The world ASCIICHAR_e1 s largest naval base calls Norfolk its home. Fighter jets from Langley Air Force Base fly homeland security patrols over the nation ASCIICHAR_e1 s capital.
Army Reservists from around the country have processed through Fort Eustis on their way to and from Iraq. And battlefield information wired from Iraq to Fort Monroe was rapidly analyzed and returned as battlefield lessons not for the next war, but for the next day. The bases also are huge financial engines, making a combined contribution of billions of dollars to the area’s economy.
AREA INSTALLATIONS
Fort Monroe,Old Point Comfort, Hampton
Operational on July 25, 1823, headquarters for the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command — TRADOC. It’s also home to the Joint Task Force Civil Support and the Casemate Museum. It is the only active Army post with a moat. There are 1,433 military personnel stationed there, and 2,747 civilian employees work there. Combined payroll is $182 million.
Langley Air Force Base, Hampton
Established in 1916 as Langley Field, this is one of the first sites of military aviation. Its three F-15C Eagle squadrons are frequently deployed to patrol the world’s hot spots. The Air Force plans to base its first combat-ready wing of F/A-22 Raptors there starting later this year.
Langley is also home to the Air Combat Command, the Air Force’s largest command, as well as the 9th Air Force’s 1st Fighter Wing. About 8,800 airmen, 2,000 civilians, 13,000 family members and 802 non appropriated-fund employees work on the base. Combined payroll is $625 million.
Coast Guard Training Center, Yorktown
Training facility for the Coast Guard as well as foreign troops. More than 10,000 students are trained here each year. The work force is composed of 282 civilians and 539 uniformed personnel. At any time, about 700 Coast Guardsmen are taking classes here. Combined payroll for active duty military and students is about $40 million.
Yorktown Naval Weapons Station
The Navy stores, maintains and loads bombs, missiles and other ordnance for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet at this base. The station also manages the facility formerly known as Cheatham Annex in York County. About 1,455 military personnel and 1,257 civilians and contractors work at the station. Commands include the Atlantic Ordnance Command and the Fleet Hospital Support Office, which builds the Navy’s containerized mobile hospital units stored in locations around the world.
Camp Peary, Williamsburg
This is home to the Armed Forces Experimental Training Activity. The CIA uses this 10,000-acre camp as a training center for its officers. Little is publicly known about the place. Neighbors have said they hear loud explosions coming from the camp, which is referred to as “The Farm.” The number of workers there and payroll are not divulged.
Fort Eustis, Newport News
Established in 1918, Eustis is named for Brevet Brig. Gen. Abraham Eustis, a Virginia native and veteran of the War of 1812. Eustis serves as the headquarters for the Army Transportation Center and School, the 7th Transportation Group, the 8th Transportation Brigade, the Military Traffic Management Command’s Operations Center and the Army Transportation Museum, among others. The post played a vital role in mobilizing thousands of reservists during their call-up for the war with Iraq. The James River Reserve Fleet, nicknamed the “Ghost Fleet,” is mothballed next to the post and is managed by the US Maritime Administration. About 4,516 military, 2,407 Defense Department civilians and 540 non-appropriated fund employees work there. Their combined payroll is $765.7 million.
Fort Story, Virginia Beach
Established in Virginia Beach in 1914, his post is home of the 11th Transportation Battalion, which conducts amphibious operations. It is the Army’s only saltwater-purification training site. The scenic base at the beach is home to 987 soldiers and serves 14,570 retirees and family members. Payroll for the base is $91.7 million.
Navy Supervisor of Shipbuilding (Conversion and Repair), Newport News
This Navy office oversees the shipyard’s work on Navy ships and submarines being built or overhauled. In 2004 the office had about 55 military and 410 civilian workers. An average of 2,800 sailors are temporarily based at the yard at any time while work on their ships is being done. Civilian payroll for 2004 was estimated at $23 million.
Norfolk Naval Station, including Chambers Field, Norfolk
The station is the largest naval base in the world. There are 70 ships home-ported at the naval station. Chambers Field is home to 16 aircraft squadrons. There are about 54,000 active-duty sailors based at the station. About 11,000 Defense Department employees work there. The payroll for all Navy activities in the area is $6.29 billion.
Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, Virginia Beach/Norfolk
This is the biggest amphibious base in the world and the heart of the expeditionary forces for the Atlantic Fleet. It is the East Coast headquarters of the Navy SEALs.
Little Creek is also home to 80 shore commands, 28 Navy ships, 36 hovercraft and 27 conventional beach landing crafts. Major commands include Network Warfare Command, Amphibious Group 2, Naval Special Warfare Group, Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Atlantic, Surface Warfare Development Group and the Armed Forces School of Music. In addition, the Coast Guard operates ships from the base’s piers.
The base has 7,693 military and about 1,548 civilian personnel. The combined payroll is roughly $232 million.
Coast Guard Atlantic Area, Portsmouth
The operations hub for the 5th Coast Guard District and the headquarters for Coast Guard activities from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. About 3,000 Coast Guard and civilian personnel, including reserves, work in Hampton Roads. The combined payroll is about $190 million.
Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth
A government-owned, nuclear-capable ship repair and maintenance facility, it has been in existence more than 230 years, making it the oldest continuously operated shipyard in the country. About 7,700 civilian workers and 40 military personnel are assigned to, or work at, the shipyard. Combined payroll is about $600 million.
Portsmouth Naval Medical Center
The sprawling medical center on the banks of the Elizabeth River in downtown Portsmouth is the Navy’s oldest continuously run hospital. The hospital and its branch clinics provide health care to the region’s 420,000 active-duty service members, family members and military retirees. The hospital staff includes 297 doctors, 13 dentists, and 2,821 support personnel The hospital payroll is $81.3 million.
Oceana Naval Air Station, Virginia Beach
A Navy master jet base, Oceana is home to 19 squadrons of F-14 Tom-cat fighters and F/A-18 Hornets –about 265 aircraft. The planes are either assigned to carriers or used as mock enemy fighters for training. About 9,247 military personnel and 2,547 civilians are stationed or work there. Damn Neck Annex, also in Virginia Beach, falls under Oceana. It has 3,661 military and 1,368 civilians. The combined payroll is $1.12 billion.
