Arizona is home to more than a dozen military bases spread across every branch of the armed forces, from major Air Force training centers to the Army’s largest weapons test range to a Navy observatory in the pines outside Flagstaff. Together they support roughly 78,000 jobs and generate over $15 billion in annual economic output for the state.1Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. Economic Impact of Arizona’s Principal Military Operations The state’s dry weather, open desert, and vast restricted airspace make it one of the most concentrated military training regions in the country.
Air Force Bases
Luke Air Force Base
Luke Air Force Base sits near Glendale in the Phoenix metro area and is the largest single-site F-16 base in the world. It is also one of two Air Force bases that train F-35 Lightning II pilots.2Luke Air Force Base. Luke AFB – MidAir Collision Avoidance Program More than a hundred F-16s are assigned here, and the F-35 fleet keeps growing. American and allied-nation pilots both cycle through Luke’s training pipeline.
The base has a strong international dimension. In 2025 it hosted defense attachés from 17 allied and partner nations to deepen cooperation on F-35 training, and Italian F-35A pilots already train alongside American aviators on site.3Luke Air Force Base. Defense Attaches Visit Luke
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson runs two very different missions. Its 355th Operations Group trains A-10C Thunderbolt II pilots for close air support, forward air control, and combat search and rescue, putting more than 100 students through formal qualification courses each year.4Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. 355th Operations Group The 55th Electronic Combat Group also flies out of Davis-Monthan, operating the EA-37B Compass Call aircraft for electronic warfare.5Air Combat Command. A Historic Milestone for the 55th Wing – EA-37B Roadshows Strengthen Pacific Partnerships
The base is best known to the public for the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, better known as AMARG or “the Boneyard.” Designated in 1964 as the single storage facility for all Department of Defense aircraft, AMARG holds thousands of retired military planes on the base’s southeast side, preserved in the dry desert air for potential reactivation, parts harvesting, or foreign military sales.6Hill Air Force Base. AMARG No other facility in the country performs this function.
Barry M. Goldwater Range
The Barry M. Goldwater Range covers 1.9 million acres of Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona, roughly the size of Connecticut. Above it sit 57,000 cubic miles of restricted airspace where pilots practice air-to-air maneuvers and hit simulated targets across nine air-to-ground and two air-to-air ranges.7944th Fighter Wing. Barry M. Goldwater Range Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Army units all use the range.8Bureau of Land Management. Departments of the Air Force and the Navy Apply to Extend and Expand Military Withdrawal for Barry M. Goldwater Range About 98 percent of weapons dropped there are inert practice bombs.
Army Installations
Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca sits in the southeastern corner of the state near Sierra Vista and is the Army’s primary center for military intelligence and network operations. It houses the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and the Network Enterprise Technology Command, training over 9,000 students per year in signals intelligence, cybersecurity, and related fields.9MilitaryINSTALLATIONS. Fort Huachuca At any given time the installation supports more than 5,600 military personnel, 8,000 civilians, and over 11,000 family members.
Fort Huachuca is also the main operating base for MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft and has long been one of the Army’s largest unmanned aerial systems training centers.10National Guard Bureau. Arizona Guard Advances Agile Combat Training with MQ-9 Reaper The surrounding desert and restricted airspace give drone operators the room they need for realistic flight training.
Yuma Proving Ground
Yuma Proving Ground covers more than 838,000 acres, over 1,300 square miles, making it one of the largest military test facilities on the planet. It features the longest overland artillery range in the country and nearly 2,000 square miles of restricted airspace.11U.S. Army. For Newcomers – Yuma Proving Ground The Army tests nearly every piece of ground combat equipment here, from body armor and ammunition to armored vehicles and long-range precision munitions. The site also supports joint service and international partner testing programs.12U.S. Army. U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground
Marine Corps and Navy
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma anchors Arizona’s aviation training infrastructure. With access to more than one million acres of bombing and training ranges and some of the best flying weather in the country, MCAS Yuma supports 80 percent of the Marine Corps’ air-to-ground aviation training.13Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. Welcome – Marine Corps Air Station Yuma The station is the base of operations for Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), which runs the elite Weapons and Tactics Instructor course, and Marine Aircraft Group 13.14MilitaryINSTALLATIONS. MCAS Yuma Both Marine Corps and Navy aviation units train here, taking advantage of the station’s proximity to the Barry M. Goldwater Range.
Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station
Arizona is landlocked, but the Navy maintains a permanent facility in the northern part of the state. The U.S. Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station, established in 1955 a few miles west of Flagstaff, is the Department of Defense’s national dark-sky observatory site for optical and near-infrared astronomy.15Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. The U.S. Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station The elevation, dry atmosphere, and distance from urban light pollution suit precise astronomical work that supports military navigation and timekeeping.16Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program. Naval Observatory Flagstaff Benefit Summary
National Guard and Reserve Sites
Camp Navajo
Camp Navajo, about 12 miles west of Flagstaff, covers 28,473 acres of heavily forested land and dates back to World War II, when it was built as one of the largest munitions depots in the country.17944th Fighter Wing. Camp Navajo Today it stores over $5 billion worth of rocket motors and munitions for the Navy and Air Force in 778 igloo-style magazines and 600,000 square feet of warehouse space.18Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. Camp Navajo It also serves as a training area for Army, Air Force, and Navy units, with maneuver courses, air-mobile operations, and drop zones.19U.S. Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program. Camp Navajo Project Profile
Arizona Air National Guard Wings
The Arizona Air National Guard fields two wings. The 161st Air Refueling Wing, based at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, flies aerial refueling missions.20Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. Arizona Air National Guard The 162nd Wing at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson has trained F-16 pilots from 25 countries and also performs a reconnaissance mission from nearby Davis-Monthan.21162nd Wing. 162nd Wing
Silverbell and Papago Park
The Western Army Aviation Training Site at Silverbell Army Heliport near Marana is one of the Army’s premier locations for attack and scout helicopter training. It trains more than 300 pilots annually from the Regular Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard, plus allied nations from Europe and Asia.22U.S. Air Force. Military Asset List 2015 Arizona Army National Guard Silverbell Army Heliport Papago Park Military Reservation in central Phoenix serves as the Joint Force Headquarters for the Arizona National Guard and houses support offices, the Arizona Military Museum, and the state’s ID card and personnel services center.23Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. Papago Park Reserve units from multiple branches are also embedded at Luke and Davis-Monthan.
Buying a Home Near an Arizona Military Base
Property near a military installation comes with disclosure rules that surprise some homebuyers. Arizona law requires sellers of residential real estate to give the buyer written notice before closing if the property falls within territory near a military airport or ancillary military facility, as mapped by the state land department.24Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-8484 – Military Airport Disclosure, Residential Property For Luke Air Force Base, that territory extends ten miles north, south, and west and four miles east of the main runway’s centerline, a zone that covers a large swath of the fast-growing West Valley.
Properties inside a high-noise contour or accident potential zone may face restrictions on future development. Vacant land near Luke, for instance, may not be approved for residential construction at all. The Arizona Department of Real Estate keeps a registry of maps showing military flight operations that buyers can request before making an offer. If you’re house-hunting west of Phoenix or near Tucson’s flight corridors, pull those maps before signing anything.
Visiting a Military Base as a Civilian
Since May 2025, all Department of Defense installations have required visitors to present a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, a U.S. passport, or another federally accepted credential. A star in the upper right corner of your license tells you it is compliant.25Defense Logistics Agency. Real ID Standards for Military Base Access
If your license is not compliant, you can still get on base by pairing it with a second acceptable credential such as a passport, a Transportation Worker ID Card, or a Veteran Health ID Card. Visitors without any qualifying identification will be denied unescorted access. Active-duty members, retirees, and dependents with DoD-issued ID cards are not affected; their military credentials remain valid on their own.