| Beale Air Force Base | |
|---|---|
| Part of Air Combat Command (ACC) | |
| Located near: Marysville, California | |
Avionics specialists with the 12th Aircraft Maintenance Unit prepare a Global Hawk for a runway taxi test at Beale AFB |
|
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1948-Present |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Garrison | 9th Reconnaissance Wing |
| Airfield information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: BAB – ICAO: KBAB – FAA LID: BAB | |||
| Summary | |||
| Elevation AMSL | 113 ft / 34 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 15/33 | 12,000 | 3,658 | Concrete |
| Sources: official site[1] and FAA[2] | |||
Beale Air Force Base (AFB) (IATA: BAB, ICAO: KBAB, FAA LID: BAB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately 8 miles (13 km) east of Marysville, California. Originally known as Camp Beale.
The host unit at Beale is the 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) assigned to the Air Combat Command and part of Twelfth Air Force. The 9 RW collects intelligence essential for Presidential and Congressional decisions critical to the national defense. To accomplish this mission, the wing is equipped with the nation's fleet of U-2 Dragon Lady, RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, and the MC-12 Liberty reconnaissance aircraft and associated support equipment. The wing also maintains a high state of readiness in its combat support and combat service support forces for potential deployment in response to theater contingencies.
Beale AFB was established in 1942 as Camp Beale and is named for Edward Fitzgerald Beale (1822–1893), an American Navy Lieutenant and a Brigadier General in the California Militia who was an explorer and frontiersman in California. It became a United States Air Force base on 1 April 1951. The 9 RW is commanded by Brigadier General Paul H McGillicuddy. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Robert White.
Beale AFB is home of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, and is also considered by many to be one of the show places of the United States Air Force. A base steeped in history, it is in the forefront of the Air Force’s future in high technology. Beale is located outside of Linda, about 10 miles (16 km) east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City and about 40 miles (64 km) north of Sacramento, the state capital. Beale is a large base in terms of land and has five gates providing access on all sides of the base. Visitors enter the base through a main gate that local merchants, individuals and the Beale Military Liaison Committee donated $100,000 to construct. The base, covering nearly 23,000 acres (93 km2), is home for approximately 4,000 military personnel.
Beale Air Force Base spans 23,000 acres (93 km2) of rolling hills in northern California. The base's natural resources are as rich as its significant cultural and historical heritage. Native Americans lived on this land; the mortar bowls they carved into the bedrock lie embedded in a shallow stream. German prisoners of war were held captive on the base during World War II; a block of barred prison cells still stands at the base, and the drawings of the POWs remain vivid on the walls of the prison cells. To preserve these and other historic areas, the base proudly maintains 38 Native American sites, 45 homestead sites, and 41 World War II sites
The 9th Reconnaissance Wing is composed of four groups at Beale and various overseas operating locations.
The base is named for Edward Fitzgerald Beale (1822–1893), an American Navy Lieutenant and a Brigadier General in the California Militia who was an explorer and frontiersman in California.
In 1940, the "Camp Beale" area consisted of grassland and rolling hills and the 19th century mining town of Spenceville. Then Marysville city officials encouraged the Department of War to establish a military facility in the area. The U.S. government purchased 87,000 acres (350 km2) in 1942 for a training post for the 13th Armored Division, the only unit of its kind to be entirely trained in California. Camp Beale also held training facilities for the 81st and 96th Infantry Division, a 1,000-bed hospital, and a prisoner of war camp. Dredge materials from the area's abandoned gold mines were used to build streets at the Camp.
As a complete training environment, Camp Beale had tank maneuvers, mortar and rifle ranges, a bombardier-navigator training, and chemical warfare classes. During World War II, Camp Beale had 60,000 personnel. It also housed a POW camp for German POWs, and served as the main camp for a series of satellite POW camps around northern California.
In 1948, Camp Beale became Beale AFB, its mission being to train bombardier navigators in radar techniques. Beale AFB established six bombing ranges of 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) each and the U.S. Navy also used Beale for training. From 1951 on, Beale trained Aviation Engineers and ran an Air Base Defense School. These additional activities led to rehabilitation of existing base facilities and construction of rifle, mortar, demolition, and machine gun ranges.
