Ellsworth Air Force Base
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Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base, located about 7 miles (11 km) east of Rapid City, South Dakota and is home to the B-1B Lancer.
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Location
Ellsworth AFB is located at 44°8'15" North, 103°4'5" West (44.137471, -103.068123)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²). None of the area is covered with water.
Ellsworth AFB has been assigned the ZIP code 57706.
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Host Unit
The host unit for Ellsworth AFB is the 28th Bomb Wing and is assigned to 12th Air Force under Air Combat Command.
Mission
As home to the B-1B, the 28th Bomb Wing provides operational support in areas such as security forces, personnel and administration, civil engineering, communications, supply, transportation, chaplain, recreation and food services.
Ellsworth AFB controls all air space 40 miles (64 km) around its area, including all landings in nearby Rapid City, South Dakota.
Currently, Ellsworth AFB is one of three Air Force Bases that hosts Air Force ROTC summer Field Training Encampments.
History
The base was initially opened as the Rapid City Army Air Base in September 1942 and was a training base for the B-17 "Flying Fortress". In June 1953, the base was renamed Ellsworth Air Force Base in honor of Brig Gen Richard E. Ellsworth, commander of the 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, who was killed in March 1953 when his RB-36 crashed in Newfoundland. President Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicated the base in honor of Gen Ellsworth.
In 2004, pilots for a commercial Northwest Airlines flight mistakenly landed there instead of at the Rapid City airport.
Base Realignment and Closure
During the 2004 Senate race in South Dakota, Republican challenger John Thune made Ellsworth a campaign issue, stating in an April 16, 2004 appearance at the base that if he were elected over incumbent Democrat and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle: “It puts Ellsworth in a lot stronger position than having someone who's going to be in the minority and someone who doesn't have a relationship with the president of the U.S.” In a debate between the two men broadcast on KSFY and KOTA television on October 17, 2004, Thune said: "I think we have got to have somebody that has a relationship with the President of the United States, can work constructively across party lines in the congress to get this done if we're going save Ellsworth" and was later quoted in the "Rapid City Journal" newspaper on October 27, 2004 claiming that: "an all-Democratic congressional delegation would have little political influence if President Bush is elected to a second term.”
In campaigning in South Dakota for Thune, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on May 24, 2004 said of Daschle: "Who is the president going to listen to more? The majority leader of the Senate, who he works with on almost a daily basis, or a senator from another party who every day is saying things on the floor that demonstrate a lack of support?" also adding: “This time around, the president is appointing who's on that BRAC commission, all of them."
Thune defeated Daschle with 51% of the vote in the election and President Bush was elected to a second term. Nevertheless, on May 13 2005, the Department of Defense recommended that Ellsworth Air Force Base be closed. This may be subject to change by the Base Realignment and Closure commission, the President of the United States and the United States Congress. The president is expected to make his decision on the commission's list by September 23, 2005. Thune is currently working to remove Ellsworth from the closure list, and in protest stated he would vote against confirmation of the President's nominee for United Nations Ambassador, John Bolton.
Nearby Installations
There are no nearby major military installations close to Ellsworth, although Rapid City is the home of Camp Rapid, the headquarters for the South Dakota National Guard
External links
Ellsworth Air Force Base Public Website (http://www.ellsworth.af.mil) Template:Mapit-US-cityscale