River Region Military Footprint

The 42nd Air Base Wing (42 ABW) provides all base operating infrastructure and services support for 42,000 active duty, reserve, civilian, contract personnel, students, and families at Maxwell AFB and Gunter Annex.  The 42 ABW directly supports Air University, the 908th Flying Training Wing, the Air Force Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate, the Defense Information Systems Agency, the 26th Network Operations Squadron, and more than 40 other mission partners.

Air University (AU), a major component of Air Education and Training Command, is the largest tenent on Maxwell AFB and is comprised of approximately 4,000 military and civilian personnel. AU is responsible for Air Force enlisted and officer professional military education, professional continuing education, and graduate education, as well as officer commissioning through Officer Training School and the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Air University graduates more than 32,000 resident and 73,000 non-resident officers, enlisted, and civilian personnel each year and awarded 12,450 associate degrees, 626 masters degrees, and 18 PhDs in FY22.

The Air Force Business and Enterprise Systems (BES) Directorate, located on Gunter Annex, is an Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center directorate. BES’s mission is to acquire, operate, sustain, and enable enterprise IT capabilities, while accelerating the modernization of infrastructure to support the warfighter. BES comprises 2,100 people with an annual portfolio value of $1 billion between over 140 mission, combat support, logistics and infrastructure programs. Business Enterprise Services Product Innovation (BESPIN), is an rapidly emerging BES component and operates as an Air Force Software Factory located in downtown Montgomery. With expertise in software development, security, and operations, BESPIN includes a human-centered design studio, a cloud engineering team, an accredited CI/CD pipeline, and several mobile and web app design teams.

The 26th Network Operations Squadron (26 NOS) is also located on Gunter Annex. The 26th NOS is responsible for maintaining and securing Air Force information systems and delivers persistent defensive cyberspace operations, DoD information network operations, and cyber security service provider support to the Air Force and Space Force.

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), at Gunter Annex, reports directly to the Air Force Chief Information Officer and provides information technology and communications support to the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, the military services, the combatant commands, and any individual or system contributing to the defense of the United States.

The 908th Flying Training Wing (908 FTW) is Alabama’s only Air Force Reserve wing. The 908^th recently transitioned from a fixed-wing tactical airlift mission to a rotary-wing flight training mission for the Air Force’s new MH-139 helicopters. The MH-139 Grey Wolf is a multi-mission aircraft, based on the proven commercial AW-139, and is designed to protect intercontinental ballistic missiles and transport U.S. government officials and security forces. The last of the Wing’s C-130H cargo aircraft departed in April 2022, and the first of the new helicopters arrived in 2024 and the remaining aircraft are expected to arrive by 2027.

The Alabama National Guard’s Headquarters is located in the state’s capital of Montgomery. The Alabama National Guard has two major commands: Army National Guard and Air National Guard and it’s one of the top employers in the state with over 20,040 jobs and over $46 million in state government revenue.

The Alabama National Guard’s 187th Fighter Wing (187 FW) is located at Dannelly Field near Montgomery. The Wing is receiving its new F-35 fleet and expects its final aircraft to arrive in 2025. Long anticipated by the Montgomery-River Region, the Wing’s F-35 Lightning II aircraft features the latest stealth, combat, and reconnaissance technology. The Wing's 100th Fighter Squadron (100 FS) is descended from the 100th Fighter Squadron of the Tuskegee Airmen “Redtails” who distinguished themselves with their bravery and heroism during World War II. The tails of some F-35s are painted red today to remember and pay tribute to that heritage.