We live for firsts at Edwards Air Force Base – home to the world’s largest airfield, the Air Force Test Pilot School and the Air Force Test Center. Operated by the 412^th Test Wing, the wing oversees day-to-day base operations and provides support to 11,500 military members, federal civilians and contract employees assigned to the 484-square-mile installation.

Mission Statement
Fueling Airpower: World-Premier Test & Evaluation of Tomorrow’s Technology – Today

Vision Statement
The Center of the Aerospace Testing Universe  #TCOTATU

The 412th Test Wing plans, conducts, analyzes, and reports on all flight and ground testing of aircraft, weapons systems, software and components as well as modeling and simulation for the U.S. Air Force. There are three core components for this mission: flying operations, maintenance and engineering.

Edwards is the perfect place to safely test America's aerospace systems thanks to our wide-open spaces. Here we make history every day, and have for more than 60 years.

Hundreds of significant aviation "firsts" have been accomplished at Edwards. This is where Capt. Chuck Yeager and the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier on Oct. 14, 1947, and where other X-planes pushed that record to two, three, four, five and six times the speed of sound and beyond. It is here that the X-15 probed the threshold of space and where the space shuttle first landed on its initial return from earth's orbit.

Today, our combined workforce is still at the cutting edge of aviation technology, developing, testing and evaluating the newest weapon systems and aircraft to ensure reliability for America's war-fighters. Edwards is the test-bed for today's premiere aerospace technology programs including the Global Hawk, Hypersonic flight, and of course the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

As aviation-friendly as our unique geography is, there is no more valuable asset than the 13,000 people who live and work here. The nation's brightest minds make up a treasured national resource for developing and advancing aviation capabilities across all disciplines.

Valuable partnerships with the Air Force Research Laboratory's Propulsion Directorate, the U.S. Marine Corps, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, and many, many others make Edwards a center of excellence for America's aerospace future.

We are proud of the Edwards heritage and very happy to have you here with us for our continuing journey. We hope you will take a moment to appreciate the unique beauty of the area and explore all that the high desert has to offer. From Rosamond to Boron and East Edwards; from California City to Little Rock; from Lancaster and Palmdale to Mojave, Tehachapi and Acton, we have a wide range of superior recreational activities to offer.

From the Poppy Festival to Willow Springs' auto racing; from the Lancaster Jethawks minor league baseball to the winding draw of Mojave off-road excitement; and from the Antelope Valley Fair to the Los Angeles nightlife and shores of San Diego, the Edwards experience is one we know you'll enjoy.

The Department of the Air Force is headquartered in the Pentagon, Washington D.C. The service is organized in nine major commands throughout the world which provide combat aircraft, airlift, refueling, reconnaissance and other support to the Unified Combatant Commands.

The Air Force also has more than three dozen field operating agencies and direct reporting units which directly support the mission by providing unique services.

Together with Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard forces, the United States Air Force is the best in the world.

The Secretary of the Air Force is Frank Kendall, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force is Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., the Vice Chief of Staff is Gen. David W. Allvin and the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is CMSAF Joanne S. Bass.

The mission of the United States Air Force is to fly, fight and win...in air, space and cyberspace.

To achieve that mission, the Air Force has a vision:
The United States Air Force will be a trusted and reliable joint partner with our sister services known for integrity in all of our activities, including supporting the joint mission first and foremost. We will provide compelling air, space, and cyber capabilities for use by the combatant commanders. We will excel as stewards of all Air Force resources in service to the American people, while providing precise and reliable Global Vigilance, Reach and Power for the nation.

The Air Force has three core competencies: Developing Airmen, Technology-to-Warfighting and Integrating Operations. These core competencies make our six distinctive capabilities possible:

1. Air and Space Superiority : With it, joint forces can dominate enemy operations in all dimensions -- land, sea, air and space.
2. Global Attack: Because of technological advances, the Air Force can attack anywhere, anytime -- and do so quickly and with greater precision than ever before.
3. Rapid Global Mobility: Being able to respond quickly and decisively anywhere we're needed is key to maintaining rapid global mobility.
4. Precision Engagement: The essence lies in the ability to apply selective force against specific targets because the nature and variety of future contingencies demand both precise and reliable use of military power with minimal risk and collateral damage.
5. Information Superiority: The ability of joint force commanders to keep pace with information and incorporate it into a campaign plan is crucial.
6. Agile Combat Support: Deployment and sustainment are keys to successful operations and cannot be separated. Agile combat support applies to all forces, from those permanently based to contingency buildups to expeditionary forces.

The Air Force bases these core competencies and distinctive capabilities on a shared commitment to three core values -- integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.

Headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) manages installation and mission support, discovery and development, test and evaluation, and life cycle management services and sustainment for every major Air Force weapon system. AFMC employs nearly 86,000 military and civilian Airmen and manages $71.3 billion of budget authority.

Mission
Powering the world's greatest Air Force...We develop, deliver, support and sustain war-winning capabilities.

AFMC delivers war-winning expeditionary capabilities to the warfighter through development and transition of technology, professional acquisition management, exacting test and evaluation, and world-class sustainment of all Air Force weapon systems. From cradle-to-grave, AFMC provides the work force and infrastructure necessary to ensure the United States remains the world's most respected Air Force.

Vision
One AFMC--integrated, collaborative, innovative, trusted, and empowered...indispensable to our nation, disruptive to our adversaries.