Cannon Air Force Base
US Air Force base near Clovis, New Mexico, United States
Cannon Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base, located approximately 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Clovis, New Mexico. The host unit at Cannon is the 27th Special Operations Wing (27 SOW) also known as "The Steadfast Line". It is under the jurisdiction of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) which activated at the base on 1 October 2007. The 27 SOW plans and executes specialized and contingency operations using advanced aircraft, tactics and air refueling techniques to infiltrate, exfiltrate and resupply special operations forces (SOF) and provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and close air support in support of SOF operations.
A variety of special operations aircraft are stationed at Cannon, including the AC-130J Ghostrider, MC-130J Commando II, MQ-9 Reaper, CV-22 Osprey and U-28 Draco.
The Steadfast Line
The 27 SOW traces its lineage to the 27 Bombardment Group from World War II. After their aircraft had been destroyed when attacked in the Philippines, the Airmen of the 27th Bomb Group converted into the 1st Provisional Air Corps Regiment (Infantry).
These airmen overcame significant battlefield challenges. They salvaged machine guns and cannons from crippled aircraft to fortify American fighting positions and vehicles with heavy weaponry.
Although they lacked formal infantry training, they quickly adapted, training alongside Army Infantry counterparts while under fire to become a staunch fighting force. Two battalions of maintenance, ordnance, intelligence, ground staff, and aircrew Airmen bravely held the left flank of the US Army’s II Corps throughout the defense of Bataan, even escaping encirclement in the final battles, earning them the moniker “The Steadfast Line.”
Previous Airfield Names
Army Air Base, Clovis, 25 September 1942 (establishment)-7 April 1943
Clovis Army Airfield, 8 April 1943 – 12 January 1948
Clovis Air Force Base, 13 January 1948 – 7 June 1957
Cannon Air Force Base, 8 June 1957–present
Cannon Air Force Base is named in honor of General John K. Cannon (1892–1955).
Airline service
The history of the base began in the late 1920s, when a civilian passenger facility, Portair Field, was established on the site.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2187683. VIAF identifies the subject as 151324948. The Library of Congress control number is n84195880. Authority coordinates are 34.398, -103.328. 4 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2007, 1942, 1943 and 1948.
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