The End for Rhein-Main is Here:

Sept. 30, 2005

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Operations stop Friday at Rhein-Main AB, Germany, as US strategic airlift missions shift to Ramstein and Spangdahlem Air Bases. Military flights ended Monday at Rhein-Main. Nicknamed the “Gateway to Europe,” the base played a central role in the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift and served as USAF’s main air transport hub during four decades of the Cold War. USAF plans an official closing ceremony for Oct. 10.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

Allvin Departs as Air Force Chief: How He Sees His Legacy

F-35s, F-16s Rapidly Deploy to Greenland for Exercise

Some Guard Troops Won’t Get Paid Until Shutdown Ends

Pentagon Nominee on Consolidating Space Force and NRO: ‘Open to All Options’

Related

Air Base Defense Is Our Duty. It’s Been Ignored Too Long

Oct. 30, 2025
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.orgHere is an axiom that may be regarded as Rule 1 for...

Wilsbach Confirmed as Air Force Chief

Oct. 30, 2025
Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach was confirmed as the 24th Air Force Chief of Staff Oct. 30 by unanimous consent. Shortly before, his predecessor, Gen. David W. Allvin, was "clapped" out of the Pentagon, 10 weeks after he unexpectedly announced his retirement on Aug. 18, two years into his four-year term.

Colorado Sues to Stop SPACECOM Move

Oct. 30, 2025
Colorado’s attorney general is suing the Trump administration in an effort to block the President’s decision to relocate U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Ala.

Some Guard Troops Won’t Get Paid Until Shutdown Ends

Oct. 29, 2025
The National Guard Bureau says most units are postponing drills during the shutdown, but some states are sticking to their training schedule, resulting in a patchwork of different policies and some confusion in the ranks.

F-35s, F-16s Rapidly Deploy to Greenland for Exercise

Oct. 29, 2025
NORAD surged two F-35s, two F-16s, and a trio of KC-135s to Pituffik Space Force Base in Greenland earlier this month for a “dynamic operational exercise,” testing its ability to rapidly deploy forces in the Arctic.