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Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) (IATA: DYS, ICAO: KDYS, FAA LID: DYS) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately 7 miles southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and approximately 150 miles west of Fort Worth, Texas.
The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing (7 BW) assigned to the Global Strike Command Eighth Air Force. The 7 BW is one of only two B-1B Lancer strategic bomber wings in the USAF, the other being the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota.
The 317th Airlift Wing, assigned to Air Mobility Command (AMC) Eighteenth Air Force, is a tenant unit and one of four world-wide active-duty locations for the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft.
Dyess AFB was established in 1942 as Abilene Army Air Base (AAB). It is named in honor of Texas native and Bataan Death March survivor Lieutenant Colonel William Dyess. The 7th Bomb Wing is commanded by Colonel Joe Kramer. The Vice Commander is Colonel Kevin Kippie and the Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Matt Coltrin.
Dyess covers 6,409-acre, and is home to the 7th Bomb Wing, which consists of four groups. Two squadrons, the 9th and 28th Bomb Squadrons, fly the B-1B. In addition, the 28th Bomb Squadron is the USAF schoolhouse for all B-1B aircrew members.
The base employs more than 5,000 people, making it the single largest employer in the area. Dyess AFB has nearly 200 facilities on base, plus 988 units of family housing, and encompasses 6,117 acres of land. The base has a total economic impact of nearly $310 million yearly on the local community.