Biggs Field (1916–47) On 15 June 1919, following an attack by
Pancho Villa's forces on
Ciudad Juárez,
United States Army Air Service personnel equipped with
Dayton-Wright DH-4 aircraft were sent to Fort Bliss to begin patrols of the U.S.-Mexico border, initiating the
United States Army Border Air Patrol. In August 1919 construction commenced on a steel hangar for an airship station at Camp Owen Bierne, Fort Bliss and in December 1919 the 8th Balloon Company moved there from
Brooks Field, Texas. In January 1920 the
1st Surveillance Group moved from
Kelly Field to Fort Bliss. The airfield was officially named "Biggs Field" on 5 January 1925 after Lieutenant James Berthea "Buster" Biggs, an El Paso native killed in a plane crash on 27 October 1918 at Belrain, France.
Biggs Air Force Base (1947–66) On 16 March 1948 the
97th Bombardment Wing, Heavy operating
B-29 Superfortresses moved to Biggs AFB from
Smoky Hill Air Force Base, Kansas. The
810th Air Division was activated at Biggs AFB on 16 June 1952, it comprised the
95th Bombardment Wing (H), 97th Bombardment Wing (H) and the 810th Air Base Group. In September 1953, the 95th began training with the
B-36 Peacemaker bomber while the 97th flew the
B-50 Superfortress. On 12 February 1959, the last operational
B-36J Peacemaker left Biggs AFB where it had been serving with the 95th Bombardment Wing. The 95th then transitioned to the
B-52B Stratofortress and the
KC-135A Stratotanker. In July 1959 the 97th Bombardment Wing (H) moved from Biggs AFB to
Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas. On 1 July 1962 the 810th Air Division moved from Biggs AFB to
Minot Air Force Base,
North Dakota. On 25 June 1966 the 95th Bombardment Wing (H) moved from Biggs AFB to
Goose Air Base,
Newfoundland.
Biggs Army Airfield (1966–1973) Starting in 1966, a branch of the
Defense Language Institute (DLI) conducted Vietnamese training using native contract instructors at the airfield. Vietnamese instruction continued at the Defense Language Institute-Southwest (DLISW) until 2004, concurrent with the establishment in 1972 of the US Army's Sergeants Major Academy.
Biggs Army Airfield (1973–present) The former Biggs AFB remained under DoD control in a caretaker status until 1973 when it was transferred to the U.S. Army as a sub-post of nearby Fort Bliss. Renamed Biggs Army Airfield, the installation was reactivated in 1973 as a permanent airfield for the U.S. Army, which turned into the world’s largest Army Airfield at that time. Biggs AAF was used as a refueling stop for
NASA's
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Biggs AAF is the base of
Joint Task Force North, a
United States Department of Defense multi-service organization tasked to support
Federal law enforcement in the United States in the interdiction of suspected transnational threats within and along the approaches to the continental United States. The
Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) operates from its headquarters co-located with its training unit at Biggs Army Airfield. The
Silas L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Airfield Control Group at Biggs Army Airfield serves military and civilian personnel who deploy to their overseas assignments, such as to and from Southwest Asia. On 14 July 2017 a new air traffic control tower was opened at the field. The annual
Amigo Airsho, which was held at Biggs Army Airfield from 1982 - 2012 is set to return in October 2024, after a 12 year hiatus. ==Units==