Ramstein Air Base

Ramstein Air Base
Part of Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC)
Near Kaiserslautern, Rheinland-Pfalz in Germany
Aerial view of Ramstein AB, 2009
Site information
Type	US Air Force base
Owner	German Federal Government
Operator	US Air Force
Controlled by	US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa
Condition	Operational
Website	Official website
Location
Ramstein Location within Rhineland-Palatinate Ramstein Location within Germany Ramstein Location within Europe
Coordinates	49°26′13″N 7°36′0″E
Area	1,400 ha (3,500 acres)
Site history
Built	1949 (1949)–1953
In use	1953–present
Garrison information
Current commander	Brigadier General Adrienne L. Williams
Garrison	86th Airlift Wing
Occupants	37th Airlift Squadron 76th Airlift Squadron See Based units section for full list.
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: RMS, ICAO: ETAR
Elevation	238 m (781 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 08/26 3,199 m (10,497 ft) Asphalt 09/27 3,000 m (9,841 ft) Asphalt
Sources: DoD FLIP

Ramstein Air Base (IATA: RMS, ICAO: ETAR) (before 1958 Ramstein–Landstuhl) is a United States Air Force installation located in Rhineland-Palatinate, southwestern Germany. It serves as the headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM). The base plays a key role in supporting forward military operations, particularly those deploying to Eastern Europe and Africa.

Designed in 1949 by the French Army and built by German contractors between 1951 and 1953, the Ramstein Air Base hosts over 16,200 military personnel, U.S. civilians, and contractors. The base is located near the town of Ramstein-Miesenbach, with the east gate about 16 km (10 mi; 9 nmi) from Kaiserslautern, commonly known as "K-Town" among Americans. Other nearby towns include Landstuhl, located 5 km (3 mi; 3 nmi) from the base's west gate.

Ramstein AB is part of the larger Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC), which houses around 54,000 American service members and over 5,400 U.S. civilian employees. Additionally, more than 6,200 German workers are employed within the KMC. Air Force units in the KMC employ nearly 9,800 military personnel, supported by approximately 11,100 family members.