Welcome to the Shaw Sumter Family. As you PCS to 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.
"Project, Compete, Prepare, Support” As a team we project combat air power for Great Power Competition, prepare for great power conflict, support all of Team Shaw is the mission of Shaw Air Force Base's host unit, the 20th Fighter Wing, which is the Air Force's largest, combat F-16 wing. Shaw also hosts Fifteenth Air Force, Ninth Air Force, U.S. Army Central and the 25th Attack Group.
The City works closely with Shaw on a daily basis, with a team of current and former elected officials, city personnel, and military retirees, to support Shaw’s airmen, soldiers, their families and employees. We continuously strive to keep Sumter and Shaw’s reputation at the forefront of the DOD base preference.
Sumter has an active land protection program around Shaw AFB, securing over 3,000 acres to prevent encroaching development. Land use near military installations is a critical concern, as new development and competing demands for land, airspace, and water access can restrict base operations. While some secured land is designated for conservation, other areas are strictly protected to support airfield and base activities. These lands, though publicly owned, are not publicly accessible—use is restricted or prohibited except for authorized personnel to ensure the mission readiness and security of Shaw AFB.
We partner with Shaw through the following programs:
- South Carolina Military Base Task Force
- Shaw-Sumter Community Council
- Honorary Commanders Program
- Weasel Welcome Program
- ARCENT Newcomers Briefing
- Taste of Sumter Community Bus Tours
- Shaw Spouses Club
- Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee
- Joint public safety training and support programs through our Fire and Police Departments
- and many events on and off base to support active duty, retirees, personnel and their families.
Out of the eight (8) major military installations in the state, Sumter has the third largest military presence by total volume of military-related activity (behind Charleston and Columbia).
- Shaw’s overall Annual Economic Impact on Sumter region: $2.05 Billion
- Labor Income generated for Sumter region: $1B
- Employment Impact: 9,404 Direct Jobs, 5,466 Indirect jobs
- Number of veterans in Sumter: 16,000+
- Number of active duty, military family, and retirees: 31,000+
Welcome to the Shaw-Sumter community!