Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, has a wide variety of missions. Davis Monthan is home to nearly every major air command, as well as the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard. D-M's associate units include the 12th Air Force headquarters, 305th Rescue Squadron, and the 120th Fighter Interceptor Group. Approximately 6,000 military and 1,700 civilian employees work at Davis-Monthan. Additionally, there are nearly 13,000 military retirees in the Tucson area. Many of these are employed at D-M, where they can use the skills they gained during active duty.

Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center

The Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC) is one of the more unusual units at Davis Monthan. Due to the dry climate and alkaline soil, Arizona is an excellent place to warehouse airplanes and other military equipment. Currently, there are more than 5,000 aircraft stored at D-M.

In 1994, AMARC received 735 aircraft, 632 of which were put into storage. During the same year, 197 were sent out from the center, 75 of them returned to active duty and 122 used for parts and maintenance. There were also 28,612 parts removed from aircraft, valued at $994 million. During Operation Desert Storm, parts from AMARC were used to maintain the B-52, F-111, F-4, OV-10, C-130, A-7, and P-3 aircraft used in the conflict.

AMARC has been given the responsibility of eliminating approximately 365 B-52 aircraft in accordance with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the former Soviet Union. The job requires a 13,000-pound guillotine blade and a crane. When the blade falls, the B-52s are literally chopped into pieces.