Bucholz Army Airfield was initially built by the Japanese in 1943 as part of a large naval base. It came under heavy air attacks in late 1943 to neutralize the island. The atoll was assaulted by American forces on 31 January 1944. Employing the battle hardened tactics developed under fire during the Battle of Tarawa, the United States launched a resolute dual assault on the main islands of Kwajalein in the south and Roi-Namur in the north. The Japanese put up ill-fated resistance, though outnumbered and under-prepared. The futile Japanese defense left only 4 survivors of an original garrison of 3,500.

Its position is ideal for refueling during trans-Pacific flights, and the airport is available to civilians through Air Marshall Islands and United Airlines. Since the entirety of Kwajalein Atoll is a military base, non-military passengers on commercial flights are transported to and from the neighboring island of Ebeye, the civilian population center of Kwajalein Atoll.