In 1952 Beale AFB was placed in inactive status for conversion to an operational airbase. Headquarters, Aviation Engineer Force administered the base for the next six years while a runway was laid down, and appropriate support facilities (hangars, maintenance shops, warehouses, barracks, and other infrastructure was laid out and constructed. The 2275th Air Base Squadron was the coordinating organization during the construction period. Also in 1952, Beale stopped being used as a bombing range and the U.S. Government declared portions of Camp Beale/Beale AFB as excess, eventually transferring out 60,805 acres (246.07 km2).
Eventually excess land from the former Army Camp was sold off to the public. On December 21, 1959, 40,592 acres (164.27 km2) on the eastern side of the Base were sold at auction. An additional 11,213 acres (45.38 km2) was transferred to the State of California between 1962 and 1964, and now comprise the Spenceville Wildlife and Recreation Area. In 1964-1965, another 9,000 acres (36 km2) were sold at auction. In deeds for the former Camp Beale property, the Federal Government recommended that the property have surface use only.[3]
In 1959 Air Defense Command (ADC) established a Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Data Center (DC-18) was established at Beale AFB. The SAGE system was a network linking Air Force (and later FAA) General Surveillance Radar stations into a centralized center for Air Defense, intended to provide early warning and response for a Soviet nuclear attack. The Ground Air Transmitting Receiving (GATR) Site (R-18) for communications was located at , approximately 1.1 miles souh-southwest from the SAGE building. Normally the GATR site was connected by a pair of buried telephone cables, with a backup connection of dual telephone cables overhead.
DC-18 was initially under the San Francisco Air Defense Sector (SFADS), established on on 15 February 1959. DC-18 and the SFADS was inactivated on 1 August 1963 as part of an ADC consolidation and reorganization, with its assigned units assigned to other ADC Sectors. The GATR was reassigned to Mill Valley AFS (Z-38) as an annex designated OL-A, 666th Radar Squadron. Today the large SAGE building is now building 2145, housing the 9th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron; the GATR was inactivated in 1980 and the building is now part of a Skeet-shooting range.
On 8 February 1959, Strategic Air Command established Beale as an operational USAF base. It activated the 4126th Strategic Wing to disburse its B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to destroy the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.
In May 1959, Colonel (later General) Paul K. Carlton assumed command of the recently activated 4126th Strategic Wing. The first two KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft arrived two months later on 7 July 1959 as part of the 903d Air Refueling Squadron. On 18 January 1960, the 31st Bombardment Squadron with its B-52E Stratofortresses arrived at Beale to become part of the wing. The 14th Air Division (14 AD) moved to Beale from Travis Air Force Base one week later.
Half of the aircraft were maintained on 15 minute alert, fully fueled, armed, and ready for combat. SAC Strategic Wings were considered a provisional unit by HQ, USAF and could not carry a permanent history or lineage. Beginning in 1961, the wing transitioned from B-52E to B-52G aircraft.
On 30 January 1959, the Air Force announced plans to conduct surveys in the vicinity of Beale to determine the feasibility for missile bases. On September 17, Col. Paul Calton, Commander of Beale's 4126th Strategic Wing, announced that the base would be the fifth HGM-25A Titan I missile installation. Three complexes with three weapons each (3 x 3) were located 25 miles southwest, 37 miles west, and 71 miles northwest of Beale near the respective communities of Lincoln, Live Oak, and Chico.
The Air Force activated the 851st Strategic Missile Squadron (Titan I) on April 1, 1961. The first missile was moved to the 4A complex at Lincoln on February 28, 1962, where workers had difficulty placing the missile in the silo. Follow-on missile installations went smoothly and the last missile was lowered into Chico complex 4C on April 20, 1962.
On May 24, 1962, during a contractor checkout, a blast rocked launcher 1 at complex 4C at Chico, destroying a Titan I and causing heavy damage to the silo. After the investigation, the Air Force concluded that the two separate explosions occurred because of a blocked vent and blocked valve. On June 6, a flash fire at another silo killed a worker.
In September 1962, the 851st SMS became the last Titan I Squadron to achieve alert status. After damages were repaired, the Chico complex became operational on March 9, 1963. Two months after the squadron became fully operational, SAC subjected the unit to an Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI). The 851st SMS became the first Titan I unit to pass.
On May 16, 1964, Defense Secretary McNamara directed the accelerated phaseout of the Atlas and Titan I ICBMs. On January 4, 1965, the first Beale Titan I was taken off alert status. Within 3 months, the 851st Strategic Missile Squadron was deactivated.
In 1962, in order to retain the lineage of its MAJCOM 4-digit combat units and to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious World War II records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its MAJCOM strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate AFCON units, most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history.
