Map of Military Bases in South Dakota

Ellsworth Air Force Base

Located 10 miles from Rapid City South Dakota, Ellsworth AFB is the largest employer in this region and the second largest employer in the state. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing, assigned to the 12th Air Force under Air Combat Command. The 28th Bomb Wing is made up of several staff agencies and four groups, including the 28th Operations Group, the 28th Maintenance Group, the 28th Mission Support Group and the 28th Medical Group. The Operations group is responsible for providing combat-ready B-1B aircrews for worldwide operations as necessary. There are three squadrons in the Operations group – the 34th and 37th Bomb Squadrons and the 28th Operations Support Squadron. The Maintenance Group take care to ensure the flight-readiness of the fleet of 28 B-1B aircraft stationed at the base. The Mission Support Group provides essential quality-of-life services, such as food services, security, vehicles, computer and telephone support. The Medical Group provides medical services to almost 16,000 eligible people in the region. All units at Ellsworth AFB work to uphold the overall mission of the installation, which is to provide rapid, decisive and sustainable combat air power and support to Air Force operations here and abroad.