Sembach Kaserne's origins date back to 1919 after World War I when French occupation troops used the eastern half of the present flightline as an airfield.

Because of the brevity of the French campaign in the first year of the Second World War, the area was returned to the farmers to be used as a pasture in June 1940.

In 1950, as a result of the Cold War threat of the Soviet Union, the United States was rapidly expanding its air forces, announcing an increase in the number of combat wings from 48 in 1950 to 95 by June 1952.

The local farmers protested the construction of a hard-surface airfield which would entail the loss of much of their land, and they demonstrated in Mainz, the capital of the Rhineland-Palatinate.

Despite this vigorous opposition, the French occupational authorities began the construction of a modern airfield at the end of June 1951.

On 1 September 1951, U.S. authorities officially took over the construction site from the French and named it Sembach Air Auxiliary Field.

In the middle of April 1952, the residents of Sembach learned that the land to the north of the now completed flightline was to be used for the construction of multi-story barracks and office buildings.

On April 23, 1952, the Chief of the State Chancellery personally visited Sembach and promised the farmers that he would do all that he could to protect their rights.

In September, the Minister President of the Rhineland-Palatinate announced that the government had offered an alternative to the site for the planned construction.

Shortly afterward, the French occupation authorities agreed to build on the Heuberg, a sandy area of comparatively little agricultural value located approximately a mile from the flightline.

With this announcement, and everyone being satisfied, Sembach became a center of activity once more, and construction of the administrative area of the base began in October 1952.

On that day, at 1045 hours, the first of 18 RB-26 Invader aircraft belonging to the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (TRW) landed on the new flightline, arriving from Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.

The third and final phase of construction at Sembach Air Base was conducted in the summer of 1954 when the housing area was built.

On 30 November 1954, the 30th TRS received the first Martin RB-57A Canberra, to replace its World War II vintage RB-26 Invaders.

On 1 January 1957, a fourth squadron, 19 TRS, was transferred from the 47th Bombardment Wing (Strategic Air Command) at RAF Sculthorpe to the 66th TRW.

The 47th TRS flew the RB-45C Tornado, however, the squadron remained at Sculthrope and did not physically transfer its assets to Sembach.

Both the 66th TRW and the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base were flying dissimilar types of aircraft: the RF-84F and the RB-66.

The very favourable North African weather provided the ideal environment in which new pilots could be transitioned on to the squadron aircraft in the minimum of time.

This move was in accordance with USAFE's plan to realign the posture of various bases in anticipation of the 66th's pending aircraft conversion to the RF-101.

An A-10 Thunderbolt II forward operating location was established when Det 1, 81st Tactical Fighter Wing was activated on 1 September 1978, from RAF Bentwaters, UK.

At the time, the wing was responsible for over 40 geographically separated units in combination with over 200 people deployed to more than a dozen locations worldwide.

The 66th ECW trained (43d ECS) Lockheed EC-130 Hercules aircrews at Sembach in the Compass Call mission; administratively controlled (42d ECS) General Dynamics/Grumman EF-111A Raven aircrews based at RAF Upper Heyford, England, and acted as a command and control coordination function for the 52nd FW F-4G & F-16C/D Wild Weasel SAM suppression (SEAD) mission.

On 28 March 1986, the USAFE Vice Commander (CV), Major General Martin approved 6919 ESS as the designator for the new ESC COMPASS CALL [mission crew] squadron, and on the same day, USAFE transferred 109 manpower billets to ESC effective 1 October 1986.

The 6919th ESS, Sembach, Air Base, Germany, began supporting EC-130 Compass Call operations in late 1986.