The 4126th SW was redesignated as the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing (456th SAW) on 1 February 1963 in a name-only redesigation and was assigned to SAC's Fifteenth Air Force, 14th Strategic Aerospace Division. The 456th SAW was placed on operational status upon activation with the 31st BS being redesignated as the 744th Bombardment Squadron, the wing's former World War II bomb squadron. The 903d ARS and 851st SMS designations were unchanged, however component support units were redesignated to the 456th numerical designation of the newly-established wing. As under the Tri-Deputate organization, all operational components were directly assigned to the wing, no operational group element was activated.
The 456th SAW continued the mission of strategic bombardment and missile readiness training. The wing’s bombardment and air refueling squadrons frequently deployed aircraft and crews to meet USAF requirements, often having nearly all of the resources of the wing scattered around the world at various operating locations. In 1963 the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing was featured as the fictional 904th Strategic Aerospace Wing in the Hollywood film production A Gathering of Eagles, with the Air Force, SAC and the wing providing maximum support to the Universal Studios film crews.
In July 1965 the wing was redesignated the 456th Bombardment Wing, Heavy with the inactivation of the Titan I Missile squadron but continued to fly the B-52 and KC-135. During the 1960s and 1970s, SAC used various Air Force bases for dispersal. As part of this effort, the 456th Bombardment Wing at Beale deployed its Detachment 1 to Hill AFB, Utah. A $2 million alert facility large enough to accommodate seven B-52 and KC-135 aircraft was constructed and the first of four B-52s assigned there arrived on 28 December 1973. Det 1 was activated 1 January 1973 and discontinued on 1 July 1975.
The 456th BW was inactivated on 30 September 1975, and its equipment and personnel were redesignated as the 17th Bombardment Wing, Heavy when the senior unit was inactivated at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. This was part of a consolidation of resources after the Vietnam War due to budget cuts, and the desire by HQ SAC to keep the senior unit on active duty.
At Beale, the 17th continued global strategic bombardment alert to 30 June 1976 when it was inactivated as part of the phaseout of the B-52 at Beale. The wing's KC-135 tanker aircraft were subsequently reassigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing, which SAC moved to Beale from Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, as part of SAC's phaseout from Davis-Monthan. The mission of the 100th ARW was primarily primarily to refuel SR-71s of the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. Concurrent with this action the 100th's U-2 aircraft at Davis-Monthan would merge with the 9 SRW and its SR-71 operations at Beale. The first U-2 arrived from Davis-Monthan on 12 July 1976, and until 26 January 1990, when budget restrictions forced the retirement of the SR-71, Beale was the home of two of the world’s most unusual aircraft.
The 100 ARW remained at Beale until 15 March 1983 its assets absorbed by the senior 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, which became a composite wing under the one-base, one-wing concept.[4]
On 1 July 1979, the 7th Missile Warning Squadron (7 MWS) brought a Precision Acquisition Vehicle Entry Phased Array Warning System (PAVE PAWS) radar site to Beale, a Protection Level 1, 10-story structure that can detect possible attack by land-based and sea-launched ballistic missiles. A large three-sided structure, the PAVE PAWS hosted two large AN/FPS-115 phased-array radar antennas.
Located in a cantonment area on the outskirts of Beale, the 7 MWS is now an Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) unit and it primarily uses its PAVE PAWS radar to detect submarine launched ballistic missiles and disintegrating spacecraft and space debris. Mock missile attacks, site emergencies and simulated equipment failures also keep the Canadian and American crew busy. 9th Security Forces Squadron provide security for the PAVE PAWS restricted area.
In the early 1970s SAC began to consolidate it's B-52 assets as the age of the manned bomber was reduced with the advent of Intercontinental Strategic Ballistic Missiles. In addition, by 1966 the cost of the Vietnam War was forcing a review of the Defense Budget and by consolidating the strategic bomber force, also retiring older Stratofortresses, a significant cost reduction could be achieved.
On 15 October 1964, the Department of Defense announced that Beale would be the home of the new, supersonic reconnaissance aircraft, the SR-71 Blackbird. The provisional 4200th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (4200 SRW) activated on 1 Janunary 1965 in preparation for the realignment, and the new wing received its first aircraft, a T-38 Talon, on 8 July 1965. The first SR-71 did not arrive until 7 January 1966. The SR-71 was developed from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s for the Central Intelligence Agency by the Lockheed Skunk Works as a black project. During reconnaissance missions the SR-71 operated at high speeds and altitudes to allow it to outrace threats; if a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, standard evasive action was simply to accelerate.
