During the Civil War, Union soldiers repurposed a small country church into a headquarters as troops camped in the surrounding fields. In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the construction of an airfield, named Camp Springs, on the grounds. It was later renamed Andrews Field after Lt. Gen. Frank M. Andrews, which then evolved into Andrews Air Force Base when the Air Force became a separate service in 1947. In 2009, the final rounds of BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) combined Andrews Air Force base with Naval Air Facility Washington to become Joint Base Andrews.

Both Joint Base Andrews and Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling fall under the command of the Air Force District of Washington (AFDW), which is headquartered at Joint Base Andrews. The 11th Wing is the host wing, while the 79th Medical Wing, Naval Air Facility Washington, USAF Honor Guard, USAF Band, and USAF Chaplaincy also call Joint Base Andrews home. Perhaps the most famed unit at Andrews is the 89th Wing, or “The President’s Wing.” This Elite Air Mobility command transports and receives VIPs from around the globe. Popes, kings, queens, prime ministers — you name it — all pass through the “Gateway to the Capital” here in the National Capital Region. 

On base housing at Joint Base Andrews is a popular choice and a lot of people opt for on post over the communities immediately surrounding the base. Concerns over school performance and crime rates in Prince George’s County, Maryland, motivate some to focus on Northern Virginia suburbs like Alexandria, Woodbridge and even Arlington. The reverse commute from Alexandria and Kingstowne is consistently between 30 and 45 minutes.