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Military air base in Riverside County, California

March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB) is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's Fourth Air Force (4 AF) Headquarters and the host of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing (452 AMW), the largest air mobility wing of the Fourth Air Force. In addition to multiple units of the Air Force Reserve Command supporting Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command and Pacific Air Forces, March ARB is also home to units from the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, California Air National Guard and the California Army National Guard. For almost 50 years, March AFB was a Strategic Air Command base during the Cold War. The facility covers of land.

On 1 January 1994, the 722d Air Refueling Wing was activated at then March AFB to replace the 22d Air Refueling Wing, which was moving to McConnell AFB, KS, w/o/p/e. The wing was inactivated On 1 April 1996, The most recent event, renamed the Southern California Air Show, was held April 22–23, 2023.

March is one of the oldest airfields operated by the United States military, being established as Alessandro Flying Training Field in February 1918. It was one of thirty two Air Service training camps established after the United States entry into World War I in April 1917. The airfield was renamed March Field the following month for 2nd Lieutenant Peyton C. March, Jr., the recently deceased son of then Army Chief of Staff Peyton C. March, who was killed in an air crash in Texas just fifteen days after being commissioned.

On 2 August 1918, Standard J 1, AS 1918, crashed and was written off at March Field. "By Associated Press to The Sun Riverside, Aug. 2. – William L. Ash, flying cadet at March field [sic], fell 1,000 feet in a tail spin today and was seriously injured. He suffered a fractured leg and arm and puncture of the side. It is expected he will recover. Ash lived in Pittsburg, Kansas. It was the first serious accident at March field. Ash was making his second solo flight when he fell."

With the sudden end of World War I on 11 November 1918, the future operational status of March Field was unknown. Many local officials speculated that the U. S. government would keep the field open because of the outstanding combat record established by March trained pilots in Europe. Locals also pointed to the optimal weather conditions in the Riverside area for flight training. Cadets in flight training on 11 November 1918 were allowed to complete their training, however no new cadets were assigned to the base. Also the separate training squadrons were consolidated into a single Flying School detachment, as many of the personnel assigned were being demobilized.

In July 1990, the 163d Tactical Fighter Group changed missions and was re designated the 163rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group, equipped with RF 4C Phantom II aircraft. The 22 ARW supported F 117 deployments to Saudi Arabia and contributed aircraft and personnel to logistics efforts in support of the liberation of Kuwait from 1990 to 1991. On 1 June 1992, a major Air Force reorganization resulted in the disestablishment of the Strategic Air Command. The 22d ARW was assigned to the new Air Mobility Command, and from the end of 1992 to 1994, the wing flew humanitarian airlift missions to Somalia. It also provided air refueling in support of deployments to Haiti in 1994. March is currently home to nine C 17 Globemaster IIIs, which belong strictly to the Air Force Reserve Command, as well as twelve KC 135R Stratotankers. The tankers were the first in the Air Force Reserve to convert to the Block 40 Pacer CRAG modernization upgrade. In 2007, the 163rd also saw a change in mission, transferring its KC 135R aircraft to other Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units, with the majority of its aircraft transferred to the 452 AMW at March. The unit was then redesignated as the 163d Reconnaissance Wing (163 RW), operating the MQ 1 Predator unmanned aerial system. With this change, the 163 RW also changed operational claiamncy from Air Mobility Command (AMC) to Air Combat Command (ACC). In 2010, the 912th Air Refueling Squadron (912 ARS) was reactivated and assigned to March. An active duty squadron of the Regular Air Force and the Air Mobility Command (AMC), the 912 ARS will be part of the 452 AMW under the "Active Associate" concept, working in tandem with the Air Force Reserve Command's 336th Air Refueling Squadron and 452nd Maintenance Group, while remaining under the administrative control of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing (92 ARW) at Fairchild AFB, Washington. This is an example of Total Force Integration at work. On July 31, 2015, the 4th Combat Camera Squadron was inactivated due to defense budget cuts. The 4th Combat Camera Squadron stood up at March in 1996 as the only combat camera squadron in the Air Force Reserve. The squadron documented more than 350 worldwide combat, humanitarian, expeditionary and training missions with still photography and video, both on the ground and aerial missions. On January 20, 2017, the flight transporting Former President Barack Obama and his family after he left office was diverted to March after a storm shut off access to Palm Springs International Airport. Later that year, the 1st Combat Camera Squadron Operating Location Charlie was established as an aerial combat camera unit to cover the PACAF area of responsibility. This active duty unit deployed to several locations during its time to include the CENTCOM AOR as well as AFRICOM AOR. This unit also provided video and photo coverage of the post battle damage assessment from the January 6th, 2020 attack from Al Shabaab forces in Kenya. In September 30th, 2020, the unit was shut down and consolidated back to the 1st Combat Camera Squadron in South Carolina. In early 2020, the base was used to screen 210 individuals who had been evacuated from China due to the COVID 19 pandemic. In January 2022, March was proposed to get 12 KC 46 Pegasus refueling jets for the US Air Force Reserve, however, these will also be shared with at least one active duty unit, according to Rep. Ken Calvert, (R Calif). "March is expected to begin operating the new aircraft in 2025 and the unit will be fully operational by 2027," according to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D Calif.)

