 The initial host unit stationed at Laredo AFB was the 3640th Pilot Training Wing, later superseded by the 38th Flying Training Wing (38 FTW), initially operating the T-33 in the 1950s and transitioning to the T-41, T-37 and T-38 aircraft in the 1960s.As the Vietnam War began to scale down in the early 1970s, the Air Force recognized that defense budgets and pilot training requirements would be reduced.As a result, several UPT bases were identified for closure, including Laredo AFB and Webb AFB in Texas and Craig AFB in Alabama.