Seneca Army Airfield is a closed facility of the United States Army that was originally built as the operational field for Sampson Air Force Base around 1953. Following the closure of the base, the field was turned over to the Army and became part of the nearby Seneca Army Depot. During this time, it was loosely controlled by the Army, as patrols reported seeing civilian aircraft on the runways. Around 1965, the airport reverted to civilian control, although this period was brief and it was converted back to military control soon after. The airport closed by 2000, when the nearby depot closed due to recommendations from the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. [1]
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution. As the oldest and most senior branch of the U.S. military in order of precedence, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which was formed to fight the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)—before the United States of America was established as a country. After the Revolutionary War, the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784 to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The United States Army considers itself descended from the Continental Army, and dates its institutional inception from the origin of that armed force in 1775.
Sampson Air Force Base is a closed United States military facility, last used by the United States Air Force Air Training Command as a Basic Military Training Center. It was closed in 1956 and put into caretaker status.
The former Seneca Army Depot occupied 10,587 acres (4,284 ha) between Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake in Seneca County, New York. It was used as a munitions storage and disposal facility by the United States Army from 1941 until the 1990s. The Depot was listed in the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission and formally shut down in 2000. The property has since been transferred to the Seneca County Industrial Development Agency, which leases it to Seneca County Economic Development Corp.
