Pease Air Force Base

Pease Air Force Base
Name	Pease Air Force Base
Location	Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States
Coordinates	43.0717°N 70.7625°W
Type	Former United States Air Force base
Built	1930s
Used	1930s–1991
Controlledby	United States Air Force
Garrison	Strategic Air Command; later Air Combat Command; Air National Guard

Pease Air Force Base was a United States Air Force installation in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, active from the pre-World War II era through the end of the Cold War. The base hosted strategic bombardment, aerial refueling, and air defense forces and played roles in regional Northeast United States military planning, Cold War deterrence, and domestic emergency operations. Following closure, the site transitioned to a joint civil-military reuse model that included an industrial park, civilian airport, and retained New Hampshire Air National Guard presence.

History

The site originated as an airfield in the 1930s adjacent to Pease River—later named for Portsmouth, New Hampshire industrial expansion—and expanded rapidly during World War II when the United States Army Air Corps developed it for maritime patrol and training. In the early Cold War the installation was redesignated under Strategic Air Command and hosted strategic bomber wings during the Korean War era and the escalating confrontation with the Soviet Union. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s it supported deployments linked to crises such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War by providing alert aircraft and tanker support under SAC contingency plans. In the 1970s and 1980s the base adapted to force structure changes involving aircraft such as the Boeing B-47 Stratojet, Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, and later rotary assets; it also integrated with regional air defense networks connected to North American Aerospace Defense Command and Tactical Air Command missions. Base realignment debates during the post–Cold War drawdown culminated in a 1991 closure decision driven by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission and Department of Defense restructuring.

Units and Assignments

Pease hosted a succession of major commands and tenant units including wings assigned to Strategic Air Command and later to the Air Combat Command lineage. Primary host units included strategic bombardment wings equipped with Boeing B-52 Stratofortress predecessors and air refueling squadrons operating Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. The installation supported reserve and guard elements such as the New Hampshire Air National Guard’s air refueling wing, and hosted transient units from United States Navy patrol wings and United States Marine Corps air groups for joint exercises. Pease participated in deployment cycles with units mobilized under presidential directives and CONUS staging for operations connected to Operation Desert Shield precursor planning. Interactions with agencies such as Federal Aviation Administration and coordination with regional civilian airports linked its missions to broader aviation infrastructure.

Facilities and Infrastructure

The airfield complex included long concrete runways capable of accommodating heavy strategic aircraft like the Convair B-36 Peacemaker successors and reinforced taxiways used by tanker and bomber fleets. Support infrastructure comprised hardened alert facilities, munitions storage areas compliant with Department of Defense ordnance standards, and maintenance hangars servicing jet engines such as the Pratt & Whitney J57 lineage. On-base utilities interfaced with regional systems including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard logistic connections and road access to Interstate 95. Housing areas, medical clinics, and base exchange services mirrored standardized designs found at contemporaneous installations such as Andrews Air Force Base and Barksdale Air Force Base. The complex also incorporated an operations control center linked to national command and control frameworks like NORAD.

Operations and Missions

Operational roles emphasized strategic deterrence through continuous airborne and ground alert postures administered by Strategic Air Command doctrine, aerial refueling sorties supporting long-range bomber taskings, and maritime reconnaissance coordination with United States Navy patrol squadrons. The base executed training programs for aircrew proficiency, emergency response drills with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and participated in multinational exercises with NATO partners including forces from Canada and United Kingdom. During regional contingencies the installation functioned as a staging base for aeromedical evacuation missions coordinated with United States Air Force Medical Service and as a logistics hub for sealift and airlift operations tied to Military Airlift Command procedures.

Environmental Issues and Remediation

Decades of aviation fuel handling, munitions storage, and maintenance activities led to contamination issues typical of Cold War-era airbases, including volatile organic compound plumes from JP-4/JP-8 storage and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances related to firefighting foams used in crash-rescue training. Remediation initiatives involved the Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies implementing corrective actions under regulatory frameworks influenced by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Cleanup programs included soil excavation, groundwater treatment systems, and long-term monitoring overseen by engineering contractors employed by the Department of Defense; public-private redevelopment required environmental covenants and community engagement through Local Redevelopment Authority processes.

Closure and Redevelopment

Following the 1991 closure decision, the property underwent transfer processes involving the General Services Administration and local redevelopment authorities modeled after other former installations such as Lowry Air Force Base and Loring Air Force Base. The former airfield was repurposed as a civilian airport and an industrial park attracting aerospace maintenance firms, logistics companies, and technology tenants drawn by proximity to Boston and Portland, Maine transportation corridors. The retained New Hampshire Air National Guard presence provided continuity of military aviation operations alongside civilian uses, while historic facilities found adaptive reuse by educational institutions and museum groups preserving Cold War heritage linked to units and aircraft types formerly based there. Economic redevelopment efforts coordinated with state economic development agencies and leveraged federal programs for base reuse and environmental assistance.

Category:Installations of the United States Air Force Category:Airports in New Hampshire