Beale was named for Edward Fitzgerald Beale, the nineteenth century pioneer. Edward Beale led the experiment to replace Army mules with camels.

Camp Beale opened in October 1942 During World War II, Camp Beale's 86,000 acres were home for more than 60,000 Soldiers, a prisoner-of-war encampment, and a 1,000-bed hospital.

In 1948, the camp transferred from the Army to the Air Force. Today, Beale’s mission is to deploy warrior airmen, deliver timely, relevant and persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and to leverage technology to increase capability for our joint partners.