United States Forces Azores Management Command Azores Detachment and the base's resident officer in charge of construction. There are approximately 425 U.S. military and 10 Department of Defense civilians assigned to the group. The total U.S. population, including dependents, is about 2,170. Department of Defense employs approximately 930 Portuguese civilians at Lajes Field. An Air Force colonel serves jointly as U.S. Forces Azores commander and as commander of the 65th Air Base Group, Air Combat Command. United States Forces Azores United States Forces Azores (USAFORAZ) is based at Lajes Field, Portugal near Lajes on Terceira Island in the Azores. In 1953, the U.S. Forces
Regional Junta of the Azores the elected seats. Within each mandate (each island) the distribution of seats would be made by the Hondt method, which benefited minorities. The Regional Junta was extinguished with the establishment of the first Regional Government of the Azores, on 9 September 1976, wherein all the competencies, property and responsibilities were transferred to its title. Regional Junta of the Azores The Regional Junta of the Azores () was the governing body created under Decree-Law 458-B/75 (22 August 1975), to substitute the Civil Governors of the autonomous districts of Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroísmo and Horta and their individual General Juntas ().