The former March AFB land no longer needed as a result of the downsizing was given to the March Joint Powers Authority, a commission that represents the county and the base's adjoining cities. A prime example was the former SAC B 52 and KC 135 Alert Facility on the south end of the airfield. This land, now called March GlobalPort, has been developed as an air cargo center and in 2004 it was announced that air freight corporation DHL/ ABX Air was considering the base for its new Southern California hub. Competition from nearby San Bernardino International Airport (formerly Norton AFB) and Ontario International Airport, as well as opposition from residents of fast growing Riverside and Moreno Valley, significantly reduced the viability of the March GlobalPort location. Yet despite this drawbacks, DHL / ABX Air announced on 10 December 2004 that it had chosen March as its preferred site. On 15 December 2004, DHL signed a 16 year joint use agreement with the March Joint Powers Authority, with the company's operation expected to ultimately employ 250 to 300 workers and operate 16 cargo flights per day. By November 2008, severe competition and a weakening global economy forced DHL to announce that it would close its March GlobalPort facility by early 2009 due to low profitability. This was part of a greater DHL business model which entailed completely shutting down all domestic shipping within the US. A new commercial tenant for the March GlobalPort facility has yet to be determined. Additional proposals to convert March Air Reserve Base into a joint civil military public use airport have also been a topic of discussion. However, multiple issues have continued to draw this proposal into question. An original plan had the March Joint Powers Authority signing an agreement to convert March into a joint use civil military airport, sharing facilities between the military, DHL and the public. However, DHL's recent retrenchment from their facility at March significantly impacted the viability of such a proposal. Conversion of March into a joint civil military facility for general aviation beyond the USAF operated March Aero Club, as well as possible regional airline operations, has also been the subject of public protest and debate due to the potential increase in noise pollution, interference with military operations and the lack of a definitive funding stream for expanded civilian flight operations at March ARB, to include ground traffic/transportation infrastructure and requisite TSA security enhancements.

March ARB is located at (33.889, −117.260). According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 12.0 square miles (31 km2), all of it land. The United States Census Bureau has designated the base as its own census designated place for statistical purposes. It had a population of 1,159 at the 2010 census, up from 370 as of the 2000 census. The ZIP code is 92518 and the area code 951.

As of the census of 2000, there were 370 people, 115 households, and 93 families residing in the base. The population density was There were 152 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the base was 64.6% White, 17.8% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 4.6% Asian, 1.9% Pacific Islander, 3.0% from other races, and 7.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 11.9% of the population. There were 115 households, out of which 50.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.3% were non families. 13.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.2 and the average family size was 3.6. In the base the population was spread out, with 37.0% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.8 males. The median income for a household in the base was $31,364, and the median income for a family was $30,455. Males had a median income of $40,625 versus $17,321 for females. The per capita income for the base was $13,765. About 10.8% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

The 2010 United States Census reported that March ARB had a population of 1,159. The population density was The racial makeup of March ARB was 811 (70.0%) White (66.3% Non Hispanic White), 171 (14.8%) African American, 10 (0.9%) Native American, 35 (3.0%) Asian, 2 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 93 (8.0%) from other races, and 37 (3.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 172 persons (14.8%). The Census reported that 1,011 people (87.2% of the population) lived in households, 110 (9.5%) lived in non institutionalized group quarters, and 38 (3.3%) were institutionalized. There were 563 households, out of which 91 (16.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 196 (34.8%) were opposite sex married couples living together, 61 (10.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 11 (2.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 5 (0.9%) unmarried opposite sex partnerships, and 2 (0.4%) same sex married couples or partnerships. 273 households (48.5%) were made up of individuals, and 214 (38.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.80. There were 268 families (47.6% of all households); the average family size was 2.55. The population was spread out, with 156 people (13.5%) under the age of 18, 36 people (3.1%) aged 18 to 24, 155 people (13.4%) aged 25 to 44, 246 people (21.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 566 people (48.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 63.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.4 males. There were 716 housing units at an average density of , of which 81 (14.4%) were owner occupied, and 482 (85.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 17.4%. 119 people (10.3% of the population) lived in owner occupied housing units and 892 people (77.0%) lived in rental housing units.

In the California State Legislature, March ARB is in , and in
In the United States House of Representatives, March ARB is in .