The base is headquarters for vast, worldwide logistics systems and is the foremost research and development center in the U.S. Air Force. Steeped in tradition, Wright-Patterson has been a leader in military aviation development from the time of airplane inventors Wilbur and Orville Wright, who lived in Dayton, to today s aerospace age. Approximately 21,000 military and civilian government employees work at Wright-Patterson, making it the largest employer in the state at a single location and the largest employer among U.S. Air Force bases worldwide.
Civilian workers comprise more than half of the work force.
The base has a rich aviation heritage. Nearly all major advances in aviation have their roots at Wright-Patterson or McCook Field which was located north of Dayton until the late 1920s. The command s work force of about 94,327 military and civilian employees operates major product centers, a laboratory, test centers and logistics centers throughout the United States. It is the Air Force s largest command in terms of civilian employees and funding, and manages 57 percent of the total Air Force budget. The research done by the AFRL organizations at the base has deep historical roots in the Dayton area.