With the arrival of the SR-71, the strategic bombardment mission at Beale was phased down, being replaced by the Strategic Reconnaissance mission. The 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was moved from Mountain Home AFB, Idaho and reassigned to Beale on 25 June 1966. The 9th RW has been the host unit at Beale to the current day.
With the activation of the 9th SRW at Beale, the wing absorbed the assets of the provisional 4200th SW. This allowed it to stay with the 14th Strategic Aerospace Division. The wing performed strategic reconnaissance in Southeast Asia beginning in 1968, frequently deploying the SR-71 to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa where it operated over areas of the Pacific and Asia. The wing provided photographic intelligence for the Son Tay prison camp raid named Operation Ivory Coast, in North Vietnam, November 1970. After the Vietnam War, the SR-71 established a level-flight-at-altitude record at 85,131 feet and a straight-course speed record of 2,194 mph.
On July 1, 1976, the U-2 joined the SR-71 in the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing giving the unit two of the most unique aircraft in the world. The "Dragon Lady" had gained national and international recognition with flights over the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, and Southeast Asia. The U-2 was the perfect complement to the SR-71. The Blackbird could penetrate highly-defended areas, take a "quick look," and depart at high speeds. The Dragon Lady could spend more time "on-station" and furnish a "long look" at the desired target.
The U-2 was also much less expensive to fly. In 1989, the Air Force decided the SR-71 was too expensive to operate and retired the Blackbird on January 1, 1990. Although it made a brief revival in the mid-1990s, today the aircraft is again retired.
In 1990-91, the wing deployed the largest contingent of U-2s ever to Saudi Arabia to support Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM. The Dragon Lady tracked Iraqi troop and armor buildups, assessed bomb damage, and monitored a massive oil spill in the Persian Gulf. U-2 pilots alerted ground stations of Scud missile launches and guided fighter aircraft to destroy Scud launchers. After the Gulf War, the U-2 stayed in Saudi Arabia to monitor Iraqi compliance with the peace agreement. In 1998, the Dragon Lady set a weight-to-altitude record and in 1999 won the Collier Trophy, aviation's most coveted award.
On 1 September 1991, the 14th Air Division (14 AD) inactivated and the 2nd Air Force (2 AF), with a lineage stretching back to World War II, activated at Beale. Following the disestablishment of Strategic Air Command (SAC), 2 AF inactivated on 1 July 1993 and reactivated at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi as part of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) the same day.
The 9 SRW was transferred to the newly established Air Combat Command (ACC) and was redesignated as the 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RQW), operating the U-2 and T-38 Talon, while its KC-135Q tanker assets and 350th Air Refueling Squadron (350 ARS) were transferred to the newly established Air Mobility Command (AMC)
In 2001, the historic 12th Reconnaissance Squadron joined the wing as the parent unit for the RQ-4 Global Hawk. An unmanned, remotely piloted high-altitude reconnaissance platform, the Global Hawk can linger over a target for 24 hours. In 2008, Beale received the Block 20 model.
In July 1994, the 350 ARS transferred from Beale to McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, taking the last of the KC-135Q tankers with it. Tanker aircraft returned to Beale in 1998 when the 940th Air Refueling Wing (940 ARW), an Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) unit operationally gained by AMC, transferred to Beale with its KC-135R aircraft following the closure of its former home station, Mather AFB, California because of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 1988 action.
Under the subsequent BRAC 2005, the 940 ARW's KC-135R aircraft were realigned and the last aircraft departed Beale by the end of 2008 as the 940th converted to an associate reconnaissance wing mission in partnership with the 9 RW, operating the RQ-4 Global Hawk.[5]
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The 851st Strategic Missile Squadron operated three HGM-25A Titan I ICBM sites: (1 Feb 1961-25 Mar 1965)
Today, all three sites remain in various states of abandonment. Site "A" is being encroached by newly-built single-family homes as the suburbs of Lincoln; the underground structures (approximately 30 acres) of the facility is currently owned by Placer County who uses the site to store and maintain road maintenance equipment. Since the site was deactivated, groundwater has inundated the facility, flooding the underground spaces. Site B, located in a rural area, is remarkably well-preserved with all three launch silos still capped and what appears to be the concrete control center still standing.
