page_title: Cannon Air Force Base
section_title: Cold War
hierarchical_section_title: Cannon Air Force Base / History / Cold War
caption_attribution_description: English: 474th Tactical Fighter Wing Commanders' F-100D, Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico.
context_page_description: Cannon Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately 7 miles southwest of Clovis, New Mexico. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Force Special Operations Command. The population of the Cannon AFB CDP was 2,245 as of the 2010 census. The host unit at Cannon is the 27th Special Operations Wing, which activated on 1 October 2007, and is assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command. The 27 SOW plans and executes specialized and contingency operations using advanced aircraft, tactics and air refueling techniques to infiltrate, exfiltrate and resupply special operations forces and provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and close air support in support of SOF operations.
  Cannon AFB was established in 1942 as Army Air Base, Clovis. The commander of the 27th Special Operations Wing is Colonel Tony D. Bauernfeind. The Command Chief Master Sergeant is Paul J Henderson II.
  A variety of special operations aircraft are stationed at Cannon, including the AC-130W Stinger II, MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper, CV-22 Osprey and several versions of light and medium transport aviation aircraft.
context_section_description: With the establishment of the United States Air Force in September 1947, Clovis AAF was reactivated.  The 509th Airdrome Group, Clovis Detachment took over day-to-day responsibilities for the airfield on 16 December 1947.  The 509th operated Clovis AAF as a detachment from its Headquarters at Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico, using the airfield as a deployment facility for the group's B-29s. Clovis AAF was renamed "Clovis Air Force Base" on 13 January 1948.  However, with no funds to host an active SAC bomb wing, Clovis AFB was placed on reserve/standby status on 1 July 1948. Its caretaker unit was the 234th Air Force Base Unit.
  Clovis AFB remained on standby status until 1 April 1950 when jurisdiction was transferred from Strategic Air Command (SAC) to Air Training Command (ATC).  ATC assigned the base as subpost of Reese AFB, Texas on 12 May 1950, while construction ensued to bring the base up to USAF standards.  Plans were made to make Clovis AFB a contract flying training facility, however the advent of the Korean War changed the Air Force's plans for Clovis and jurisdiction was transferred to Tactical Air Command (TAC) as a fighter base on 23 July 1951.
  The first USAF unit to use Clovis AFB was the Air National Guard's 140th Fighter-Bomber Wing (140th FBW), which arrived in October 1951 after being activated due to the Korean War.  The 140th FBW was a composite unit, made up of elements from Colorado, Utah and Wyoming Air National Guards.
caption: 474th Tactical Fighter Wing Commanders' F-100D Super Sabre at Cannon AFB during the 1950s.
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