Grand Forks Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base located near Emerado, North Dakota, and was established in 1955. The base is approximately 16 miles from Grand Fork, North Dakota, and the host unit at Grand Forks is the 319th Air Refueling Wing which guarantees global reach and engagement for the U.S and its allies through air refueling and airlift capabilities. The city of Grand Forks has a population of nearly 50,000 people and lies in the Red River Valley between the Red Lake River and the Red River of the North. Unites assigned to the Grand Forks Air Force Base include the 319th Operations Group, the Mission group, the Mission Support Group, and the 319th Medical Group. The base was originally built as an Air Defense command fighter-interceptor air base. Grand Forks Air Force Base covers 8.2 square miles and has a 4,800 people currently residing on Grand Forks Air Force Base.

Weather in the Grand Forks Air Force Base area tends to be mild in the summer with temperatures in the 60s and extremely cold in the winter with the temperatures in the 0s. Annual rainfall in the area is 19 inches with the wettest month being June. July is also the warmest month, and January is the coldest. Local housing options are available nearby in cities such as Emerado, Grand Forks, and Laramore. In May 2005, the DoD recommended that the Grand Forks Air Force Base should be realigned. This would keep the base open but it would mean the loss of the tanker mission. The RQ-4 Global Hawks have recently been assigned to Grand Forks and will take up residence in mid-2011. It appears that Grand Forks may be the new potential home of the KC-X tanker.