Site "C" was the location of two 1962 accidents. On 24 May during a contractor checkout, a terrific blast rocked launcher 1 at the complex, destroying a Titan I and causing heavy damage to the silo. On 6 June trouble again struck as a flash fire at another silo killed a worker. After the investigation, the Air Force concluded that the two separate explosions occurred because of a blocked vent and blocked valve. The silo was repaired and put back into operational service. Today, the site has all three launch silos capped, but some development has taken place on the launch area with a retention pond, some trees, and some single-story buildings being erected. It appears to be in use for some type of quarrying/grading material which is transported to construction sites in the Chico area.
The Worlds fastest manned jet aircraft, the SR-71 Blackbird operated out of Beale for nearly 25 years. The SR-71 used a special fuel in its P&W Pratt & Whitney J-58 Engines called JP-7.
JP-7 used a caesium (cesium) containing compound known as A-50, which aided in disguising the radar signature of the exhaust plume. Cesium is the highly dangerous and toxic heavy metal element #55, many forms are dangerously radioactive and listed on the CIA's list as a potential terrorist weapon.
The SR-71's were a result of a top secret program called "OXCART". Under the guise as part of a satellite launch system, Oxcart was established as a means to continue Americas surveillance superiority with the development of a super sonic aircraft designated A-12, code named "Archangel".
On July 17, 2007, a top secret document was declassified and released titled "HISTORY OF THE OXCART PROGRAM" dated July 1. 1968 written and prepared by Clarence L. Johnson, Vice President of the Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, alias "SKUNK WORKS".
In 1990, the Air Force retired the Blackbirds, the late Ben Rich, the SR-71's co-designer and Director of Lockheed Skunk Works boasted in his book (memoir) titled "Skunk Works"pg 240: "We at the Skunk Works believed that the airplane's height and speed, as well as its pioneering stealthy composite materials applied to key areas of its wings and tail, would keep it and its crew safe, but we fortified that belief by adding a special additive, which we nicknamed "panther piss", that ionized the furnace-like gas plumes streaming from the engine exhaust. The additive caused enemy infrared detectors to break up incoherently."
The 2007 release of the OXCART document confirmed this "Panther Piss" as cesium. In that document around 1959, Johnson statesPg 4: "By this time we were working with P&W on a J58 engine. To overcome the afterburner problem of a large radar cross section return from the aft quadrant, we proposed the use of cesium additive to the fuel. This was first brought up by Mr. Ed Lovick of ADP, and its final development was passed over to P&W. It was eventually a basic part of our cross section reduction methods." and "We were able to prove by 1 January 1960 that our concept of shape, ADDITIVE, and loaded plastic parts had enough promise to warrant going forward with the project."Pg 9
In the history of the program with over 53,490 flight hours none of these aircraft were intercepted.
The Blackbirds used approximately 36,000 - 44,000 pounds of fuel per hour of flight. It's estimated that over 20,000,000,000 (20 billion) pounds of fuel was burned during the life of the program.
The 1989 Draft #AD-A270 753, the Environmental Assessment report for the Deactivation of the SR-71 Program at Beale AFB CA, discusses JP-7 fuel leakage runoff, from the flightline area. It states that the runoff from the flightline area is collected by Hutchinson Creek and the it drains to Plumas Lake southwest of the base. Hundreds of homes have been constructed in large housing developments at Plumas Lake since that time.
The report did not list the A-50 (Cesium) additive as a component of the fuel.
The following is the official reply from USAFSAM/OEHT, ESOH Service Center, Brooks City-Base, TX 78235: "This email is to notify you that the ESOH Service Center has concluded its investigation of your request. Unfortunately, even after exhausting all available resources we were unable to locate any toxicology reports regarding the specific JP-7 mixture used by the SR-71. In addition we could not find any reports on SR-71 worker exposures to JP-7. Furthermore there are no available health studies on SR-71 workers following the program’s closure. Based on these findings the ESOH Service Center is closing your request."
A recent presentation given by an Engineer from Pratt & Whitney, Dr. Abernethy told of a J-58 Engine Project a year and a half Prior to OXCART: "In late 1957 PW had two top secret, black, engine projects that were to use poison fuels! Not a good idea in the middle of Connecticut…how about the middle of the Everglades?? So I was invited to move to Florida. I was assigned to the J58, a Mach 3 Navy engine. To scrub the poison out of the J58 exhaust we built a huge swimming pool with a tall tower to centrifuge the poison out of the exhaust… If it didn’t work, we might wipe out the Palm Beaches so we were a little nervous. The Navy canceled the poison fuel just before we ran the first test….thank heavens!"
