurst (CNATT DET Lakehurst) * Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 21 (NMCB 21) * Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Battalion, 1st U.S. Army Recruiting Brigade * EAGLE FLAG * 1st Battalion (Assault), 150th Aviation Regiment, NJARNG Source:

History

The

Hindenburg disaster The ''Hindenburg'' disaster was an airship accident that occurred on May 6, 1937, in Manchester Township, New Jersey, Manchester Township, New Jersey, United States. The LZ 129 Hindenburg, LZ 129 ''Hindenburg'' (; Aircraft registration, Regi ...

took place on Thursday, 6 May 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 ''Hindenburg'' caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the then-Naval Air Station Lakehurst.

Education

The

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

lists "Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst" in Burlington County as having its own school district.
Text list
/ref> Students attend area school district public schools, as the

Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on beh ...

(DoDEA) does not operate any schools on the joint base. Students in Lakehurst are zoned to Lakehurst School District and Manchester Township High School (of Manchester Township School District). Students on McGuire and Dix may attend one of the following, with all siblings in a family taking the same choice: North Hanover Township School District (Pre-Kindergarten through grade 6), Northern Burlington County Regional School District (grades 7-12), and Pemberton Township School District (K-12). - This is a .mil site.

References

External links

* *
Go.MDL.com
– 87th Force Support Squadron {{DEFAULTSORT:Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Buildings and structures in Burlington County, New Jersey Buildings and structures in Ocean County, New Jersey Joint bases of the U.S. Department of Defense Military installations in New Jersey 2009 establishments in New Jersey Wrightstown, New Jersey New Hanover Township, New Jersey North Hanover Township, New Jersey Pemberton Township, New Jersey Springfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey Jackson Township, New Jersey Manchester Township, New Jersey Plumsted Township, New Jersey