The designation was intended to make it much easier for the Victor Valley Economic Development Authority to convince international carriers to use the airport as a base for shipping foreign products to Southern California.

The airport authority required the 5,000 ft (1,500 m) extension to ensure that cargo planes could depart fully loaded in summer heat.

The longer runway was also required for the efficient use of the facility as the main transportation hub for the 70,000 troops a year traveling to and from the Army National Training Center at Fort Irwin.

[4] The fiscal year 2002 military spending bill earmarked US$1.3 million to allow the U.S. Army to continue using the SCLA to transport troops en route to training exercises at Fort Irwin.

[3] In late 2006, SCLA became home to Air Tanker 910, a heavily modified McDonnell Douglas DC-10, which is on contract to the California Department of Forestry (CALFIRE).

DARPA selected the location because its network of urban roads best simulated the type of terrain American forces operate in when deployed overseas.

[13] The Australian airline Qantas began to move its entire Airbus A380 fleet into storage at the facility in July 2020, due to the lack of international demand for flights.

[12] In the aftermath of the 2015 emissions scandal, German automaker Volkswagen leased 134 acres (54 ha) of land at the SCLA to store 21,000 cars it had reacquired from customers.