Welcome to Team Little Rock, Home of Combat Airlift. Your assignment to Little Rock Air Force Base will likely be one of the highlights of your Air Force career. Much thought has been given to making your transition to this assignment as smooth as possible and it all begins the moment you drive through the front gate.

Getting to Little Rock, AFB
Little Rock, Arkansas, about 15 miles south of the main gate to Little Rock Air Force Base, is located a few hundred miles southeast of the geographic center of the contiguous 48 states. In driving terms, it is 139 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee, on I-40; 655 miles south of Chicago, Illinois, via I-55 and I-40; 315 miles northeast of Dallas, Texas, on I-30; 441 miles north of New Orleans, Louisiana, via I-55 and I-40; and 332 miles east of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on I-40. For those who might be heading for Arkansas from an Air Force assignment as far away from here as it is possible to drive, Little Rock is 4,235 miles southeast of Elmendorf AFB near Anchorage, Alaska.

From Little Rock, proceed north on U.S. Highways 67/167, which are combined on the same limited-access, multi-lane highway in this part of Arkansas. The exits for this route are well marked on both I-30 and I-40 near where the two highways intersect a few miles north of the city. From U.S. 67/167, take exit 11 for Little Rock AFB, turning left at the stoplight to duck under the freeway after coming down the off-ramp. The base is on the west side of the highway. Be exceedingly careful on 67/167 as there is a lot of on-going construction and some of the on- and off-ramps are a little tricky. Green-and-white road signs pointing the way to the base are frequent and easily spotted.

At the main gate, photo ID will be required for all adults in your vehicle. Though it may not be required, traveling with a copy of each child's birth certificate is always a good idea in case of questions from security.

Other Means of Transportation
Several major airlines offer daily service to Little Rock International Airport from anywhere in the country and a handful of foreign cities. AMTRAK service is available, as is commercial bus service. If you arrive via one of these means of public transportation, advise your sponsor of your expected time of arrival and keep him or her informed of any delays that occur en route. Likely your sponsor will come to the airport, train station or bus station to pick you up personally, or otherwise make arrangements for your transportation out to the base.

Lodging
Razorback Inn, Bldg. 1024
The best place to stay on your first night at Little Rock AFB is the on-base guest house, the Razorback Inn, DSN 731-6652 or (501) 987-6652. It's easy to find and will almost certainly be easier on your wallet than a motel outside the gate. Once through the main gate, take the first left on Arnold Drive, go a short distance and take the second left at the light. The lodging facility will be on your left, but the way the parking lot is laid out with one-way streets, you'll have to go up to the convention center, turn left and keep to the left as you circle back to the front door.

Pets are not allowed in the Razorback Inn, so if the family dog, cat or other animal is part of your entourage, expect to either be directed to the local economy to spend the night, or be given a list of suggested places to board your animal(s) until you can arrange for permanent housing. The people behind the counter at the Razorback Inn will be happy to assist you with all of these kinds of concerns. Razorback Inn staff will also provide you with a Statement of Non-Availability should space be unavailable or other valid reasons cause you to spend the night in temporary housing off-base.

Once you've arranged for billeting for the first night, contact your sponsor to let him or her know of your arrival and, if it is still during duty hours, a call to the orderly room of your receiving unit is also a good idea. You will probably be invited down to the orderly room to sign in, a formality that places you back in a duty status from the leave or travel status you were on prior to reaching Little Rock AFB. If you arrive after duty hours, the call to the orderly room can normally wait until first thing in the morning of the next duty day, though signing in at whatever the hour of your arrival is almost always a good idea. To avoid spending a weekend at loose ends sitting around the Razorback Inn, timing your arrival so your first full day on base is a weekday is a great idea.

In-Processing
Your calls to your sponsor and your receiving unit will help you determine your immediate schedule at Little Rock AFB. In all probability you will be given several days to arrange for permanent housing, whether you decide to live on base or within the local economy. A later chapter goes into considerable detail about housing options on base and offers several thoughts on opportunities for off-base housing.

The one mandatory event you must attend during your first days at Little Rock AFB will be the one-stop, in-processing at the Newcomers Joint Introduction held every Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Thomas Community Activities Center, Bldg. 868. Base leadership and representatives from area communities will be on hand to welcome you to your new assignment, as well as describe some of the area's attractions. If you're married, your spouse is invited to attend with you to learn about the many programs and opportunities available for families.

To make it easy for your spouse to spend the day with you at in-processing, the Airman and Family Readiness Center in Bldg. 688 offers a PCS Childcare Program. This is essentially a program providing free childcare for all ranks joining Team Little Rock. Stop in and visit them, or call DSN 731-6801 or (501) 987-6801 to make the necessary arrangements. Besides briefings for newcomers, you'll also turn in your medical and personnel records and file your travel voucher as part of the one-stop, in-processing.

Vehicle Registration
Because decals are no longer required for entering Little Rock AFB, there is no requirement to register your vehicle on base. The requirement for vehicle registration was done away with when it was recognized that stopping every vehicle entering the base for an ID check of the occupants made the requirement redundant.

Firearms Registration
The only personnel on Little Rock AFB required to register personally owned firearms are those living in the dorms or who are billeted in the Razorback Inn. These people must take their firearms to the Security Squadron office, Bldg. 480 and turn them in to be locked in the arms room. Whenever the service member wishes to use his/her firearm, it must be checked out from security.

When transporting firearms on base, the gun must be unloaded and must be stored in the vehicle separately from its ammunition. In other words, the gun and the ammunition must not be next to each other. Personnel living in family housing or off base are not required to register their personal firearms on Little Rock AFB.

Consolidated Support Facility
Bldg. 1255
Within this single building are offices handling virtually everything related to personnel, finance and household goods shipments. ID cards are provided here (you will need a letter from the First Sergeant to replace a lost card), you will make arrangements to have your household goods delivered—and shipped when you leave—in this building, and your personnel records are maintained here.

An information desk just inside the front door is staffed and will provide directions as to where you should go within the building. On the information desk is a computer that you may be asked to use to sign in. It is an efficiently run operation and you will probably not experience any lengthy waits for assistance.

Phone System
The 911 emergency system is used at Little Rock AFB and the surrounding area just as it is within the rest of the United States and Canada. Dialing 911 from an on-base or off-base phone will connect you to an operator who can immediately arrange for police, fire or medical service to respond as appropriate to the emergency. Dialing a call from office to office on base, or to base housing, will require dialing seven digits.

To call off base from an official phone, you must first dial 99, then the seven digit number for numbers within the 501 area code. A pin number is required for calls into other area codes and can be obtained from your unit telephone control officer. From base housing, dial the seven digit number for calls within the 501 area code, or 1, area code, and number for calls outside the 501 area code. DSN service is available from official phones on base.