Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth was first known as Tarrant Field in 1932, but is mostly known as Carswell Air Force Base, a name it held from 1948 to 1993. The base was named after Medal of Honor Recipient and Texan, Major Horace S. Carswell, Jr. The site adjacent to the field was selected in 1941 as a Consolidated Aircraft factory for the production of B-24 Liberator bombers, that site is now Lockheed Martin; the manufacturer of the F-35 Lightning II.

Over the years, the base’s overall mission changed as the aircraft factory rolled out new models. After WWII, the base became one of the few newly-formed Strategic Air Command (SAC) bases. Over the years Carswell saw its bomb wings transition through a number of bombers, like the B-36 Peacemaker, B-52 Stratofortress and the B-58 Hustler.

During the government’s 1991 Base Realignment and Closure announcements, Carswell AFB was recommended for closure. By September 1993, the base was closed. The base became a Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in October of 1994, and relocated numerous Navy Reserve, Marine Corps, Air Force and Air National Guard commands to the facility.

Under the operational command of the Commander, Naval Installations, NAS JRB Fort Worth is a joint defense facility which plays a pivotal role in the training and equipping of air crews and aviation ground support personnel.

The installation is located within the city limits of Fort Worth, Texas. Fort Worth is part of Dallas/Fort Worth. The DFW Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in North Central Texas. Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas and the 16th-largest in the United States. The city is also large in geographic area, as it covers almost 300 square miles. NAS JRB Fort Worth is located seven miles North/Northwest of downtown Fort Worth.

Army's history in Fort Worth