The Joint Forces Training Base (JFTB) is located in Los Alamitos, California, US. Primarily used as an Army airfield, JFTB Los Alamitos provides support and training facilities for military units and other national, state and local organisations.
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The base is spread over an area of 566ha. Strategically located on the West Coast of the US, it serves as a vital embarkation / disembarkation point in support of the training and mobilisation of the troops and US Department of Defence (DoD) missions.
Joint Forces Training Base history
The US Navy purchased the land at Los Alamitos for the Naval Air Station (NAS) in 1940. The NAS Los Alamitos was commissioned in May 1942. It was used for aviation training by the Navy during WWII. It became one of the key naval station of the US Navy following the expansion in 1945.
The Naval Air Station supported the Naval Reserve Aviation activities after the war. It received the first jet FJ-1 Fury in November 1949 and the first helicopter unit in January 1952. It was the largest Naval Air Reserve installation on the West Coast during the 1950s-1960s.
NAS Los Alamitos was transferred to the Army in 1973 and the base operations came under the control of California Army National Guard.
The Los Alamitos Armed Force Reserve Centre was renamed the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Centre in July 2000.
Garrison facilities
JFTB Los Alamitos employs over 800 military, civilian and contract personnel who support the base operations, services and training activities. Over 2,000 guardsmen and reserve forces also conduct training at the base.
JFTB offers lodging, conference, and morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) facilities for the troops. Accommodation is provided in guest houses, suites, single officers’ quarters and Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (BEQ).
The base houses the headquarters of the 63rd Regional Support Command (RSC) and the California Army National Guard’s 40th Infantry division (Mechanized). Various other National Guard and US Army Reserve units are stationed too.
JFTB also supports the US Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR), Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the US Army, the State of California’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) and other National Guard and Army Reserve units.
Air facilities
Los Alamitos is the largest Army Airfield operated by the National Guard Bureau (NGB). The airfield has two all-weather runways. The runway 4R/22L measures 8,000ft-long and the runway 4L/22R measures 5,900ft-long. The runways can handle most of the US Army aircraft and often accommodates C-5, C-17, C-141 aircraft, DOD charter airlift, NASA missions, fighter aircraft, Boeing 747, Air Force One and the USMC Presidential Helicopter Flight Detachment (HMX-1).
The 40th Aviation Brigade operates about 30 helicopters including OH-58C Scouts, UH-1H Hueys and UH-60 Blackhawks. Numerous C-12 aircraft assigned to the US Army Reserve are also stationed at the airfield. The Department of Agriculture operates about 12 aircraft from the base.
The airfield is equipped with an air traffic control tower, crash rescue, aviation fuel depot, refuelling facilities and Weather Office. It also operates a full motion UH-1 flight simulator. It has a ramp space for up to 10 C-5 aircraft.
Training facilities
The JFTB Los Alamitos is equipped with a range of training facilities. The major simulators at the base include Engagement Skills Trainer (EST 2000), Virtual Convoy Operations Trainer (VCOT), HMMWV Egress Assistance Trainer (HEAT), Laser Marksmanship Training System (LMTS) and Close Combat Tactical Trainer (CCTT).
EST 2000 provides simulated training on rifles, pistols, machine guns, shotguns, anti-tank and grenade launchers. The VCOT system provides vehicle driver, commander, gunner and observer soldiers with simulated environment. HEAT provides the necessary training to survive the roll-over.
LMTS allows units to carry out individual marksmanship training using NBC equipment.
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