Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Near Dayton, Ohio in United States
A Boeing C-17A Globemaster III of the 445th Airlift Wing based at Wright-Patterson AFB
Wright-Patterson AFB Show map of Ohio Wright-Patterson AFB Show map of the United States
Coordinates	39°49′23″N 084°02′58″W / 39.82306°N 84.04944°W / 39.82306; -84.04944 (Wright-Patterson AFB)
Type	US Air Force Base
Site information
Owner	Department of Defense
Operator	US Air Force
Controlled by	Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC)
Condition	Operational
Website	www.wpafb.af.mil
Site history
Built	1917 (1917)
In use	1917 – present
Events	Dayton Agreement (1995) US Air Force Marathon (1997 – present)
Garrison information
Current commander	Colonel Travis W. Pond (Interim)
Garrison	88th Air Base Wing (Host)
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: FFO, ICAO: KFFO, FAA LID: FFO, WMO: 745700
Elevation	250.8 metres (823 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 5L/23R 3,840.4 metres (12,600 ft) Porous European Mix 5R/23L 2,133.6 metres (7,000 ft) Asphalt
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) (IATA: FFO, ICAO: KFFO, FAA LID: FFO) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is approximately 16 kilometres (10 mi) northeast of Dayton; Wright Field is approximately 8.0 kilometres (5 mi) northeast of Dayton.

The host unit at Wright-Patterson AFB is the 88th Air Base Wing (88 ABW), assigned to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and Air Force Materiel Command. The 88 ABW operates the airfield, maintains all infrastructure and provides security, communications, medical, legal, personnel, contracting, finance, transportation, air traffic control, weather forecasting, public affairs, recreation and chaplain services for more than 60 associate units. The National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) is also garrisoned there and is the Air Force and Defense Department's primary organization for strategic air and space threat analysis.

The base's origin begins with the establishment of Wilbur Wright Field on May 22, 1917 and McCook Field in November 1917, both established by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps as World War I installations. McCook was used as a testing field and for aviation experiments. Wright was used as a flying field (renamed Patterson Field in 1931); Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot; armorers' school, and a temporary storage depot. McCook's functions were transferred to Wright Field when it was closed in October 1927.^[2] Wright-Patterson AFB was established in 1948 as a merger of Patterson and Wright Fields.

In 1995, negotiations to end the Bosnian War were held at the base, resulting in the Dayton Agreement, ending the war.

The 88th Air Base Wing is commanded by Col. Travis W. Pond on an interim basis due to the removal of Col. Christopher B. Meeker who was relieved due to a loss of confidence in his ability to lead.^[3] Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Lloyd E. Morales.^[4] The base had a total of 27,406 military, civilian and contract employees in 2010.^[5] The Greene County portion of the base is a census-designated place (CDP), with a resident population of 1,821 at the 2010 census.^[6]