The SR-71's design did not include sealed bladder fuel tanks. The aircraft leaked profusely and continuously. Workers would be soaked in the fuel while working on the aircraft. Personnel would readily inhale the vapors and burning exhaust fumes. No Hazardous Communication, training, or personnel protective equipment was issued or tested.
Executive Order 11157 Prescribing regulations relating to incentive pay for hazardous duty for personnel involvement with toxic fuels, None was paid.
The 9th Wing Historian states that all SR-71 program files were sealed and sent to storage and coded not to be released under normal FOIA time constraints.
| Beale AFB | |
|---|---|
| — census-designated place — | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Yuba |
| Area[7] | |
| • Total | 10.058 sq mi (26.050 km2) |
| • Land | 10.048 sq mi (26.025 km2) |
| • Water | 0.010 sq mi (0.026 km2) 0.10% |
| Elevation[8] | 197 ft (60 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,319 |
| • Density | 131.1/sq mi (50.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP Code | |
| GNIS feature ID | 2407813 |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Beale Air Force Base | |
Beale AFB is also census-designated place (CDP) in Yuba County, California.[8] Beale AFB sits at an elevation of 197 feet (60 m).[8] The 2010 United States census reported Beale AFB's population was 1,319.
Beale Air Force Base spans 23,000 acres (93 km2) of rolling hills in northern California. The base's natural resources are quite rich. Native Americans lived on this land, and the mortar bowls they carved into bedrock lie embedded in a shallow stream. German prisoners of war were held on the base during WWII. A block of prison cells still stands at the base, and the drawings of the POWs remain on the cell walls. To preserve these and other historic areas, the base maintains 38 Native American sites, 45 homestead sites, and 41 WWII sites.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 10.1 square miles (26 km2), 99.90% of it land and 0.10% of it water.
The United States Census Bureau has designated the base as its own census-designated place for statistical purposes.
The 2010 United States Census[9] reported that Beale AFB had a population of 1,319. The population density was 131.1 people per square mile (50.6/km²). The racial makeup of Beale AFB was 949 (71.9%) White, 117 (8.9%) African American, 32 (2.4%) Native American, 45 (3.4%) Asian, 8 (0.6%) Pacific Islander, 50 (3.8%) from other races, and 118 (8.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 191 persons (14.5%).
The Census reported that 1,319 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 382 households, out of which 289 (75.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 334 (87.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 26 (6.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 10 (2.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 0 (0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 0 (0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 12 households (3.1%) were made up of individuals and 0 (0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.45. There were 370 families (96.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.53.
The population was spread out with 577 people (43.7%) under the age of 18, 151 people (11.4%) aged 18 to 24, 538 people (40.8%) aged 25 to 44, 51 people (3.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 2 people (0.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23.3 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.
There were 843 housing units at an average density of 83.8 per square mile (32.4/km²), of which 2 (0.5%) were owner-occupied, and 380 (99.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0%; the rental vacancy rate was 44.8%. 8 people (0.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,311 people (99.4%) lived in rental housing units.
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 5,115 people, 1,463 households, and 1,357 families residing in the base. The population density was 507.5 inhabitants per square mile (195.9/km²). There were 1,662 housing units at an average density of 164.9 per square mile (63.7/km²). The racial makeup of the base was 71.53% White, 10.73% African American, 1.13% Native American, 5.20% Asian, 0.59% Pacific Islander, 5.08% from other races, and 5.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.20% of the population.
There were 1,463 households out of which 70.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 85.8% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 7.2% were non-families. 5.0% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the base the population was spread out with 37.8% under the age of 18, 19.7% from 18 to 24, 40.6% from 25 to 44, 1.8% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 111.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.2 males.
The median income for a household in the base was $33,944, and the median income for a family was $34,667. Males had a median income of $23,581 versus $18,839 for females. The per capita income for the base was $12,096. About 5.7% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
In the state legislature Beale AFB is located in the 4th Senate District, represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa, and in the 3rd Assembly District, represented by Republican Dan Logue. Federally, Beale AFB is located in California's 2nd congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +13[11] and is represented by Republican Wally Herger.
On December 29, 2010 protesters encouraged members of the military at Beale AFB to support Bradley Manning "for revealing the truth to the world community about the failed war of terror". Protesters from Veterans for Peace, Code Pink and other groups asked that "basic constitutional principles and human rights" be extended to Manning.