Goodfellow Air Force Base is situated 6.4km south-east of downtown San Angelo in Texas, in the US. It is a non-flying base which carries out cryptologic and intelligence training for the US Armed Forces. The base is owned by the United States Air Force (USAF) and operated by the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). Approximately 5,000 military personnel reside here.
History of the United States Air Force base
Goodfellow air force base was established in August 1940 under the designation San Angelo Air Corps Flying School. Built on a 1,002 acre site, the base was ready for occupation by January 1941.
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It was renamed as Goodfellow Field in June 1941 in the honour of World War I martyr John Goodfellow. The field was designated as Goodfellow air force base in January 1948.
Air training command (ATC) used to provide training for pilots at the base between 1941 and 1958. The base operations were shifted from the ATC to the USAF Security Service (USAFSS) in September 1958. The USAFSS trained airmen in modern cryptologic skills required for security services.
The BOQ and airmen dormitory project was completed in 1972. The cryptographic training facility was built in March 1974. The flying activities were terminated in March 1975. A medical facility was constructed in December 1977.
The operations of the base were, however, reverted to the ATC in July 1978. The base became a technical training centre in March 1985. The ATC was superseded by the AETC in 1992 as part of an organisational restructuring of the USAF.
New constructions at the Goodfellow non-flying base
The US Department of Defence awarded an $11.3m design-bid-build (DBB) contract to Peter R. Brown Construction in August 2010 to build a 50,000ft² joint intelligence technical training facility at the base.
The facility will feature a concrete floor slab, masonry veneer walls, bathymetry mechanical, fire protection, security, electrical and communication systems. It is expected to be completed in 2012.
Expansion of the Mathis Fitness Center worth $5.8m began in November 2009 and was completed in March 2011. The expansion increased the size of the centre by 15,500ft² to a total of 46,200ft², supplying 142 new pieces of exercise equipment which include cardio machines, free weights and selectorized weights.
Construction of a three-storey, 200-room student pipeline dormitory began in November 2009 and was completed in June 2011. A $29m dormitory was built on a 110,000ft² site to house 400 airmen.
A three-storey dormitory is being built at the base at a cost of $12.8m. It is a 3,000ft² V-shaped facility which will feature 100 units to accommodate 200 airmen. Construction of the dormitory began in August 2010 and will be completed in 2012. J.A. LaSorsa and Associates installed Technical and Audio Security Countermeasure (TSCM) systems at the base.
Garrison facilities at Goodfellow air force base
The headquarters of the 17th Training Wing (17 TRW) is deployed at the Goodfellow air force base. Activated at the base in July 1993, the 17 TRW provides intelligence training to the US Armed Forces, firefighters and other allied forces.
The wing is organised into four groups, including the 17th Training Group, 17th Medical Group, 17th Mission Support Group and 517th Training Group.
Other tenant units include the Texas Air National Guard, 217th Training Squadron, 344th Military Intelligence Battalion, Center for Cryptology (navy), a Marine Corps detachment and a Department of Transportation tyre-testing facility.
Air Facilities and other features of the Texan USAF base
The Goodfellow air force base features three 1,700m long runways surfaced with concrete. The runways were expanded to accommodate T-37 and T-38 Talon aircraft.
They can accommodate AT-6 Texans, T-28 Trojans, TB-25s, B-25 Mitchells, the RQ-4 Global Hawk, Cessna U-3 Administrators, DeHavilland U-6 Beavers, Piasecki H-21, CH-21 and HH-21 Workhorse helicopters and Cessna O-2 Skymasters.
The Goodfellow air force base provides education, intelligence training, temporary lodging, accommodation, child care and medical care facilities. It has dining halls, swimming pools, a movie theatre, a crossroads chapel fellowship centre, a physical fitness centre and a commissary.
