Ohio's military installations employ more than 38,000 military and civilian workers. Here's a complete list of the bases and their functions:
- WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE: The Dayton base is one of the largest in the Air Force, employing 22,460 military and civilian workers. It is the largest single-site employer in Ohio and has an annual payroll of $1.1 billion. Wright-Patterson is headquarters for the Air Force Material Command, which delivers and maintains missiles and planes and employs 84,000 people at 10 bases. The base is also home to the Aeronautical Systems Center, which oversees the design and development of new planes and missiles.
- 121ST AIR REFUELING WING: The 1,400-member Air National Guard unit is based at Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus. The unit has 18 K-135 planes that provide aerial refueling for Air Force, Navy, Marine and allied aircraft.
- 178TH FIGHTER WING: The 1,780-member Springfield unit is one of only a few Air National Guard units in the United States that trains future F-16 fighter pilots. It has 18 F-16 fighter planes and has an annual payroll of about $44 million.
- 179th AIRLIFT WING: The 1,060-member Mansfield unit flies eight C-130H Hercules cargo planes. The Air National Guard unit operates out of 33 buildings at Mansfield Lahm Airport, has an annual payroll of $30 million, and is the seventh largest employer in Richland County.
- 180TH FIGHTER WING: The 1,110-member Air National Guard unit in Toledo has 16 F-16 fighter planes. The unit, which began operations in Toledo in 1955, sits next to Toledo Express Airport. It has an annual payroll of $35 million. It was the first combat unit in the air to respond to Flight 93 that was hijacked by terrorists and crashed in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001.
- 910TH AIRLIFT WING: The 2,366-member Air Force Reserve unit in Youngstown flies 12 C-130 Hercules cargo planes, transporting troops and supplies into combat. Each plane is capable of carrying 92 people and more than 45,000 pounds of cargo. The unit has an annual payroll of $50 million and spends more than $28 million in the local community on utilities, construction, lodging, supplies and equipment.
- DEFENSE SUPPLY CENTER: The center, a 550-acre compound in Columbus and nearby Whitehall, opened during World War I. It hosts 23 different Defense Department agencies and employs 6,160 workers. It is the 12th largest employer in the region. A principal tenant is the Defense Logistics Agency, which supplies the military with spare parts for such things as submarines and destroyers. Last year, it received 6 million orders, supported 25,326 military and civilian customers, and had sales of $2.8 billion. Another major tenant at the center is the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, which processes payments to defense contractors.
- CLEVELAND DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE: Founded in 1942 as the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, it was renamed the Navy Finance Center in 1955. A total of 1,488 accounting and finance employees work there, processing salaries and managing personnel data for active-duty Navy and Marines as well as reservists and military retirees. Located in the Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building, it is the fourth largest employer in the greater Cleveland area, with an annual payroll of more than $65 million.
- JOINT SYSTEMS MANUFACTURING CENTER: Formerly known as the Lima Army Tank Plant, the facility produces M-1 Abrams tanks. It also makes the upper structure and armor for the Stryker, a lighter six-wheeled armored fighting vehicle, and plans to build an amphibious assault vehicle. The center, a compound of four manufacturing buildings on 369 acres, is operated by General Dynamics. It employs 750 people and has an annual payroll of about $40 million.
