Shaw Air Force Base has been a significant part of the City and County of Sumter, South Carolina for more than 60 years. The working partnership between the base and community has become a proud tradition for a superior quality of life. This partnership is a symbol of excellence in supporting the Air Force mission while building civic pride and patriotism in the community, both now and in the future.

As USARCENT joins the Air Force at Shaw Air Force Base we look forward to establishing and maintaining the same relationship with the Army that we have enjoyed for decades with the Air Force.

One demonstration of the partnership between the community and the military is the Shaw-Sumter Community Council which was formed more than 60 years ago. This organization of community leaders and members of the military leadership at Shaw has as its mission the ongoing development of confidence, understanding, mutual respect and friendship. This spirit, well known throughout the Air Force community, has created an award winning, nationally recognized base-community relationship. We look forward to involving the leadership of the USARCENT into this organization.

As you arrive in our community you will soon discover that the people of Sumter have great patriotic pride in supporting the base mission, military personnel and their families, with an overwhelming display of support for deployed personnel and their families. Base personnel return that support to the community through their unselfish work to improve the quality of education, medical care, spiritual life and humanitarian activities.

Shaw AFB is ideally positioned to support the mission and training requirements that provide combat-ready forces and personnel for worldwide deployments in support of US national defense policies. The base infrastructure and operational support facilities provide modern capabilities to meet the current requirements. The arrival of USARCENT will significantly add to the military missions and overall military presence in the Sumter community. Please be assured that The City and County of Sumter are enthusiastically making preparations to meet the requirements and desires of all the military personnel and families assigned to Shaw AFB.

We, the people of Sumter, welcome every member of the USARCENT Headquarters and look forward to including all Army personnel and families in the Sumter activities. The people of Sumter take great pride in having the Joint Army-Air Force units at Shaw. Sumter and South Carolina are ready to support these national defense requirements. The strong Sumter-Shaw AFB association will continue to improve the “Partnership for Progress and Quality Growth” in our community.