Historic California Posts, Camps,
Stations and Airfields
Los Angeles Air Force Base
(Los Angeles Air Force Station,
Air Force Plant 82 El Segundo)
US Army Corps
of Engineers History
Location:
Los Angeles Air Force Base (LA AFB) is located just south of
Los Angeles International Airport and less than a mile west of
the San Diego Freeway (I-405) in the city of El Segundo, a part
of Los Angeles County.
History:
LA AFB traces its history back to the Air Research and Development
Command's Western Development Division, which was activated July
1, 1954, in Inglewood, not far from our current location. The
activities of the Space Systems Division moved to the intersection
of Aviation and El Segundo Boulevards in the early 60’s,
and the property was designated Los Angeles Air Force Station
on April 10, 1964. The Space and Missile Systems Command’s
predecessors have remained at Los Angeles Air Force Station,
which was redesignated as Los Angeles Air Force Base in September,
1987. The base in El Segundo, which has no flightline, houses
the main installation. Fort MacArthur, which is located 20 mile
south of the main base, is actually part of Los Angeles Air Force
Base. For more information see LA AFB’s homepage.
Mission:
LA AFB is headquarters to the Space and Missile Systems Center
(SMC), part of Air Force Space Command. SMC is responsible for
research, development, acquisition, on-orbit testing and sustainment
of military space and missile systems. In addition to managing
Air Force space and missile programs, SMC participates in space
programs conducted by other U.S. military services, government
agencies and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies. SMC responds
to user needs by developing and acquiring space systems. After
launch and check-out, SMC turns these systems over to the appropriate
operating command. SMC also serves as the integrating center
for the Strategic Defense Initiative within AFMC. It monitors
progress in more than 70 Space Defense Initiative efforts throughout
AFMC. SMC itself has direct management responsibility for more
than half of these efforts.