Midland Productions Dec 2, 2010:

base vs. facility 19:21 I have nothing against 'facility', and I said so in my post. I would have chosen it myself. It is a more inclusive term and befitting, as well. In fact, we could use a number of words, not only these two. However, "base" is the exact term used in the article quoted, in relation to the facility and we are indeed talking about a base, namely the one in Frankfurt, which is referred to as a base, not only in this article, but in all the references I've seen, while obviously being a facility.

"Before the 9/11 attacks, the Frankfurt base was a relatively sleepy resupply center".

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/world/13foggo.html?_r=1

And materiel facilities are usually bases.

On the other hand, I don't quite agree with "materiel", in this instance - not because it would be wrong, but because it has a ring of exclusively military supplies and gear, whereas the European base had (it's closed now) a broader scope of supplies and activities (intelligence, strategical, etc.). All the best!

meirs Dec 2, 2010:

base vs. facility Base usually implies a compound entirely owned and operated by the organization in question - whereas facility is very broad and can be only a single building or part of.