Kirtland Air Force Base
Located just outside Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kirtland Air Force Base boasts a long history of nuclear weapons development that played a key role for the United States during the Cold War arms race.
The U.S. Army built the base in 1941 and called it Albuquerque Army Air Base. Shortly thereafter, the base adopted the name Kirtland Army Airfield in honor of Colonel Roy C. Kirtland, who was one of the Army's aeronautical pioneers during the early 20th century.
During World War II, Kirtland was home to the Army Air Corps Advanced Flying School where Army pilots learned how to fly B-17s, B-24s, and B-29s. After the war, the Army assigned Kirtland to the Air Material Command and began flight tests for the Manhattan Project.
In 1949, the U.S. Air Force renamed the base Kirtland Air Force Base, and it became the site of the Air Force Special Weapons Command, which later became the Air Force Special Weapons Center. Throughout the mid-twentieth century, Kirtland remained central to the United States nuclear weapon program. In 1963, the Air Force established the Air Force Weapons Laboratory on Kirtland.
In 1971, the three bases around Albuquerque, Kirtland, Sandia, and Manzano, merged into Kirtland Air Force Base, which made the site one of the largest bases in the United States. Since the merger, Kirtland remained integral to the country's nuclear weapons program, which continues to the present day.
Today, Kirtland is home to the Air Force Space and Technology Center, as well as the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. Kirtland Air Force Base has a relatively short history, but one that is central to understanding the United States nuclear ambitions from World War II to the present day.
