Location
Dover Air Force Base is located two miles southeast of Dover, Delaware. It is home to the 436th Airlift Wing (aka “Eagle Wing”) and the AF Reserve associate – 512th Airlift Wing (aka “Liberty Wing). Together, they make up the “Dover Team.”
Home to the C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, the Eagle Wing flies hundreds of missions throughout the world and provides 25 percent of the Nation’s strategic airlift capability, projecting global reach to over 100 countries around the globe.
History
The origins of Dover Air Force Base begin in March 1941 when the United States Army Air Corps indicated a need for the airfield as a training airfield and assumed jurisdiction over the municipal airport at Dover, Delaware.
In March 1941, the construction of Municipal Airport, Dover Airdrome began and the facility was opened on December 17, 1941. It was converted to an Army Air Corps airfield a few weeks after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. It was renamed Dover Army Airbase on April 8, 1943; Dover Subbase on June 6, 1943 and Dover Army Airfield on February 2, 1944. With the establishment of the United States Air Force on September 18, 1947, the facility was renamed Dover Air Force Base on January 13, 1948.
Mission
The 436th Airlift Wing is the active duty military host unit at Dover Air Force Base, which provides command and staff supervision, along with support functions, for assigned airlift providing worldwide movement of outsized cargo and personnel on scheduled, special assignment, exercise and contingency airlift missions.
The “Eagle Wing” is a subordinate of Eighteenth Air Force headquartered with the Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. The Eagle Wing consists of operations, maintenance, mission support and medical groups and 14 staff divisions. The wing has more than 4,000 active-duty military and civilian employees.
Home to the C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, the Eagle Wing flies hundreds of missions throughout the world and provides 25 percent of the Nation’s strategic airlift capability, projecting global reach to over 100 countries around the globe.
Dover AFB operates the largest and busiest air freight terminal in the Department of Defense and is also home to the Air Mobility Command Museum, which welcomes thousands of visitors each year. The Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs is the DOD’s largest joint-service mortuary facility and the only one located in the continental United States.
The Dover Team’s mission is to provide strategic global airlift capability. In order to accomplish their mission, Dover AFB also houses the world’s largest aerial port, which moves more cargo than Federal Express and UPS combined. The port mortuary is the largest in the Department of Defense and plays a vital role as a place of honor where the remains of DOD personnel killed overseas are received.
Population Served
There are more than 4,200 military, and 1,200 civilians and 2,500 reservists who work at Dover AFB. They are actively involved in a variety of off-base activities, and a strong base-community program provides a forum and spirit for military and civilian cooperation at all levels. A mutually-beneficial relationship has always existed between base personnel and the citizens of the peninsula.
Contact
Airman & Family Readiness Center – (302) 677-6930
Air Mobility Command Museum – (302) 677-5938
Arts & Crafts Center – (302) 677-3246
Barber Shop – (302) 677-6344
Base Exchange – (302) 674-4862
Base Operator – (302) 677-3000
Base Pool – (302) 677-3558
Base Theater – (302) 677-6890
Bowling Alley – (302) 677-3950
Child Development Center – (302) 677-3716
Commissary – (302) 677-4189
Community Center – (302) 677-3107
Dental Clinic – (302) 677-2846
Dining Facility – (302) 677-3926
Education Center – (302) 677-4619
Fitness Center – (302) 677-3962
Gas station- (302) 677-4446
Golf course – (302) 677-2988
Golf course dining – (302) 677-6038
Housing Office – (302) 677-6969
Information, Tickets & Travel – (302) 677-6772
Legal Assistance – (302) 677-3300
Library – (302) 677-3992
Lodging – (302) 677-2841
Medical Clinic – (302) 730-4633 or (302) 677-2858
Military Clothing Store – (302) 674-3512
Newspaper – (302) 677-3372
Outdoor Recreation – (302) 677-3959
Pass & ID – (302) 677-4541
Post Office – Civilian (302) 677-6195 / Military (302) 677-6387
Retiree Services – (302) 677-4612
Shoppette – (302) 674-3551
Space A Travel – (302) 677-4088
Tactical Gear Shop – (302) 526-2787
Tim Horton’s – (302) 883-2144
The Landings Club – (302) 677-6024
Traffic Management Office – (302) 677-4377
USO Delaware – (302) 677-2491 or (302) 677-6905
Veterinarian Services – (302) 677-5252
Visitor Center – (302) 677-3645
Youth Services – (302) 677-6373