History of Clark

Clark Air Base was the largest U.S. Military Base outside mainland USA. It was established by the US Cavalry in 1903 as Fort Stotsenburg. Most of Clark then was open fields and jungle. The base grew up around the old cavalry post’s large parade field (now known as the Parade Grounds). It is said that the US Cavalry horses took a liking to grass growing within said area which is why the Parade Grounds served as the nucleus of development of Fort Stotsenburg.

You can still visit the Parade Grounds at Clark today, which once upon a time was used as a polo playing field and concert venue by the US Military. Even the graceful old homes with large verandahs, affectionately called barn houses by the former occupants, are still there to remind us of the grandeur and ease of Fort Stotsenburg life.

In 1917 Fort Stotsenburg was converted into an air field and was renamed Clark Air Field in 1919. The new center of the base was the flight line with its aircraft operations and maintenance centers. With the expiration of the Republic of the Philippines-US Bases Agreement in November 1991, the former Clark Air Base was reverted to the Philippine Government. The most valuable piece of infrastructure the Philippines inherited from the US Airforce was the parallel runways of the Clark Airport (now known as the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport or DMIA) which is now the centerpiece of development at Clark.