Nevada plays a quiet but important role in how the military trains for war. The state is home to four major active installations, supporting the Air Force, Navy, and Army, plus the vast ranges where pilots and aircrews sharpen their skills. Whether you are PCSing to Nevada (Permanent Change of Station, the military term for an official move to a new duty station), thinking about a move, or just curious about military history, this guide gives you a clear overview of the key military bases in the state.
Overview of Military Installations in Nevada
Nevada military bases focus on advanced combat training, remotely piloted aircraft, and munitions storage. The open desert and wide-open skies give the services room to fly, test, and shoot in ways that are hard to match anywhere else. Many of the people who plan and lead air combat for all the branches pass through Nevada, and thousands of military families move in and out of the state every year on PCS orders.
Active Military Bases in Nevada
- Nellis Air Force Base (Las Vegas)
- Creech Air Force Base (Indian Springs)
- Naval Air Station Fallon (Fallon)
- Hawthorne Army Depot (Hawthorne)
Air Force Bases in Nevada
Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis AFB, just northeast of Las Vegas, is one of the busiest and most important training bases in the Air Force. Its host unit, the 99th Air Base Wing, supports more than 10,000 personnel across five wings and dozens of tenant units. Nellis is home to the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, which oversees advanced testing and tactics development, and it hosts Red Flag, a large combat training exercise that brings together U.S. and allied air forces. Much of that training takes place over the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), a 2.9-million-acre range that is the largest contiguous air and ground space available for peacetime military operations.
Key Missions:
- Advanced air combat training and Red Flag exercises
- Testing and tactics development for the Air Force
- Base support for Nellis and the Nevada Test and Training Range
Learn more from the official 99th Air Base Wing fact sheet and the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center fact sheet.
Creech Air Force Base
Creech AFB, in Indian Springs about 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is the Air Force's main home for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). The base flies the MQ-9 Reaper, an armed, long-endurance aircraft used for strike and intelligence missions. The first Reaper arrived at Creech in 2007, and aircrews there use satellite links to fly missions around the world without leaving the ground. The base supports both combat operations and quick-reaction humanitarian missions.
Key Missions:
- MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft operations
- Global strike and intelligence support
- Training for RPA aircrews
See the official MQ-9 Reaper fact sheet and the Air Combat Command report on the first Reaper at Creech.
Navy Bases in Nevada
Naval Air Station Fallon
NAS Fallon, in the high desert near Fallon east of Reno, is the Navy's premier air-to-air and air-to-ground training base. It is home to the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC), which leads tactics and training for naval aviation. NAWDC includes the famous TOPGUN program, officially the Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor course, which moved to Fallon in 1996. Today pilots flying the F/A-18 Super Hornet and the F-35C Lightning II train there before returning to teach the rest of the fleet.
Key Missions:
- Advanced strike fighter tactics training, including TOPGUN
- Home of the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center
- Carrier air wing training before deployment
Learn more on the NAS Fallon installation page and the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center overview.
