LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nellis Air Force Base has updated its digital branding, changing its social media profiles and website header to “U.S. Air Force Warfare Center,” while the base’s long-standing name and legacy remain tied to Lt. William Harrell Nellis.
The installation, part of Air Combat Command, sits about eight miles northeast of Las Vegas and spans more than 14,000 acres.
Including its restricted ranges, the total land area associated with Nellis covers roughly 5,000 square miles, with an additional 7,700 square miles of airspace north and east of the ranges used for military flight operations.
Nellis traces its roots to late 1941, when it opened as the Las Vegas Army Air Field.
The site hosted the Army Air Corps Flexible Gunnery School, launching B-17 gunnery training in early 1942. B-17 co-pilot training was added in 1944.
During the height of World War II, more than 600 gunners and 215 co-pilots graduated every five weeks, according to the base’s historical accounts.
In March 1945, the co-pilot program was canceled and the gunnery mission shifted to B-29 training.
After the war, the base served as a separation center, then moved into temporary standby status before closing in January 1947.
The installation reopened in 1949 as Las Vegas Air Force Base and was renamed the following year to honor Lt. William Harrell Nellis, a P-47 pilot from Southern Nevada. Lt. Nellis was killed in action on Dec. 27, 1944, during his 70th combat mission over Luxembourg in the Battle of the Bulge while supporting the besieged 101st Airborne Division.
FOX5 has reached out to officials to ask whether the digital update signals a broader rebrand and is awaiting a response.
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