Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma at a glance

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma is an aviation operations and training installation in southwestern Arizona. Its public mission supports aerial weapons training for Marine and Navy forces. Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One and Marine Aircraft Group 13 are named mission organizations. The station also supports visiting aviation units, making its training environment broader than its permanently based formations.

Yuma's military airfield began as an Army aviation training base in 1941 at the earlier Fly Field site. Flight activity ended after World War II and resumed under the Air Force in 1951. The facility transferred to the Navy in 1959 and became a Marine Corps auxiliary air station. It received the Marine Corps Air Station designation in 1962.

Also searched as: MCAS Yuma, Yuma Army Air Base.

Sources: Marine Corps Air Station Yuma overview: MilitaryINSTALLATIONS

Mission and major activities

• Aerial weapons training for Marine and Navy aviation.
• Support to MAWTS-1 and Marine Aircraft Group 13.
• Support to visiting aviation training units.

Sources: Marine Corps Air Station Yuma overview: MilitaryINSTALLATIONS

History and identity

The station transitioned to Marine aviation in 1959 and received its current air station designation in July 1962.

Sources: Marine Corps Air Station Yuma overview: MilitaryINSTALLATIONS

Location and community

Yuma is in southwestern Arizona near California and Mexico. Yuma International Airport is adjacent to the military aviation community.

Sources: Marine Corps Air Station Yuma overview: MilitaryINSTALLATIONS

Aviation training alongside permanent units

MCAS Yuma supports Marine and Navy aviation training and provides a home for Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One and Marine Aircraft Group 13. Its installation overview describes both resident organizations and visiting training activity. That combination is a useful distinction: a short training visit, an instructor assignment, and permanent duty with a resident unit involve different accommodation and family planning questions.

The site developed as Yuma Army Air Base during World War II, returned to military aviation use under the Air Force in 1951, and transferred to Navy control in 1959. It received the Marine Corps Air Station designation in 1962. Yuma is in southwestern Arizona near California and Mexico, with its own local community and airport. Treat the receiving unit's instructions as the starting point for an arrival plan rather than assuming that proximity to Southern California makes this a San Diego assignment.

Official sources: Official installation overview

Air station housing and the 16th Street community

The MCAS Yuma housing guide distinguishes homes on the air station from the 16th Street Family Housing complex away from it. Confirm the actual community offered before comparing housing with the assigned workplace. A family housing destination and an aviation work location need not be the same point on the map.

The Housing Referral Office provides community rental information and assistance with questions such as landlord disputes. The installation guide also notes the seasonal effect of winter visitors on the local rental search. Use current listings and the office's advice rather than treating a published directory estimate as an available property. Before committing to a lease, clarify the full recurring cost and have questions about its terms reviewed by the appropriate assistance office. Application status, temporary lodging, and a confirmed home should remain separate items in the relocation plan.

Official sources: Official housing guidance

Outpatient care locally, other care through referrals

The Branch Health Clinic Yuma primarily provides general outpatient care to active-duty personnel. The official health guide describes family and retiree care as enrollment-based and dependent on staff, space, and other resources. Confirm the receiving primary care arrangement for each family member before assuming that all routine appointments can be handled on the station.

For services unavailable at the clinic, the guide distinguishes referral paths: active-duty inpatient care may involve the local community or military hospitals in Southern California, while eligible family members and retirees may use local civilian providers through TRICARE. The on-station dental clinic serves active-duty personnel, making family dental arrangements a separate task. This network is more dispersed than a single military hospital campus. Ask about continuing specialist treatment and prescription needs early so the clinic can explain the appropriate local or regional pathway.

Official sources: Official health care guidance

Published addresses and access

Use the destination label below to distinguish visitor access, a service office and postal mail. A published address does not authorize entry. Confirm current access, sponsorship, appointments and reporting instructions with the official office before travelling.

Before you arrive

Use these questions with your sponsor or gaining organization. They are a starting point for planning, including assignments, courses and training periods that differ from a routine permanent change of station.

1. Confirm the organization, duration and reporting instructions shown on your orders. Ask which office handles your arrival.
2. Clarify lodging and housing arrangements before booking. Ask about availability, required approvals and how to handle a late arrival.
3. Before choosing a home, compare the commute, lease terms, school needs and your household budget. Ask the housing office about the options that apply to your situation.
4. Coordinate household goods and personal travel with the appropriate transportation office. Keep orders, receipts and important family records together.
5. Make a short list of contacts for medical care, schools, childcare and family support, where applicable to your assignment.

Official PCS planning resources   Housing allowance information

Sources: Marine Corps Air Station Yuma overview: MilitaryINSTALLATIONS

Resources for service members and families

Start with the official resources for Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and ask which services your household can use. For a training site, rotational location or Reserve component assignment, confirm arrangements with your unit rather than assuming the services of a large residential installation are available.

From this mission to your next career

The mission at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma suggests the following areas to consider when describing your experience. These are LockLeed career suggestions based on the public mission, not a list of vacancies or qualifications held by everyone assigned here.

Write down the equipment, systems, processes and teams you personally supported. Add a specific result you can discuss publicly, then match that evidence to the civilian role you want. Keep operational details and sensitive information out of your application.

Official transition resources   Explore SkillBridge programs

Official contacts and installation services

Use the named official resource for this installation or its support community. A directory link does not establish service eligibility, availability or a reporting location. Confirm arrangements with the office or your gaining organization.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and editorial notes

Installation facts above are drawn from the official sources below. Career suggestions and planning questions are LockLeed editorial guidance. Use official offices for current policies, eligibility and arrangements.

1. Marine Corps Air Station Yuma overview: MilitaryINSTALLATIONSSupports: overview, mission, history, local context, planning note
2. Official housing guidanceSupports: expanded guide and official services
3. Official health care guidanceSupports: expanded guide and official services

Reviewed 2026-09-30. This independent guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense. Map points are approximate and are not routing or reporting instructions.